Eiichiro Oda isn’t a stranger to introducing twists and turns to One Piece, and Luffy’s Gear 5 form is possibly the greatest one of them all. Chapter 1043 of the manga offered us a glimpse of one of the best power upgrades in the anime community. Fans couldn’t wait until the next chapter to see what happened.
Can you believe this chapter released on March 13, 2022? It’s been three whole years since Eiichiro Oda gave us Gear 5 or at least a taste of what’s to come. So many theories circulated on Reddit and X about what could’ve possibly happened to Luffy and what Zunesha meant.
After this, Luffy defeated Kaido in one of the most creative and fun fights in One Piece. The protagonist felt pure joy and entertainment from beating the former Emperor. His laughter and grin were infectious. Oda had foreshadowed this for a long time and it paid off.
One Piece fans react to the 3rd anniversary of Gear 5
It doesn’t feel like Gear 5 happened three years ago. While the anime adaptation caught up in 2023, that’s still almost two years since we saw it on screen. The climb towards Luffy’s awakening was worth the wait, no matter how many breaks Eiichiro Oda went on.
Joy Boy has been foreshadowed ever since the Fishman Island Arc. In Chapter 628, Nico Robin reads the Ryugu Poneglyph in the Sea Forest that mentions his name. After that, he gets mentioned quite a bit.
Oda wanted us to remember it and created so much anticipation for something great. That, of course, paid off with Luffy’s transformation.
The X page, @pewpiece, which often posts One Piece spoilers and discussions, reminds us that on this day, three years ago, chapter 1043 came out. Only a glimpse of Luffy’s transformation was shown but the anime community was excited.
Three years ago today, this iconic manga moment shook the world pic.twitter.com/uRfpYY0JYS
— Pew (@pewpiece) March 12, 2025
Fans react to the anniversary, mostly in disbelief that it’s been three years and calling it the greatest transformation.
Best transformation ever
— thistom (@thisstom1) March 12, 2025
3 years ago the greatest transformation ever created was revealed
— Illuym (@Illuym) March 12, 2025
One of the best transformations of all time!🎶 pic.twitter.com/n3lLdNYAL2
— ramón (@ThySnzu) March 12, 2025
You had to be there pic.twitter.com/mKXoREpoA3
— NikaBoy (@nikaboy_) March 12, 2025
This was a controversial moment for the community
I think most of us loved the new power up for Luffy but Oda took a risk. The Shonen’s main characters trasnformations all are edgy, serious and so and he went for straight for the cartoonish style. I love it
— Pirate Path (@piratepath) March 12, 2025
Three years already!!!
Time flies
— Alex M. (@Limoncasillas) March 12, 2025
You really had to be there. The break Oda took the following week broke the One Piece community. Suddenly every fan was a detective, even more than their usual sleuthing. The hype, the anticipation, and the shock from Luffy’s newfound aura, especially when we thought Kaido killed him, was palpable.
Luffy’s Gear 5 was a game changer
From the start of One Piece, we thought Luffy’s Devil Fruit was the Gomu Gomu no Mi and nothing else. His creativity allowed him to use his strange powers effectively. So imagine our surprise when it was revealed to be a hidden Mythical Zoan Fruit.
For many fans, chapter 1043 also brought One Piece back to its roots. It is, after all, a shonen manga. Luffy, being the protagonist, couldn’t have died to Kaido, not before Wano was liberated and his dreams came to fruition. It isn’t Oda’s style to leave dreams unfulfilled like that.
Gear 5 shook One Piece’s world too. The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika wasn’t supposed to be eaten by anybody. The World Government is terrified of Joy Boy. They take Luffy more seriously than ever, increasing his bounty to 3 billion berries.
The public recognized him as an Emperor after his upgrade too. Luffy’s dreams are so close yet so far away. His influence has increased significantly after the Wano Arc and brought a much-needed change to the plot.
One Piece is available on VIZ Media and Crunchyroll.
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