4 years ago, on March 28, 2022 a piece Chapter 1044, which was published in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump issue #17, featured series creator Eiichiro Oda using his legendary Joan Hito Hito no Mi, model: Nika's Awakening with Monkey D. Released the strongest transformation for Luffy. This transformation is Luffy's Gear 5 or Sun God Nika form. Immediately following Nick's descent into the world 800 years later, Ichiro Oda confirmed that he was a warrior of salvation who brought laughter and joy to the faces of all those around him. While the power Nika Jagurti offered Luffy was immense, it significantly simplified Luffy's tendency to joke around in battle. Gear 5 brought this character trait to the absolute maximum level and, at times, took all the tension out of combat.
but, a piece The Elbaf arc addressed this issue once and for all by giving Luffy's Gear 5 a completely new edge and making him fight seriously for the first time. in a piece In Chapter 1187, which was officially released on July 5, 2026, Eiichiro Oda completely revamped Luffy's Gear 5, making it more serious than ever.
One Piece Chapter 1187 officially erases Luffy's faults by making Gear 5 serious
Luffy's character has always been stupid from the start a piece. Be it a fight against the likes of Crocodile, where he used Water Luffy, or Enel, where he used the power of Gomu Gomu no Boh, Luffy has always been somewhat comical in battle. Even in the battle against Rob Lucci, where the life of his crewmate, Nico Robin, was on the line, Luffy never lost his sense of humor. However, when Luffy tapped into the power of Gear 5 on March 28, 2022, this comedic side of his nature was taken to the absolute maximum level, which some fans did not like.
“What's going on? How can I still stand? I just lost, but I feel like I'm having an explosion! Ahahahahahaha! I feel like anything is possible now. I can fight for a while longer.” — Monkey D. Luffy shows the fun side of Gear 5, One Piece Chapter #1044
In an interview in 2022, Eiichiro Oda himself said that he wanted his manga to be something that made people laugh no matter what. In today's world, serious manga are coming out one after another, and Oda is not a fan of that. In short, manga is something for Oda that exists to provide smiles to children, and for the absolute maximum level of personality, he created as a funny adaptation of Gear 5. Even if people hate Gear 5, Eiichiro Oda knows that this transformation represents Luffy's character very well.
“I drew Gear 5 as a big joke, knowing that not all my readers would be happy with it. Battle manga become more serious when they follow reader expectations. I hated that. I don't want my manga to be too serious, so I enjoyed getting it into the fight against Kaido.” — Eiichiro Oda How Gear 5 was made, interview with Oyama
That said, sometimes, Oda uses Gear 5 when Monkey D. Luffy has an overused laughing trait. Thankfully, in the Elbaf arc climax, Monkey D. This bug in Luffy's Gear 5 has been officially addressed. In One Piece Chapter 1187, officially released on July 5, 2026, in Shueisha Weekly Shounen Jump Issue #32, Monkey D. Luffy's Gear 5 is once again featured in the spotlight. It was obvious that, for the first time, Luffy, with Gear 5, jumped into serious mode immediately upon entering the battle. Against the biggest foes like Nerona Emu, Ichiro Oda needs to maintain high-stakes tension and, as such, limit how much Luffy plays his pranks in battle.
Emu: So you finally showed yourself, Joy Boy!
Luffy: Don't go calling me whatever you want. I am monkey d. I am Luffy, who will become the king of pirates.
— Luffy Vs Imu begins, One Piece Chapter #1187
Why Luffy's Gear 5 needs a serious edge after Wano
Luffy's Gear 5 is perfect in the way Eiichiro Oda made it. As a warrior of liberation and a bringer of laughter and joy to the world's oppressed people, Monkey D. Luffy's ultimate power-up is the perfect embodiment of his personality, and that should never change. Luffy's ability to always make people smile and laugh at himself is a core part of his character, and no fan who understands Luffy's character would ask for that to change.
However, what Eiichiro Oda needs to do is strike a perfect balance between the two. When the tension in the story is at a high level, the Gear 5 needs to adapt to this scenario, e.g a piece Chapter 1187. Similarly, when Luffy arrives in the Sun World with Loki in One Piece chapter 1175, Eiichiro Oda highlights his serious and deadly nature with Gear 5, showing that this flaw he struggled to balance no longer exists. With Gear 5 being heavily highlighted in the upcoming One Piece Chapter 1188, scheduled for release on July 12, 2026, and subsequent chapters, it's highly likely that we'll get more glimpses of Eiichiro Oda's new depiction of Luffy's Gear 5.
“One strong devil fruit is not enough to conquer the seas. Look at Roger! He had no devil fruit, yet he still brought the world to his feet. Haki surpasses all!” – Kaido states the greatest power in one piece
How Luffy's Gear 5 could evolve further in the Final Saga
While Eiichiro Oda has practically mastered the balance between Gear 5's comical nature and serious side, he can make this power even more deadly by upgrading its overall capabilities in the Final Saga. in a piece Chapter 1179, which was officially released on April 5, 2026, in Shuisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump issue #19, Eiichiro Oda introduced the idea of awakening rings.
This was shown once again with Rain God Zaza in One Piece Chapter 1182 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump issue #24 on May 10, 2026. Monkey D. Luffy, despite being the Lord of the World, does not yet have this awakening ring, and perhaps Gear 5 can be upgraded to include this powerful awakening ring. Be it this way or any other, Gear 5 is likely to be upgraded in the final saga before the Great War begins, and we can't wait to see what Luffy's upgraded form will look like in the future.
All chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga are available to read through Manga Plus and Viz Media.
