WARNING: SPOILERS FOR ONE PIECE ANIME EPISODE #1073The One Piece manga failed to do what the anime has been able to accomplish by showing how brutal Luffy's Gear 5 attacks can be. Captain of the Beast Pirates and Emperor of the Sea, Kaido, has been battling on top of his Wano Pirate Base in the anime since October 2021. However, he finally met his match after Luffy unlocked his devil fruit powers. The anime has been able to adapt Gear 5 in ways that sur the manga and make its abilities more painful than readers realized.
Series author and illustrator Eiichiro Oda created Luffy's Gear 5 form with wacky fun in mind rather than being focused on something intimidating and epic, as many fans expected. Still, the Straw Hat Captain's latest transformation is capable of dishing out powerful and destructive attacks that are clearly affecting the seemingly invincible Kaido. Episodes #1072 and #1073 of the One Piece anime sur the manga by adding visuals and sound effects that effectively convey how Luffy's new powers work and how devastating his awakened rubbering-like abilities are when combined with the One Piece world's physics.
One Piece Proves Why Kaido Is Stronger Than Gear 5 Luffy
Luffy's Gear 5 debut in the One Piece anime has taken the world by storm, but both the anime and the manga proved that Kaido was actually stronger.
One Piece's Anime Confirms How Luffy's Gear 5 Attacks Warp Reality
Kaido has said during the battle that on top of Luffy's ridiculous new powers, he seems to be simultaneously using Conquerors and Armament Haki. However, Luffy's awakening powers add another layer of effectiveness to his attacks thanks to rubberization. The anime's use of sound effects helped highlight the new power's effects, especially during episode #1072. When Luffy's fist connected to his enemy's face, it caused Kaido's head to elongate and stretch along with Luffy's fist; however, like a rubber band, once released, the snap back caused the fearsome foe to be launched far away from the blow.
One Piece Finally Ends One Of The Biggest Haki Misconceptions
For years, there has been a major misconception about how Armament Haki works in One Piece, but episode #1072 finally puts that idea to rest.
With Luffy's training on Wano combined with his mastery of Haki he's learned throughout his journey, the Straw Hat Captain's punches were already something to be feared. However, with the help of the anime's sound effects that the manga could not convey, it's clear that his punches contain the same feared strength as before but are now even stronger (possibly even multiplied) thanks to the rubberization's snap-back effect. Other awakened devil fruits have been shown to affect the world around them, but Luffy's take that idea to levels Kaido or fans have yet to see.
Luffy's Gear 5 Attacks Hit Harder Than Anyone Thought
Besides breaking One Piece's physics, Luffy's Gear 5 is breaking reader's expectations thanks to the anime adapting the form more accurately than the manga was able to. The snap-back effect was impossible to convey in the manga, but with animation and added sounds, Luffy's Gear 5 and the power it wields is more fully realized than before. However, Kaido and Luffy's final battle is still ongoing. As manga readers know, One Piece's main character has a few more attacks to try before the Wano arc ends.
Watch the newest episodes of One Piece on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
Source: Crunchyroll Collection/YouTube
