One Piece Season 2 already teased Luffy's ultimate transformation (Gear 5) with several Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the Netflix series. Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) is a strong Devil Fruit user who consumed the Gomu Gomu no Mi, a Paramecia-type rubber fruit, which turned his body into stretchy rubber and granted him immense elasticity and impact absorption. The first 1000+ chapters of the One Piece manga led everyone to believe that Luffy's Devil Fruit is a simple one that grants him stretching abilities. However, it was eventually revealed that there is more to Luffy's Devil Fruit because it can actually grant him the ability to tap into a Gear 5 transformation, embodying the legendary Sun God Nika.
While Luffy's Gear 5 "awakening" is still a thousand chapters away, One Piece Season 2 showcased two major moments that teased the protagonist's ultimate transformation. One Piece Season 2, Episode 4 featured direct references to the Sun God Nika during the Little Garden arc with giants Dorry and Brogy.
A statue of the Sun God Nika appears in Little Garden in Episode 4. The statue depicts Nika in his joyful state, underscoring the cultural significance of the Sun God Nika in One Piece lore.
Dorry, one of the giant warriors in Little Garden, also gave praise to Sun God Nika before his duel with his friend, Brogy:
"May the Son God Nika smile down with pleasure at what he witnesses and grant us a place in the great hall of heroes."
The fact that One Piece Season 2 directly mentions the Sun God Nika makes it a bolder reference, which could hint that Gear 5's live-action adaptation could arrive sooner rather than later.
One Piece Season 2, Episode 2 also showed Luffy briefly striking the iconic dancing pose associated with Sun God Nika while trying to pacify Laboon. This pose shows a joyful Luffy with his arms up and his leg kicked out, foreshadowing his true Devil Fruit identity and his major connection to Nika.
Luffy's Gear 5 transformation was first revealed during the Wano Country arc from the One Piece manga.
This chapter confirmed that Luffy's Devil Fruit was actually the Hito Hito no Mi, a mythical Zoan fruit that allows the user to embody the legendary Sun God Nika (aka the warrior of liberation), who brings smiles and freedom. Gear 5 is referred to as the awakening of this devil fruit, representing the peak of Luffy's power.
The sophomore run of the One Piece live-action series introduced many notable Easter eggs, references, and characters from the manga, bringing the Straw Hat crew into the Grand Line and following their story up until the Drum Island arc. One Piece Season 2 premiered on Netflix on March 10.
Will Netflix's Live-Action One Piece Showcase Luffy's Gear 5?
Luffy's Gear 5 transformation turns him into a cartoonish god of freedom, elevating him to an insane power level that grants him reality-warping abilities in addition to his stretching. Luffy's hair also turns white and flows like flame while white clouds appear around his neck and arms.
This peak level of power could be an endgame-like arc if Netflix decides to showcase Gear 5 in One Piece's live-action adaptation. That said, there should be a worthwhile journey for Luffy to achieve this god-like power, and it should be earned rather than rushed.
Still, some have pointed out that Netflix's adaptation is retelling One Piece at its own pace, and it could reach major story arcs (like Gear 5) faster.
One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda is a direct consultant of the live-action series, and it's reasonable to assume that he gave the green light to include this Sun God Nika reference as early as Season 2. This could hint that huge things are coming for Luffy, and fans of the live-action adaptation should be thrilled whenever major story arcs like Gear 5 eventually happen.
