Greetings, One Piece fans!
With its endlessly evolving powers, intricate character dynamics, and a storyline that just keeps on giving, fans have always been asking questions about the abilities of many characters and their weaknesses. These questions also deal with the limitations of the powers of characters.
One question that recently stands above the rest due to the events of the manga is: Can Luffy use Gear 5 at will? We have seen Gear 5 do many unexplainable things, but does Luffy have complete control over them?
Over the course of this blog post, we will go through all of the tikes Luffy used Gear 5 and all we have seen regarding it in an attempt to answer the question: Can Luffy use Gear 5 at will?
So buckle, and let’s set sail!
How does Gear 5 work?
To understand if Luffy has unlimited control over when he enters and leaves the Gear 5 state, we need to first understand what Gear 5 is. More than just a form or a state that Luffy has thought of or come up with, Gear 5 is most likely the natural state of Luffy’s devil fruit powers. It is the pinnacle of the Hito Hito no mi model Nika’s power.
This means that Gear 5 is the awakening of Luffy’s devil fruit. We have seen other characters throughout the series who have also awakened their devil fruits.
These characters, including Doflamingo and Katakuri, have consistently shown the ability to use their awakened abilities at will. If others can use awakening at any given time, then it is only logical to assume that Luffy can do the same.
Another possibility is that Gear 5 is actually just the full form of Luffy’s Mythical Zoan type fruit. As we know, any Zoan type fruit has a full form, where the user can turn into the creature that the fruit gives them the power of. If this is the case for Gear 5, then like all other Zoan users, Luffy, too, must now have the power to take this form in any given scenario.
This would mean that, just like Kaido can turn into a dragon and Marco can turn into a phoenix at will, Luffy can turn into Gear 5 or Nika.
The times Luffy has used Gear 5
So far in the manga, we have only seen Luffy actually use Gear 5 only two times. Once when, he was fighting against Kaido and the other in his battle against Lucci at Eggland Island.
The manner in which Luffy used Gear 5 in these battles should give us an idea of how this power works, whether according to his will or on some other factors.
While fighting Kaido, Luffy gave it his all. He used all of his gears and abilities but was still defeated in the end. It took nearly dying, or actually just dying, for Luffy to be able to enter Gear 5 for the first time, but that seems to have given him a permanent power over this form.
We saw Luffy get knocked out of Gear 5 once during this fight when he looked older due to fatigue, but he immediately turned Gear 5 back on. This shows a logical ability to go into gear 5 whenever he wants.
Gear 5 vs Lucci
Our biggest proof of Luffy’s intentional control over Gear 5 comes from using the form against Rob Lucci on Dr. Vegapunk’s Island. When Lucci tried to fight Luffy by using his own awakened form, Luffy didn’t waste any time with formalities.
He didn’t use Gear 2, 3, or 4 and chose to go straight into Gear 5, making short work of Lucci. Luffy was able to ascend to gear 5 in a matter of seconds without any buildup at all.
He no longer needed a near-death experience or any added stress.
The fact that Luffy chose to use Gear 5 as his go-to form shows that he can use it at will, even from his base form.
Final verdict: Can Luffy use Gear 5 at will?
If we treat Gear 5 as Luffy’s awakening, then it is just a power that is now constantly at his disposal, and if we consider it his full Zoam form, then like all other Zoans, he should be able to use it at will.
In either case, it is evident that Liffy should have no issues using Gear 5 at will, but if we look at all of the evidence that we have from the series, we still find that this is the case.
Luffy’s immediate use of Gear 5 to beat Lucci and his repeated use of the firm in Wano leads us to logically answer the question with a yes.
That is our final verdict. From what we know, Yes, Luffy can, in fact, use Gear 5 at will.
What do you think about this? Can Luffy really use the power of Joyboy at will?
Let us know your thoughts
