It is not an uncommon sight to see how Mangakas often take inspiration from other franchises while working on their own projects. Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, is one such mangaka who has even gone to the lengths to reveal from where he took the reference for the latest Luffy’s power transformation.
Luffy Gear 5 was something that many had been waiting for years, and we finally got to see it in One Piece chapter 1044, followed by an animated adaptation last year. There are some obvious references in these particular chapters and episodes taken from one of the most iconic and legendary cartoon shows ever.
Which Iconic Cartoon Is One Piece Luffy Gear 5 Inspired From?
In an interview conducted by the author of Detective Conan and published in the Weekly Shonen Sunday via Twitter, Eiichiro Oda revealed how he based Luffy’s Gear 5 primarily on the characters in the legendary cartoon series Tom and Jerry.
Tom and Jerry is one of the most widely recognized cartoons for its comedic element and was watched by millions of people in their childhood. Its comedic features included goofing around and defying the laws of physics regularly, which is something seen with Luffy’s latest transformation too.
However, it is not only a goofy nature that Luffy is granted in his Gear 5 transformation. He also gets some insane powers and abilities that were never even imagined before its inception.
Luffy’s Gear 5 Abilities And Techniques In One Piece
Luffy’s latest transformation, as granted by his devil fruit Hito Hito no Mi: Model Nika, allows him to practically transform into the avatar of legendary Sun God Nika himself. Not only he is granted the appearance of the same god, but also acquires the same powers and techniques as him.
These said powers include the ability to manipulate his body as well as his surroundings on the battlefield to his advantage. This was observed during his fight against Kaido, where he was easily able to manipulate his environment like it was rubber and elastic.
It was through this transformation that Luffy was able to defeat Kaido, one of the former emperors of the sea, finally bringing the Wano Country Arc to an end. It was already a speculation how Gear 5 might be inspired by the Tom and Jerry series given its increased comedic element, but Oda’s aforementioned interview confirms the theory.
One Piece is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
