Gomu Gomu no Mi/Gear 5 Techniques

Gear 5 ("Gear Fifth") is the awakened form of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, which strengthens the user's rubbery body. It also allows the user the ability to manipulate and transform their environment, similar to a Paramecia's awakening. Luffy achieved this ability during his final battle with Kaidou on Onigashima.
==Overview==
The awakening of the Gomu Gomu no Mi, formerly known as the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, grants the user's rubber body increased strength and freedom, allowing them to fight in any way they please. It is for this reason that the user is said to become the , bringing joy and freedom to those around them, and this fruit's power being described as .
In this state, Luffy's heartbeat takes on a musical rhythm which has been described by Zunesha as the . His hair and clothes (with the exception of his signature straw hat, sash, and sandals) turn white, his eyes glow with red ring-like pupils (pink in the anime), and white clouds float around his neck, similar to the clouds of steam that accompany him in Gear 4. His eyebrows also become swirled and billowing. It seems Gear 5 also transforms Luffy's outfit to his pants and sandals that he usually wears as opposed to whatever else he is wearing, which is not unlike the article of clothing removal for most Zoan transformations. The outfit will return upon deactivating Gear 5. To activate this transformation, all Luffy seemingly has to do is force his heart to beat to the rhythm of the Drums of Liberation.
When Luffy either activates this state or is in it for long periods of time, he exudes joyous and contagious jubilation and mirth; giving even hardened enemies a sense of fun during fights. He tends to laugh more and feels light and extremely creative.
===Abilities===
The powers of the awakened Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika appear to be centered around freedom; in addition to giving the user the ability to fight however they please, Luffy has described his Gear 5 transformation as where he is completely free. Jewelry Bonney's imitation of Gear 5 is even based on her ability to imagine herself with the most freedom.
As an awakened Mythical Zoan based on a God, Luffy is afforded immense strength, speed, and durability in Gear 5 that outclass the physical enhancement granted by most Zoan powers, including awakened ones. Most notably, he could fight and defeat Kaidou, an infamous Emperor feared for his nigh-unmatchable might who is further enhanced by the Mythical Devil Fruit Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu, on nearly equal footing. Furthermore, his strength and speed is such that he can match and completely overpower Rob Lucci's own awakened Zoan form with immense ease. In terms of durability, he could as well take a direct hit from Kaidou's Bolo Breath attack, only to come out of it barely hurt (despite his body appearing cartoonishly charred) and return to the fight immediately after. This also includes a faster recovery rate, which functions involuntarily, even when he is unconscious. In fact, the physical feats Luffy can pull off in Gear 5 border on nearly the absurd; he can spin his legs fast enough to run through midair while generating enough friction to ignite fire in his wake, and spin like a top with such force that he turns into a burrowing drill.
Aligning with the Mythical Zoan nature of this form, Luffy's already rubbery body gains freedom and flexibility that surpasses what he would receive from his previous forms, to the point that it is now even cartoonishly malleable, with Kaidou likening it to "something out of a picture book". Examples of this are when he took a hit to the head from Kaidou's Hassaikai, only for his head to warp and wrap around the weapon and its spikes, and when Kaidou tried to smash him into the ground, his body was simply squished instead and later returned to its original shape. This mitigates the damage dealt by attacks that would normally bypass his Devil Fruit abilities, though the impacts will still hurt. Even more ridiculously, like how Gear 5 lets Luffy pull off feats in a cartoonish manner, his body is affected in all manner of funky ways when reacting to physical and emotional stimulations. For example, when Luffy got hit by Topman Warcury's Supreme King Haki-imbued roar, most of his physical features, such as his clothes and scars, were literally blown off of him before he physically reattached them. 
Luffy is able to utilize both the limb inflation of Gear 3 and the muscle inflation of Gear 4 (called Muscle-Muscle Power in the anime) without the need to pump air into his body first, allowing him to greatly increase his own strength. This allows him to increase his arm to such enormous size that he can grab Kaidou's transformed body and yank him up out of the Skull Dome. With his enlarged limbs and muscles, Luffy could easily manhandle Kaidou despite his enormous size, swinging him in circles and repeatedly slamming him on the ground. Luffy can also perform the inflation over his entire body at once to the point of him reaching the size of an actual giant.
Unlike typical Zoan awakenings, Gear 5 has an ability of Paramecia awakenings: extending his rubbery nature to the environment around himself. By making surfaces rubbery, he can cushion himself from powerful blows and even bounce off or launch himself off of whatever surface his power affects. He can also stretch surfaces to bounce attacks back at his opponent. Interestingly, the altered terrain is seemingly more resilient than normal; a piece of the Skull Dome's roof was neither burnt nor melted while reflecting a Bolo Breath attack, which is scorching hot and has enough explosive power to destroy a whole castle and mountain top. Luffy has even applied this effect to intangible matter, such as lightning and clouds, as well as to organic material. Although Luffy's punches cause his opponents' bodies to stretch around his fists, they still transfer the force of the attacks.
Aside from his rubber-related abilities, Gear 5 allows Luffy to use the Gomu Gomu no Mi's true power, which is turning whatever the user can imagine into reality. Luffy has utilized this ability to materialize objects from various resources, such as creating goggles from his flaming hair and constructing a baseball bat and helmet from a tree.
Despite the strength of this form, due to inexperience, it consumes plenty of energy for Luffy to maintain and use, even to the point that he can appear to have visibly aged decades once de-transformed in addition to experiencing extensive exhaustion and fatigue, although these effects will eventually wear off on their own after a while. In the anime, this is further emphasized with Luffy's colors becoming muted. That said, Luffy can fully restore his vitality and stamina right after using Gear 5 by eating excessive amounts of food. Also, unlike Paramecia awakenings, Zoan awakenings like Gear 5 carries the inherent risk of the innate nature of the animal that the Gomu Gomu no Mi is derived from, namely the "Sun God" Nika, consuming Luffy's mind. In addition, Luffy is still vulnerable to cutting attacks.
==Techniques==
Techniques that are variations of Luffy's regular attacks tend to gain the label after the "Gomu Gomu no" prefix in this form, for example Gomu Gomu no Dawn Rocket. The known named techniques that are used by Luffy so far in this form are as follows: 
*: A variant of Luffy's standard technique, with the main difference being that Luffy's body becomes extremely buoyant, like a helium balloon. This was first used against Kaidou in his Beast Form, where Luffy entered the Emperor's body and expanded himself as well as the dragon. In the VIZ manga and Funimation adaptations, this is called Gum-Gum Balloon.
*: A technique where Luffy expands himself to the size of a literal giant, as if activating Gear 3 on his entire body. The name of the technique follows the Gear 3 naming theme, but without anything after Gigant. In the VIZ manga and Funimation adaptations, this is called Gum-Gum Giant.
*: The Gear 5 version of Gomu Gomu no King Kong Gun, and the most powerful technique Luffy has ever used in any form thus far. Luffy inflates his fist to almost the size of Onigashima, applying both advanced-grade Armament and Supreme King Haki-infusion to it before unleashing it at his opponent—with the intention of outwardly emitting his Haki in order to punch them without making direct contact—for a devastating blow. This was first used against Kaidou, who countered the attack with Shoryu: Kaen Hakke, resulting in a massive clash. Luffy was soon able to overpower and defeat Kaidou, breaking off his left horn and sending him from the skies above Wano into a magma chamber far below its surface. "Bajrang" is an alternate name of the Hindu monkey god, Hanuman, a potential inspiration for Sun Wukong. In the VIZ manga and Funimation adaptations, this is called Gum-Gum Bajrang Gun.
*: Luffy punches his fist into the floor, and a nearby section of the floor stretches into a tendril and strikes his opponent from the side. This was first used against Rob Lucci in his awakened Zoan form. This is called Gum-Gum Mole Pistol in the VIZ manga and Gum-Gum Mole Pistols in the Crunchyroll subs.
*: After twisting his body, Luffy stretches his leg, hardens it with Armament Haki, and swings it into his opponent's face. He then lets his body rapidly untwist, adding more energy into his kick. This was first used against Lucci in his awakened Zoan form. In the VIZ manga and Crunchyroll subs, this is called Gum-Gum Dawn Whip.
*: Luffy throws himself into the environment and uses his awakened power to bend the structure further. After then shaping his hair into a pair of goggles, Luffy launches himself at his opponent and slams his fist into their abdomen. This was first used against Lucci in his awakened Zoan form. In the VIZ manga and Crunchyroll subs, this is called Gum-Gum Dawn Rocket.
*: Luffy lures a group of targets in a straight line, hardens his leg with Armament Haki, and stretches it to attack them at once. This was first used against Kizaru's light clones. In the VIZ manga, this is called Gum-Gum Dawn Stamp.
*: After enlarging his muscles and hardening his arm with Armament and Supreme King Haki, Luffy spins rapidly in place before stretching and delivers a powerful, enlarged hook to the opponent's head, which makes cartoon stars fly on impact. This was first used against Kaidou, but went unamed until it was done against Kizaru, who noted the attack's strength before being sent flying. It proved powerful enough to render Kizaru, a marine admiral, immobile. In the VIZ manga, this is called Gum-Gum Star Gun.
*: The Gear 5 version of Gomu Gomu no Elephant Gatling. With Gear 5 providing better control over his limb inflation, Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Elephant Gatling condition of needing to stretch his arms back, enlarge his fists and harden them with Armament Haki beforehand is eliminated and can instead perform the setup at the same time he already executes his rapid barrage; thus, also eliminating the time lag of the initial technique. It was first used against Jaygarcia Saturn. This attack was strong enough to send Saturn flying into the buildings behind him. In the VIZ manga, this is called Gum-Gum Dawn Gatling.
*: Luffy enlarges his hands and claps them together with his opponent in between, turning them into a flat disk that can be flung. It was first used against Kizaru and Saturn. In the VIZ manga, this is called Gum-Gum Dawn Cymbal.
*: After inflating his body and covering it with Armament Haki, Luffy grabs onto his target, pulls them into his belly, and then has his allies attack his back, compressing his body from both sides. Luffy then transfers the built-up force into his target, launching them a great distance through the air. This was first used against Marcus Mars, with the help of Sanji's Ifrit Jambe: Hell Memories, Franky's Strong Impact Right, and Bonney's Tokudai!! "Nika no Punch". In the VIZ manga, this is called Gum-Gum Dawn Balloon.
===Situational Techniques===
*: A technique used by Luffy to escape from inside Kaidou's body after using Gomu Gomu no Fusen. Luffy stretches his arms through his opponent's eyes and grabs onto their nose to launch himself out. In the VIZ manga and Funimation adaptations, this is called Gum-Gum Escape Rocket.
*: The giant-sized Luffy grabs Kaidou in his dragon form and uses Kaidou's serpentine body as a skipping rope. In the VIZ manga and Funimation adaptations, this is called Gum-Gum Jump Rope.
*: Luffy gives a lightning bolt the properties of rubber in order to grab it, then hurls it at his opponent. This was first used against Kaidou, who managed to dodge the attack. In the anime Luffy was also shown to be able to grab and launch multiple bolts of lightning at once. In the VIZ manga and Funimation adaptations, this is called Gum-Gum Lightning.
====Anime-Only====
*: Luffy grabs onto a section of rubberized ground that has recoiled and stretched upwards from his opponent's attack, before bringing it over his head and then downwards towards his opponent to form a tall archway. He then bounces himself like a pinball down the section of ground, slamming himself into his target. In the Funimation adaptations, this is called Gum-Gum Counterblow.
==Trivia==
*Gear 5's concept took inspiration from rubber hose animation and cartoon physics. In particular, Oda drew inspiration from the cartoon Tom and Jerry. Oda himself wanted to draw something funny, and also wanted Luffy's fights to regain some funny elements, even though he was aware the general audience of One Piece would not like this concept because the general action sequences of contemporary Shonen manga are taken too seriously, causing the genre's uniqueness in the past to be lost over time. With the introduction of Gear 5, Oda wanted to create a polarity between Luffy's cartoonish humor and Kaidou's deadly seriousness.
**These cartoonish effects also include other characters' eyes popping out of their heads.
*Gear 5 was first hinted at in SBS Volume 98, when a fan asked if it was coming, and Oda responded by surreptitiously noting that the world was in the process of transitioning to 5G broadband networks.
**Coincidentally, Gear 5 debuted in one of the chapters in Volume 103, exactly five volumes after the question.
*Prior to the official introduction of the Gomu Gomu no Gigant ability, Luffy was coincidentally previously shown as a giant in a non-canon anime filler episode with the aid of an ally, Lily Enstomach.
*Gear 5 made its first animated appearance as a brief cameo during the climax of One Piece Film: Red, exactly one year prior to its anime debut in Episode 1071.
*Morgans found Luffy's awakened form to be mystifying, and upon receiving a photo of it from Guernika, used it as the image of his current bounty poster without approval, much to chagrin of the Five Elders, who considered it too dangerous to reveal Luffy's awakened Devil Fruit to the public.
**Due to this, Gear 5 is the first Gear form to be featured on Luffy's bounty poster. 
** Additionally, thanks to the bounty photo, Vegapunk was among the few individuals who deduced Nika's return and actively sought to verify it through his own eyes.
*In One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, Luffy's Awakening Form Change is referred to as White Persona in its Special Move description and Gear Five White Persona in Combo Attack List description.
==References==
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ru:Гому Гому но Ми/Техники Пятого Гира
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