Gear up, One Piece fans! The anime is about to enter a new era as Monkey D. Luffy is set to reveal his highly anticipated Gear 5 transformation in the upcoming episode. The series’ director, Tatsuya Nagamine, is hyping up the performance of Luffy’s voice actor, Mayumi Tanaka, for this momentous occasion.
The Wano Country arc is reaching its climactic peak, and following a tough defeat at the hands of Kaido on the roof of Onigashima’s Skull Dome, Luffy will tap into an immense power within himself to unlock Gear 5.
One Piece Episode 1071 will be the stage for the grand debut of Gear 5 Luffy, and during the recent One Piece Day 2023 celebration, Director Nagamine gave fans a sneak peek behind the scenes of this epic transformation. In a special clip released at the event, Nagamine teased the extraordinary performance awaiting viewers from Mayumi Tanaka, the voice behind Luffy.
Gear 5 Luffy will break new ground, transcending the laws and physics of the world, and the team is determined to deliver groundbreaking voice acting to match. “There is this part about ‘Liberation,’ and it’s kind of like breaking free from the laws and physics of the world. So, our goal is to push boundaries with groundbreaking voice acting,” Nagamine revealed, highlighting the uniqueness of this transformation compared to previous ones.
When adapting Eiichiro Oda’s original version of Gear 5 Luffy from the manga, the team was initially cautious about the laughing parts. However, Tanaka’s talent exceeded all expectations. “I thought it would be difficult to do the laughing parts, so I tried to cut down on the laughter a little,” Nagamine confessed. “But Ms. Mayumi Tanaka went above and beyond and gave us an amazing Gear 5 laugh. And the final result exceeded our expectations.”
The effort and enthusiasm poured into bringing Gear 5 Luffy to life have been immense. Nagamine explained that their vision for the transformation expanded beyond what they had initially imagined. The animators’ dedication to the project made it possible to recreate the manga’s essence faithfully.
As fans eagerly await the next episode, the anticipation is building to witness Luffy’s incredible transformation in all its glory. With the promise of groundbreaking voice acting and stunning animation, Gear 5 Luffy is sure to leave a lasting impact on One Piece’s ever-growing fanbase.
