The coloring of Luffy’s most powerful Gear 5 form in One Piece has finally been officially confirmed by a surprising source. Given that the manga is initially published in black and white, One Piece fans often don’t know the exact colors of different objects and characters until either the mangaka Eiichiro Oda makes a statement on it or until it is shown in the anime. But eager fans can figure out the coloring through creative sources when the character is important enough to merit rabid anticipation of their confirmed appearance.
In the most recent arc of the manga, known as Wano Country, Luffy reveals his most powerful form yet, known as Gear 5. In Gear 5, he takes on an entirely new appearance, channeling the spirit of the Sun God Nika and unlocking the full powers of his legendary Devil Fruit, causing his body and surroundings to obey the laws of cartoon physics. His eyes and hair glow with power, with his hair seemingly becoming a wispy mane of cloudy flames. Ever since this form was first revealed, readers have been making fan art of it guessing its exact colors based on what they think fits it best. Now it seems there is official confirmation on what colors the form actually has.
The Twitter account ONE PIECE SPOILER recently shared an image of a figurine depicting Luffy in his Gear 5 form. The picture is taken from a French retail site specializing in Japanese goods. The figurine depicts Luffy as having cloudy white hair and bright red eyes. The figurine is apparently made by Bandai and is official Shonen Jump merchandise, unlike past depictions of Gear 5 Luffy. If this is true, then it means that these colors represent the official coloring of Luffy’s Gear 5 form, which is exciting both for fan artists and for fans who want to theorize about what these colors may indicate.
There are a variety of powerful characters in One Piece who have red eyes. The minks have bright red eyes when in Sulong form, their extremely powerful state triggered by the full moon. So does the mysterious Im, who sits on the empty throne at the center of the World Government. Given how the minks and Im are both tied to the mysterious Void Century and the most important mysteries of One Piece’s world, Luffy’s red eyes in Gear 5 may also signify that Nika and his Devil Fruit are also tied to this mysterious time. His white hair isn’t as relevant to the plot of the series as a whole, but it does make Luffy’s hair seem more smoke-like than fire-like, clearing up its ambiguous nature in the manga.
The exact coloring of Luffy’s new form may not seem like such a big deal, but many fans are very excited about this reveal, both for the implications of the colors and because it gives them a clearer picture of one of One Piece's most important characters. The fact that One Piece fans were able to discover this official coloring from an obscure piece of Luffy Gear 5 merchandise shows their devotion to the series.
Source: ONE PIECE SPOILER