As groundbreaking as One Piece‘s epic Gear Five reveal might have been, the recent rise of a certain character with a very similar ability suggests One Piece may have borrowed Gear Five from another famous manga. Jujutsu Kaisen‘s comedic hero, Takaba Fumihiko, has finally entered the limelight and his Cursed Technique may just give Luffy a run for his money.
Although Takaba and his Cursed Technique were introduced much prior to Gear Five, the comedian was quickly relegated to the sidelines amidst the chaos of the Culling Game and other more exciting events taking place in Jujutsu Kaisen at the time. That said, Takaba has finally entered the battlefield against Kenjaku in recent chapters of Jujutsu Kaisen, allowing fans to see the full extent of his Cursed Technique and its ridiculous possibilities.
Takaba’s fight against Jujutsu Kaisen’s Kenjaku has clearly been making waves among fans and Chapter #242 perfectly highlights creator Gege Akutami’s sheer creativity as well as the absurdity of Takaba’s Cursed Technique as this X user, @jNelajus points out in their post. Takaba’s ability to bend reality so freely as well as the hilarious nature of his so-called attacks begs the question of how Takaba’s Cursed Technique would stand up to Luffy’s Gear Five form.
As absurd as Luffy’s powers may be, his Devil Fruit, even in Gear Five, only allows him to alter the shape and form of himself and the people and objects around him. Seeing as Luffy has even accomplished feats like materializing intangible phenomena such as lightning and lifting the floor like a carpet, he certainly does possess toon force. However, his ability to alter reality and the laws of physics seems to be limited to this extent. Takaba’s Cursed Technique outclasses Gear Five in terms of altering reality, as Takaba can materialize scenarios and alternate dimensions almost seamlessly.
Despite Luffy’s superiority in terms of physical strength, it would be difficult to determine the outcome if he and Takaba truly crossed paths. However, what one can be sure of is that Luffy and Takaba would certainly take a liking to each other and the fight would be incredibly silly and entertaining.
Both Takaba and Gear Five appear to serve a similar purpose in their respective stories in that they both lighten an overwhelmingly tense mood. Luffy’s Gear Five made its debut at the climax of the Wano Arc, which had until then been relatively nerve-wracking with the highest stakes in the series yet. Oda himself confirmed in an interview that he created Gear Five to keep One Piece lighthearted and wanted to defy the norms of shonen battles. Meanwhile, Takaba’s reintroduction to the series also came at a crucial time when fans were grieving Gojo’s death and steeling themselves for the worst outcome.
Takaba’s hilarious antics and the silliness of the battle against Kenjaku have effectively brought about a significant tonal shift in Jujutsu Kaisen. The latest chapters have brought back Jujustu Kaisen’s iconic missing humor and fans seem to have responded positively to the reprieve. In an age where sullen battles and unimaginably dark undertones are slowly becoming the norm, comedic characters like Luffy and Takaba prove to be a much-needed breath of fresh air and fans can only hope that both Jujutsu Kaisen and One Piece continue to similarly surprise fans.
Jujutsu Kaisen is available from Manga Plus.