One Piece: 6 Characters Gear 5 Luffy Would Still Lose To

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During his fight with Kaido in the Wano Country Arc of One Piece, Monkey D. Luffy achieved his greatest power boost yet by unlocking the full potential of his Devil Fruit. When facing near-certain defeat, he awakened the true form of his fruit, the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika – a famously powerful and legendary Devil Fruit.

Luffy unlocked the full potential of his Devil Fruit, allowing him to transform into Gear 5 – a form embodying the Sun God Nika, also known as the Warrior of Liberation. This transformation gives him incredible power fueled by his imagination and allows for a uniquely flexible fighting style. However, even with Gear 5, Luffy isn’t yet the strongest character in the world of One Piece, and some opponents could still defeat him.

Shanks

Image by Toei Animation

  • Affiliation: Red Hair Pirates
  • Devil Fruit: N/A
  • Haki: Conqueror’s, Armament, Observation

Luffy still has a long way to go before he can match the strength of Shanks, captain of the Red Hair Pirates. Shanks was trained by the legendary Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and is now considered one of the most powerful pirates in the world.

Shanks is one of the Four Emperors, and considered the most experienced and powerful of them all, largely due to his incredible mastery of Haki. He’s currently the strongest Haki user in the world of One Piece – his power was even compared to that of the legendary Joy Boy during the Egghead arc. Beyond simply being able to defeat strong opponents with a single attack – like pirates with bounties of 3 billion berries – Shanks possesses advanced skills like Observation Killing. While Luffy is destined to become stronger than Shanks eventually, he hasn’t reached that level yet.

Imu

  • Affiliation: World Government
  • Devil Fruit: Unknown
  • Haki: Conqueror’s, Armament, Observation

Currently, Saint Imu Nerona is considered the most powerful character in the One Piece universe, secretly ruling the world from behind the scenes. First appearing during the Reverie Arc, Imu has been a mysterious and imposing presence ever since. Recent events in the Elbaf arc have showcased the full extent of Imu’s frightening abilities, establishing them as a clear threat even to powerful characters like Luffy.

Imu has been shown to have both demonic powers and magical abilities, stemming from a unique Devil Fruit. This fruit allows Imu to enslave people through demonic contracts – they even managed to turn a powerful figure like Rocks D. Xebec into a demon slave using a technique called Domi Reversi. Beyond that, Imu is immortal and possesses incredibly strong Haki. Currently, Luffy is no match for Imu, and it seems likely Imu is one of the strongest characters in the series, only to be potentially surpassed by Luffy at the very end of the story when Luffy fully masters his Haki and Devil Fruit powers.

Loki

  • Affiliation: Elbaf
  • Devil Fruit: Unnamed Legendary Fruit of Elbaf
  • Haki: Conqueror’s, Armament, Observation

Loki, also known as the Accursed Prince of Elbaf, is incredibly powerful – and the hype surrounding him is well-deserved. As shown in a flashback to Elbaf, he achieved something no one else has: he completely defeated an immortal being who had a special agreement with Imu.

Loki’s incredible strength comes from his Haki and, especially, his Devil Fruit – a legendary one from Elbaf. When he uses the weapon Ragnir, he becomes even more powerful. While Luffy is likely to become stronger than Loki by the end of the events on Elbaf, Loki currently has the advantage. Luffy needs to significantly improve his Haki before he stands a chance against him.

Monkey D. Dragon

Image by Toei Animation
  • Affiliation: Revolutionary Army
  • Devil Fruit: Unknown
  • Haki: Conqueror’s (Implied), Armament, Observation

Monkey D. Dragon is Luffy’s father, and his powers are still largely unknown in the story. While the author hasn’t fully explained what Dragon can do, the narrative strongly suggests he’s exceptionally powerful, likely among the strongest characters in the One Piece universe.

Monkey D. Dragon is shaping up to be an incredibly powerful Haki user, and there’s strong evidence he has a Devil Fruit related to the weather. Oda hinted at this ability way back at the beginning of the story, showing Dragon controlling lightning, rain, and wind. This power alone would make him a formidable opponent. As the story progresses towards its conclusion, Dragon will likely face significant obstacles. Currently, his leadership of the Revolutionary Army suggests he’s stronger than Luffy, but it’s likely Luffy will eventually become more powerful before the series ends.

Five Elders

  • Affiliation: World Government
  • Devil Fruit: Yokai Powers
  • Haki: Conqueror’s, Armament, Observation

During the Egghead arc of the Final Saga, Luffy clashed with the Five Elders. Saturn brought them to Egghead to prevent Vegapunk’s message from being broadcast. While Luffy wasn’t losing badly, the Elders quickly gained the upper hand because of their immortality and unique Yokai powers.

Even with Gear 5, Luffy isn’t strong enough to defeat the Five Elders right now. He might be able to fight them for a bit, but ultimately, they would win. To have a real chance, Luffy needs to significantly improve his Conqueror’s Haki, which could potentially slow down their healing abilities and even knock them out. As we saw in the Egghead arc, he currently falls short against them.

Blackbeard

Image by Toei Animation
  • Affiliation: Blackbeard Pirates
  • Devil Fruit: Yami Yami no Mi, Gura Gura no Mi
  • Haki: Armament, Observation

Blackbeard is a hugely significant character in One Piece, and will almost certainly be a major challenge for Luffy as the story reaches its climax. Currently, he has a clear advantage over Luffy, possessing two incredibly powerful Devil Fruits: the Gura Gura no Mi and the Yami Yami no Mi. These fruits give him the potential to counter Luffy’s Gear 5 and defeat him.

Luffy will need to master a new level of Haki to defeat Blackbeard, as even his Gear 5 form won’t be strong enough. The story suggests Luffy and Blackbeard will eventually be equally matched, but Luffy is expected to ultimately become the more powerful of the two.

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2026-02-12 14:35