Luffy, the protagonist of the popular anime series One Piece, is known for his mysterious power-ups called “gears” that allow him to enhance his physical abilities in battle. Over the course of the series, Luffy has revealed increasingly more powerful gears as he faces stronger opponents. This has left fans wondering, what is Luffy’s highest gear so far?
Overview of Luffy’s Gears
Luffy’s gears work by pumping his blood flow and metabolism, providing him with bursts of enhanced strength, speed and durability. However, they put great strain on his body. Here is a quick overview of the gears Luffy has revealed so far:
Second Gear
Luffy activates Second Gear by pumping blood around his body faster, sending more oxygen and nutrients to his muscles. This boosts his strength and speed tremendously, allowing him to move at blinding speeds and deliver powerful attacks. However, it rapidly tires him out.
Third Gear
Luffy blows air into his bones, inflating parts of his body like a balloon. This gives his attacks incredible power and range, as he can enlarge his fists and legs to massive proportions before delivering devastating blows. However, Third Gear leaves him exhausted and vulnerable after use.
Fourth Gear
Luffy pumps his blood flow like Second Gear while coating his muscles in Busoshoku Haki. This combines immense strength and speed with the durability and hardness of Haki. Luffy can also blow air into his muscles for ranged attacks. However, he still suffers a time limit before being drained.
Luffy’s Current Highest Gear
As of the Wano Country arc in the manga and anime, Luffy’s current highest gear is Fourth Gear, also known as Boundman. He first revealed it during his fight with Donquixote Doflamingo in the Dressrosa arc.
When activating Fourth Gear, Luffy’s muscles inflate enormously, giving him a huge, hulking appearance. Steam rises off his body due to his increased blood flow and metabolism. His skin also takes on a shiny, pinkish color.
In this form, Luffy’s strength, speed and Haki are all tremendously amplified. He is able to overwhelm and severely damage opponents as powerful as Doflamingo and Katakuri, two of the strongest Pirates in the world.
Some of Luffy’s signature Fourth Gear moves include:
- Kong Gun – Luffy delivers a devastating Haki-infused punch capable of shattering mountains.
- Rhino Schneider – A rapid flurry of Haki punches that can pierce through defenses.
- Culverin – Luffy stretches and snaps his arms forward at extreme speeds to deliver powerful ranged attacks.
- King Kong Gun – Luffy blows massive amounts of air into his arm and unleashes a punch of unparalleled power, capable of taking down the strongest opponents.
Luffy can only use Fourth Gear for a limited time before it wears off, leaving him depleted of Haki and energy. However, it provides him an explosive boost of power unrivaled by his previous gears.
Comparisons to Other Gears
Here is how Fourth Gear stacks up against Luffy’s other gears:
Strength
| Gear | Strength Level |
|---|---|
| Second | High |
| Third | Very High |
| Fourth | Extreme |
Fourth Gear enhances Luffy’s strength far beyond his normal limits or what is achievable with Second and Third Gear. The power of his Haki-infused blows can take down the strongest foes.
Speed
| Gear | Speed Level |
|---|---|
| Second | Very High |
| Third | Normal |
| Fourth | Extreme |
While Second Gear grants Luffy incredible speed, Fourth Gear matches and exceeds this due to combining Second Gear’s rapid blood circulation with Haki enhancement. This gives Luffy world-class speed on top of his monstrous strength.
Durability
| Gear | Durability Level |
|---|---|
| Second | Normal |
| Third | High |
| Fourth | Very High |
By coating his body in Busoshoku Haki, Luffy gains highly increased defensive capacity in Fourth Gear. His rubber body is also pumped full of air, cushioning him from impacts. This allows Luffy to take hits from the strongest foes and continue fighting.
Time Limit
| Gear | Time Limit |
|---|---|
| Second | Short |
| Third | Very Short |
| Fourth | Short |
While all his gears drain Luffy’s stamina quickly, Fourth Gear grants him a bit more sustained fighting time compared to Third Gear. However, he can still only use it for a limited duration before being drained.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Luffy’s current highest gear is Fourth Gear, also known as Boundman. This form combines the rapid blood circulation of Second Gear with the gigantic muscle inflation of Third Gear, all enhanced by Busoshoku Haki.
The result is a temporary state of extreme power, speed, durability and Haki that far surpasses Luffy’s other gears. It allows him to unleash destructive attacks and stand up against the strongest opponents in the series so far. However, its time limit means Luffy must use it strategically to finish fights.
Going forward, Luffy will likely develop improved mastery over Fourth Gear, allowing him to minimize the drawbacks. He may also invent even more powerful gears as he continues to face progressively stronger enemies in the final saga of One Piece. But for now, Fourth Gear represents the pinnacle of Luffy’s abilities and his trump card in the most dire battles.