One Piece Finally Fixes Gear 5’s Biggest Problem in the Elbaf Arc
More than four years after Eiichiro Oda revealed Monkey D. Luffy’s Gear 5 transformation in One Piece, the Elbaf arc is now reframing what that power looks like in real combat—turning the always-jokey “Sun God Nika” mode into something Luffy can use with full seriousness when the stakes demand it. In One Piece Chapter 1187, officially released on July 5, 2026 in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #32, Oda shows Luffy entering Gear 5 already locked in, especially once the fight moves against the series’ most dangerous opponents.
One Piece Chapter 1187 Makes Gear 5 Serious to Fix Luffy’s “Too Funny” Problem
From the start, Luffy’s fighting style has always leaned toward the ridiculous. Whether it’s his battle against Crocodile using “Water Luffy,” or his clash with Enel where he leans on Gomu Gomu no Boh, Luffy has frequently treated fights like they’re part of his own personal chaos. Even when the situation is dire—like during his showdown with Rob Lucci, where Nico Robin’s life is on the line—he still keeps his comedic streak intact.
That changed in a major way on March 28, 2022, when One Piece Chapter 1044 debuted in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #17 and introduced the Awakening of Luffy’s Mythical Zoan Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. This is the moment viewers and readers commonly refer to as Luffy’s Gear 5, or the Sun God Nika form. Right after Nika’s arrival to the world following 800 years, Oda confirmed that the Warrior of Liberation had returned—bringing laughter and joy to those around him. While the power itself was portrayed as massive, it also pushed Luffy’s tendency to joke during battles to an extreme, sometimes wiping out the tension rather than intensifying it.
“What’s happening? How can I still stand? I just lost, but I feel like I’m having a blast! Ahahahahaha! I feel like anything is possible now. I can keep fighting a little longer.” — Monkey D. Luffy, One Piece Chapter #1044
In a 2022 interview, Oda said he wanted his manga to make people laugh no matter what. He’s contrasted that against a modern trend toward increasingly serious manga releases, and he’s made it clear he doesn’t like the direction. For him, the point of manga is to make kids smile, and Gear 5 was designed to embody that idea as a transformation built for comedy. Even if some fans disliked Gear 5’s tone, Oda has shown he believes the form still represents Luffy at his best.
“I drew Gear 5 as a big joke, knowing that all my readers would not be happy with it. Battle manga become more serious when they follow readers’ expectations. I hated that. I didn’t want my manga to be too serious, so I had fun achieving it with the fight against Kaido.” — Eiichiro Oda, “Interview With Aoyama”
Still, Gear 5’s laughter-forward behavior could be overused at times, pushing the “goofy Luffy” trait further than the story’s tension could comfortably handle. The Elbaf arc’s climax appears to resolve that by giving Gear 5 a new edge: Luffy fights completely seriously for the first time in this context. In Chapter 1187, the form is put back under the spotlight, and readers can see the shift immediately—Luffy enters serious mode as soon as Gear 5 is active. Against major threats like Nerona Imu, Oda leans into high-stakes pressure, which in turn limits how much Luffy can play around mid-fight.
Imu: So thou hast finally shown thyself, Joy Boy!
Luffy: Don’t go calling me whatever you want. I’m Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will become the King of the Pirates.
— Luffy vs Imu, One Piece Chapter #1187
Elsewhere in the ongoing Final Saga, Sanji has also continued to grow, surpassing multiple powerful fighters within the story.
Why Gear 5 Needed to Get Serious After Wano
Oda’s Gear 5 design is framed as “perfect” in how it matches Luffy’s identity. As the Warrior of Liberation and a person who brings laughter and hope to people who are oppressed, Luffy’s ultimate power-up is treated as a direct embodiment of his personality—something that shouldn’t be replaced. The ability to keep people smiling is a core part of Luffy, and the article’s argument is that fans who understand Luffy wouldn’t want that side removed.
What needed adjustment, though, was balance. When the story reaches a high-tension point, Gear 5 has to adapt to that atmosphere. Chapter 1187 is presented as an example of that adaptation. The same idea is also linked to a prior moment when Luffy arrives at the Sun World with Loki in One Piece Chapter 1175, where Gear 5 again highlights Luffy’s serious, dangerous nature—suggesting the earlier issue with balancing comedy and stakes is no longer as problematic.
With Gear 5 expected to be highlighted even more in the next installment—One Piece Chapter 1188, scheduled to release on July 12, 2026—there’s a strong chance readers will see additional versions of Oda’s updated depiction of Luffy’s form.
“A strong Devil Fruit isn’t enough to conquer the seas. Look at Roger! He had no Devil Fruit, yet he still brought the world to heel. Haki transcends all!” — Kaido
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How Gear 5 Could Evolve Further in the Final Saga
Beyond tone, the article also suggests Oda can make Gear 5 even more lethal by improving its overall capabilities as the Final Saga progresses. In One Piece Chapter 1179, released officially on April 5, 2026 in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #19, Oda introduced the concept of “awakening rings.”
This idea is showcased again with Rain God Zaza in One Piece Chapter 1182, which released on May 10, 2026 in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #24. Even though Luffy is framed as a “God of the World,” the claim here is that he doesn’t yet have one of these awakening rings. That leads to the speculation that Gear 5 could be upgraded by including an Awakening Ring as part of its next evolution.
Whether that happens through an awakening ring or another mechanism, the expectation is that Gear 5 will receive further upgrades before the Great War begins. The piece closes by emphasizing anticipation for what Luffy’s upgraded form will look like once the Final Saga accelerates.
All chapters of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece manga are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
