When Does Luffy Use Gear 4 in One Piece? Answered

One of the most exciting aspects of One Piece is the evolution of Monkey D. Luffy’s different fighting forms. His fourth form, self-dubbed as Gear 4, made its debut well into the long-standing series. Here’s exactly when Luffy uses Gear 4 in One Piece.

When Luffy Uses Gear 4 in One Piece

In episode 726 of the anime and chapter 784 of the manga, Monkey D. Luffy reveals his fourth gear formation during the Dressrosa arc. The climactic battle against Donquixote Doflamingo forces Luffy to unveil a new fighting technique that encompasses his previous gear transformations and makes good use of his Armament Haki ability. Luffy turns into a Bounceman, an inflated version of himself whose buoyancy is used in battle and powers some of his most powerful attacks in One Piece.

The Gear 4 form comes about after Luffy honed his Haki abilities with former Roger Pirate vice-leader Rayleigh during the two-year break that saw the Straw Hat Pirate crew train for the New World. He previously had little to no Haki abilities, but that changed soon after. The Dressrosa arc introduces Luffy’s most formidable opponent post-time-skip with Doflamingo, a charismatic and manipulative pirate captain and king of a stolen kingdom with String-String powers. To combat Doflamingo’s near-invincible power set, Luffy taps into a physical form that pushes his body to the limit and overdoses on Haki.

Related: Who Is Luffy’s Dad in One Piece? Explained

Gear 4 Luffy is one of his most powerful fighting forms in One Piece, but it comes at a cost. Once Luffy deflates, it requires at least 10 minutes of recharge to use Armament Haki again. To recap, he uses the blood-pumping abilities of Gear 2, the self-inflation of Gear 3, and then a heavy dose of Haki to create Gear 4. It is an incredibly strenuous process, but it gives Luffy the upper hand in Dressrosa and subsequent story arcs. Before he unlocks Gear 5 later in the series, of course.

And that’s exactly when Monkey D. Luffy uses Gear 4 in One Piece.

One Piece is available to read online in English through VIZ Media and other services.