Modern anime like Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan, Chainsaw Man, Kaiju no.8 etc have become known for their dark stories with immense serious battles & full of shocking moments.
But Eiichiro Oda decided to take a very different approach with One Piece. At the end of the Wano Country Arc, fans were expecting Luffy to unlock some terrifying new power to defeat Kaido, one of the strongest characters in the series.
Guess what, something completely unexpected happened. Luffy turned into what looked like a character straight out of an old school cartoon. Eyes popping out of his head, legs spinning like a wheel. Grabbing lightning with his bare hands and even using Kaido as a jump rope.
Fans found it hilarious and couldn’t believe what they just saw and thats the whole point Oda want to introduce something spicy and totally unexpected and unpredictable. Gear 5 was heavily inspired by classic cartoons, Tom & Jerry. Once you notice the similarities, it’s difficult to ignore them and thats what we are comparing today, which many have noticed but failed to relate earlier.
Oda Brought Back the Fun of Old Cartoons
The connection between Gear 5 and classic cartoons is revealed by Oda in a 2022 interview published in Weekly Shonen Jump alongside Detective Conan creator Gosho Aoyama, Eiichiro Oda discussed his approach to Gear 5 and the influence of Tom & Jerry on its expressions and visual style. Since starting One Piece is being written in a fun style and Nowadays the modern battle mangas are increasingly moving towards serious fights and darker stories with the main focus on making the action more realistic.
And thats where Oda’s style crashed with modern writing style, so rather than giving Luffy another serious looking transformation, Oda brought back the kind of comedy that was common in older cartoons and manga. Characters with huge eyes, exaggerated facial expressions, bodies that stretch in completely ridiculous ways, too many colourful scenes etc. By turning Luffy into the Sun God Nika, Oda gave himself the freedom to make fights funny, unpredictable and completely different from what fans normally expect.
3 Ways Gear 5 Reminds Us of Classic Cartoons
The similarities between Gear 5 and old Western cartoons go beyond a few funny expressions. There are several moments that clearly show where Oda got his inspiration from.
1. The Famous Eyeball Pop
If you’ve watched Tom & Jerry, you could have seen characters whose eyes jump out of their heads when something surprises them. It’s one of the most common jokes in classic cartoons. Oda uses the same kind of comedy in One Piece. When Luffy first showed Gear 5 during his fight with Kaido, other characters were completely shocked. Kaido, Law, Kid, zoro and others all have exaggerated reactions, with their eyes popping out in disbelief.
Irony is, when people first saw him, they also reacted in the same way. This is what makes the scene so funny. Even powerful characters who are usually calm and serious suddenly look like they belong in a Tom & Jerry episode.
2. Popeye Style Punches and Instant Recovery
Another interesting comparison is between Luffy and Popeye the Sailor Man. Popeye is famous for his powerful punches. Before throwing punch, he wind up his arm like a spinning machine before delivering a massive hit. Luffy does something similar with his rubber abilities. In Gear 5, he can stretch and twist his arms in ridiculous ways before launching powerful attacks. His punches look less like traditional fighting techniques and more like something taken straight from an old cartoon.
There is another similarity from Sailor Man like he gets his strength from spinach, which helps him recover and fight again. Luffy has his own way of getting back into action. He loves eating meat and it actually helps him recover his energy after exhausting in battles. We’ve also seen him grow back missing teeth simply by drinking milk. Of course, the two characters have different power systems. But the way they use food and exaggerated physical comedy during fights feels similar.
3. Cartoon Physics and the Power of Toon Force
As a Tom & Jerry fan, I always wondered how Tom survives all those accidents? Getting flattened, stretched, burned and smashed into different shapes. Yet, a few moments later, he’s back to normal. That’s the basic idea behind what fans call Toon Force. It describes cartoon characters doing things that completely ignore the normal laws of physics, usually for comedy. Gear 5 brings a similar idea into One Piece. With it Luffy gets the ability to bounce off thin air and grab lightning bolts. One of the funniest examples comes during his battle with Kaido. When he uses Kaido’s body like a cartoon object, stretching and swinging him around. These moments are very different from the usual Devil Fruit abilities we’ve seen throughout the series.
Why Tom & Jerry Is So Popular in Japan
For many Western fans, the connection between One Piece and Tom & Jerry seems unusual. After all, one is a Japanese manga about pirates while the other is an American cartoon about a cat and mouse but Tom & Jerry has been popular in Japan for decades. The series first aired on Japanese television in 1964 and became a familiar part of childhood for several generations.
The actual main reason for its popularity is simple: the humour doesn’t depend much on dialogue. A person don’t need to understand English or Japanese to enjoy Tom chasing Jerry and falling into one of his own tricks. The comedy was of expressions, movements and timing.
This style of animation also influenced many creators who grew up watching classic cartoons. Oda is not the only Japanese creator who appreciates this kind of visual comedy. Anime God, Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball, was also known for using exaggerated expressions and funny physical moments in his work. Even today, Tom & Jerry remains popular in Japan through merchandise, themed cafes, fashion collaborations, social events and other special events. So, when Oda brought this style into One Piece, he was using something that many readers could already recognise and enjoy.
Why Gear 5 Divided One Piece Fans
Despite becoming one of the most talked about transformations in One Piece, Gear 5 wasn’t loved by everyone. In fact, it created a huge debate among fans. There are two main reasons why people have such different opinions about it.
Why Some Fans Didn’t Like It
For years, Kaido had been presented as one of the most dangerous enemies Luffy would ever face. He defeated Luffy multiple times and showed just how big the difference in their strength was. Fans had spent years waiting for Luffy to finally overcome him. When the final battle started looking more like a comedy show, some readers felt disappointed .They wanted a serious and emotional fight. Instead, they got funny cartoon sounds & expressions. Treating the most fearsome creator like a toy is a shame for his honour. For these fans, the comedy took away some of the tension that had been building throughout the Wano Arc.
Why Other Fans Love Gear 5
Gear 5 is believed to be Oda’s best creative decision by many fans. Luffy is someone who never wants to rule the world or control other people. His biggest dream has always been to become the Pirate King because, to him, that represents ultimate freedom. Gear 5 reflects that personality perfectly. Luffy fights with a huge smile on his face. No combat rules as fighting style is limited to imagination only and predicting next step is almost impossible.
As the true Sun God Nika, he represents freedom, laughter and hope for people living under oppression. This is also why his connection to Joyboy is so important. Luffy becomes a symbol of joy. Which could actually be Oda’s true form for Luffy.
Gear 5 Is All About Having Fun
Gear 5 was a big change for One Piece and it’s easy to understand why some fans needed time to accept it. Even after so many years of serious battles and powerful enemies, seeing Luffy fight like a cartoon character was certainly unexpected. The similarities with Tom & Jerry, Popeye and other old cartoons make Gear 5 feel different from almost every other transformation in modern shonen anime and perhaps that’s the biggest point. He fights in a way that reminds us why we fell in love with One Piece in the first place.
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