One Piece: Luffy’s Most Powerful Forms, According To The Manga

Over the span of more than 1,000 chapters of the popular manga series One Piece, protagonist Monkey D. Luffy evolved several times in order to bolster his strength. Thanks to his unique Devil Fruit and various power-ups over the years, Luffy has assumed several physical forms to battle his foes at different points.

Luffy’s various forms tend to be codified by Gears, which increase over time to grant the young pirate additional powers to take on some of the mightiest villains on land and the high seas. Those in need of a refresher on Luffy’s most formidable forms will find all of his badass versions here.

Gear 2

Introduced in Chapter 387, Gear 2 (called Gear Second in the anime) is actually the first Gear Luffy obtained in One Piece. He used the technique after fighting Aokiji and realized he wasn’t strong enough to last in tougher battles. After losing to CP9 and seeing them use the Soru technique, Luffy developed the Gear.

The Gear 2 technique involves Luffy increasing the blood flow in parts of his body to increase his speed and strength and releasing excess energy through perspiration.

Gear 2: Red Hawk

In Chapter 644, Luffy uses a badass attack called Gomi Gomi no Red Hawk, a Haki upgraded version of the Gomu Gomu Jet Bullet technique. While using Gear 2, Luffy activates the Red Hawk attack and transforms him into an even more powerful fighter.

In addition to being an homage to Luffy’s fallen brother Ace’s Hiken, the Red Hawk Gear 2 form makes Luffy so formidable that the powerful villain Kaidou opted to dodge the attack during the Wano Arc rather than take it on directly. At its most powerful, Luffy’s arm turns into a jetstream of flames that can be used underwater.

Gear 3

Introduced in Chapter 403, Gear 3 is a technique in which Luffy increases his size and stature by blowing air into his thumb and inflating the bones in his body considerably. It may seem silly enough, but the massive balloon effect gives Luffy a significant size advantage that is hard to combat.

With the massive upsizing comes a major increase in the sheer brute force of each blow Luffy delivers. After the time skip, Luffy can wield all of the inherent powers of Gear 3 without being depleted. Of course, the bigger Luffy becomes, the less mobile he is, which makes him an easier target. Still, thanks to Gear 3, Luffy was able to make short work of Rob Lucci.

Nightmare Luffy

Introduced in Chapter 476, Nightmare Luffy is a temporary transformation the protagonist underwent after consuming 100 shadows from the Rolling Pirates at Thriller Bark. In taking on Moria and the Oars, Nightmare Luffy turns into an incredible hulking blue mass that makes him even comment on how powerful he feels.

After destroying the forest in his new form, Nightmare Luffy continues to grow and stretch into a gargantuan shadow that easily defeats the Oars thanks to the powerful Gomu Gomu no Bazooka technique. Alas, this was the last time Luffy assumed his ultra-powerful Nightmare form. Hopefully this storyline from the manga will be expanded in the One Piece Netflix show.

Gear 4: Tankman

Introduced in Chapter 843, Luffy’s almighty Gear 4 forms come in various iterations in the manga. In terms of powers, Tankman is the first level of Luffy’s Gear 4 form. Similar to Gear 3, Luffy inflates his muscles rather than his bones, which may hurt his durability but definitely emboldens his superhuman strength.

As Tankman, Luffy literally morphs into an impenetrable tanklike superstructure that is nearly impossible to defeat. Just ask Charlotte Cracker, who Luffy took down in a single shot thanks to the number of cookies he ate in his Tankman form. Also known as Luffy’s “Manpuku Version,” Luffy unfortunately never assumed the form again.

Gear 4: Snakeman

Introduced in Chapter 894, Luffy’s serpentine Gear 4 Snakeman form is among his most powerful transformations of all. As vicious as it sounds, Snakeman doesn’t expand or stretch as much as Luffy’s other forms but instead turns Luffy’s hair into an incendiary substance that delivers considerable damage to any body part. The form also includes Python mode, which allows Luffy swiftly alter the direction of his attacks.

By using the Armament Haki, Luffy’s Snakeman form increases his speed significantly while keeping his body slender to avoid direct hits. Arguably Luffy’s fastest form, the pirate used his Snakeman visage to outrace Charlotte Katakuri and defeat her in the nick of time.

Gear 4: Boundman (Bounceman)

Introduced in Chapter 784, Luffy’s Gear 4 Boundman (AKA Bounceman) form is his most powerful in the One Piece manga. Despite being his first Gear 4 morph, it’s the mightiest due to the way it seemingly combines the principles of the Soru technique with those of Rokushiki and Geppo. Luffy’s rubbery elasticity allows him to inflate his muscles, bounce up and down in the air, using speed on the ground, and the ability to ricochet attacks with ease. It’s the rubber versus glue effect.

Luffy not only increases in size considerably, overpowering much slighter foes effortlessly, but the King Organ and King Kong Gun techniques he can use in the Bounceman form instantly puts him atop the food chain. The combination of speed, size, and powerful attacks is simply too much to deal with for most opponents.