I don’t care what anyone says—Gear 2 was straight-up cheat codes unlocked. That first fight against Blueno? Steam rolling off his body, legs thumping like a turbo engine? Bro, I swear Oda just hit the GameShark on his own story.
And yeah, I’ve heard the takes. People love to argue, “It wasn’t cheating, it was just creative Devil Fruit use.” Sure, it was smart as hell—pumping blood faster, turning himself into a human turbo engine. Genius. But don’t sit there and tell me it didn’t feel like Godmode just got activated mid-Enies Lobby. One fan nailed it: “Gear 2 was the first time I thought, ‘Damn, he’s broken.’ It felt like Luffy turned on Godmode.” Facts.
The First Time We Saw It
Go rewatch that scene. Luffy steps up, everyone doubting him against CP9, and then outta nowhere—steam, speed, raw power. Blueno was shook. Dude went from clowning to “oh shit” in like two seconds. Fans still meme it: “Luffy before Gear 2: lol. After Gear 2: GOD MODE ACTIVATED.” No lies detected.
And it wasn’t just hype visuals either. When he dropped Jet Pistol? That looked like a cheat code move. Faster, heavier, and suddenly Lucci’s attacks weren’t landing anymore. “The way Luffy used Gear 2 to dodge Lucci’s attacks felt like a skill upgrade.” Yup. Like patch notes dropped mid-fight and only he got the buff.
Why It Felt Different
Okay but here’s where I’ll push back—some fans still argue, “Was Gear 2 earned?” To me? It was earned, but it looked like an plot in the best way. He had to be pushed to the edge, back against the wall, before he figured it out. That’s why it hit as hype instead of cheap.
And the concept itself? Come on. “Gear 2 isn’t just a buff, it’s creative use of his Devil Fruit.” Right. But let’s not sugarcoat it—creative or not, it was still the One Piece equivalent of speed hacks. No warm-up, no explanation dump. Just straight “watch me level up mid-fight.” Fans said it was slapped. I say it broke the ceiling for every power-up after.
Cheat Code Energy That Never Went Away
People act like Gear 2 was just an Enies Lobby gimmick. Nah. Even after the timeskip, it stuck. Became his new “default speed.” That’s like finding a cheat in GTA and just leaving it on forever. “Even after the timeskip, Gear 2 is still a core part of his moveset—like his new normal speed.”
And yeah, the debates never end. Which Gear is the most broken? Gear 4? Gear 5? People will argue till the end of time. But for me? Gear 2 was the first real cheat code. One fan said it perfectly: “Gear 2 was the original cheat code for Luffy, no cap. After that, it’s just flex after flex.” Couldn’t have said it better.
The Big Picture
Look, I’m not saying Gear 2 ruined anything. Far from it. It was Oda’s first “holy shit” button. That moment where you realize Luffy’s not just some goofy rubber kid anymore—he’s willing to fry his own body to keep fighting. It flipped the whole vibe of One Piece battles going forward.
That steam, that speed, that insane blood-pumping hack—it’s why people still say, “Gear 2 was Luffy saying ‘watch me level up mid-fight’ and damn did it slap.” Tell me that doesn’t sound like cheat code energy.
Real Talk
So yeah, unpopular opinion or not—I’ll die on this hill. Gear 2 was the anime equivalent of typing in up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-B-A. It felt like an exploit, it hit like a hack, and it turned Luffy from underdog to boss fight energy in one second flat.
And now I gotta ask—do you think Gear 2 was really cheat code energy, or just clever Devil Fruit mechanics? Curious which side of that debate you’d actually land on. There’s actually a quick thing that figures it out based on how you see Luffy’s power-ups and which “Gear” moment gave you the most goosebumps.
Take it and see if you’re Team Cheat Code or Team Clever Creativity.
Over 20 years of anime obsession has led to countless 3-hour debates with friends about power scaling, devil fruit theories, and getting genuinely emotional during Pain's philosophy speeches. My passion spans everything from classics like One Piece, Naruto, Dragon Ball to newer hits like Jujutsu Kaisen and beyond.
This blog is where I share genuine thoughts about anime moments that hit different, plus fun quizzes to test your knowledge. No pretentious analysis - just a passionate fan creating entertaining content for people who share the same enthusiasm.
Welcome to my corner of the anime universe!
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