For over two decades, One Piece has captivated fans for over two decades as his journey to become The King of the Pirates has hooked viewers as Oda features a vast and imaginative world with intriguing characters. For a long time, Naruto fans have tried to demean the series for not having moments that have broken the internet. However, they are about to be shushed as Luffy’s Gear 5 would propel anime into a new era.
The Wano Country Arc is reaching its pinnacle fans are getting more and more excited, as it featured a glimpse of what fans would see in the next episode. One Piece‘s upcoming episode 1071 would feature Monkey D. Luffy’s most awaited transformation, that is, Gear 5. The manga readers of the series have been waiting for this iconic moment since March 2022, and much like our future Pirate King, the hype can not be stopped.
Mayumi Tanaka’s Unreal Performance For Monkey D. Luffy’s Gear 5 Transformation
As the Wano Country Arc is reaching its peak, Luffy faced a crushing defeat from Kaido, The King of the Beasts on the roof of Onigashima’s Skull Dome. However, at the end of episode 1070, the hype for Gear 5 came to life as Zunesha stated that it can hear the Drums of Liberation and a sneak peek of Luffy’s Gear 5 was shown to the viewers.
Tatsuya Nagamine, the series’ director is stirring up the performance of Mayumi Tanaka, the voice actor of Monkey D. Luffy. As One Piece is all set to feature Luffy’s Gear 5, Tatsuya Nagmine gave fans a sneak peek behind the transformation on the celebration of One Piece Day 2023.
“There is this part about ‘Liberation,’ and it’s kind of like breaking free from the laws and physics of the world. So, our goal is to push boundaries with groundbreaking voice acting.”
Nagamine continued that the Gear 5 transformation is unique compared to the other transformations of our Straw Hat captain. He added how he was being excessively cautious while adapting Eiichiro Oda’s original version of Gear 5 Luffy from the manga. And how everyone was worried about the laughing parts but Mayumi Tanaka’s outstanding prowess left everyone impressed.
“I thought it would be difficult to do the laughing parts, so I tried to cut down on the laughter a little. But Ms. Mayumi Tanaka went above and beyond and gave us an amazing Gear 5 laugh. And the final result exceeded our expectations.”
Immense hard work and enthusiasm have been invested in episode 1071. But it has bore fruit as Tatsuya Nagamine expanded beyond what they had initially imagined, and the animators’ dedication to the massive project made it possible to have the same essence as Eiichiro Oda’s manga.
One Piece Anime Makes A Subtle And Meaningful Change To The Manga
After facing a brutal attack by the hands of Kaido, Luffy lies seemingly dead on Onigashima’s rooftop, and The King of the Beasts transforms and descends into the battlefield to announce his victory. However, in episode 1070, at minute 20:00, Nami calls out her captain, saying, “Luffy, I know you can hear me! Keep your word as always!” Followed by Nami’s tearful plea Luffy’s heartbeat comes back and transforms into the Drums of Liberation.
As ardent fans of One Piece know that the Drums of Liberation are the unique sound of Luffy’s heartbeat after he awakens the Gear 5, marking the return of Joy Boy. This moment seems subtle but it makes much more sense but most importantly it recalls one of the most emotional scenes in the entire One Piece series, where Nami asks her captain to keep her word.
This scene is a recall from the Arlong Arc, where the Straw Hat Pirate’s navigator was crying after Arlong took everything from her, Luffy put his hat on her head and promised to save her. After defeating her tormentor, Luffy welcomed Nami to his crew, and she became an integral part of the Straw Hat Pirates.
The transformation for Gear 5 would now make much more sense as Nami was one of the first crew members of the Straw Hat Pirates and she has complete trust in Luffy. Defeating Arlong solidified her trust in him, hence, after years Luffy pledged to defeat Kaido for the welfare of the land of Wano. While Monkey D. Luffy has fallen short multiple times against Kaido, Nami knows that her captain will keep his word. Hence, this subtle change, One Piece is going to make the most anticipated moment in anime history.
One Piece’s episode 1071 is scheduled to release on 6th August 2023. It can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
Source: Twitter
