With the release of One Piece episode 1071, Monkey D. Luffy’s Gear 5 has taken the world of “One Piece” by storm, and fans are going wild over this new transformation.
Gear 5 transformation looks remarkably different from not only all of Luffy’s previous power-ups but also there is no similar power or transformation in the huge One Piece world.
Many of the anime watchers who do not follow the One Piece manga were quite surprised by the sudden change in a serious battle between Kaido and Luffy. From Luffy almost dying to him toying with Kaido, smacking him around with ease, and laughing uncontrollably, the episode certainly surprised many.
This One Piece episode not only changes the animation to something that is similar to cartoon animation, but also the sound effects used are the ones that we often hear in the Looney Tunes.
Here is why Luffy’s new power looks so cartoonish, as explained by the creator of the series Eiichiro Oda.
Inspiration Behind Gear 5 Looking Cartoonish
According to Eiichiro Oda, the creator of “One Piece,” the inspiration behind Gear 5’s cartoonish appearance comes from classic cartoons like “Tom and Jerry.”
Oda wanted to bring back the playful and expressive style that was once a symbol of manga but has been lost over time. He aimed to break away from the increasingly serious tone of battle manga and return to a more lighthearted and fun approach.
In an interview with Gosho Aoyama (Detective Conan author), Oda explained his desire to be playful with battles and not let “One Piece” become too serious.
He wanted to incorporate traditional symbolic expressions, like characters’ legs spinning in circles when running, something he felt was ceasing to be drawn in the modern manga.
With this new goofy transformation, Eiichiro Oda has cleverly set the One Piece series apart from other shonen anime. Anime fans who have watched multiple shonen anime might be aware that most of the series follow the same pattern of giving powerup to MCs, where the main character looks fierce with some aura surrounding him or her.
With Luffy’s Gear 5, we see no fierce look or some aura surrounding him. Quite the opposite, Gear 5 doesn’t look like any kind of powerup that is typically seen in other series.
What are your thoughts on Gear 5? Let us know your opinion in the comment section below.
Source: Reddit
