Luffy is not Luffy anymore 

Bro this has literally been the story the only difference is now it's being yelled at us.

I wouldn't worry about Oda not able to handle this change. The guy is plans things years in advance, dropping foreshadowing hints along the way, which we only appreciate in hindsight. For example, zoan devil fruits having wills of their own, and when awakened, can overwhelm the user's personality; this is revealed early way before the Nika Sun God revelation. Luffy's change after awakening his devil fruit, can be attributed to the fruit imparting its will on Luffy; this is lore internal consistency.

Luffys always gonna be luffy, I don’t think the fruit has changed him because it’s who he was from the beginning

5:22 that isn't eiichiro oda, that guy works at nintendo. No one knows what eiichiro oda looks like nowadays as he is very private, we only have pictures of him up to his late teens

Unfortunately i am still catching up with the story, I'm actually in the Oden flashback right now, but I just wanted to commend the quality for a channel of not even 50 subscribers! This is amazing work and I really hope you get more recognition!

I've been thinking about this a lot. I'm not really a fan of the recent change, especially in the manga. (The anime has a different vibe, with the music and everything) but when you try to explain it to people, they just don't get it. Oda has shifted what I loved about Luffy. Luffy made the fruit, it wasn't the fruit that made him (even though there's this theory that fruits "choose people"). Now, that's up for debate, and I don't like it. If he achieves new heights, is it really him or just luck of the draw (the fruit)? I'd prefer it if he just improved his Haki and Conqueror's Haki, that can still be done right. I'm still holding out hope. Look at Shanks, Gold D, for example. They are incredible, no fruits, just 'him'.

O My Rubber Fruit... Oh wait.

Luffy was the chosen one at least since logue town.

6:54 thats not even oda 😭😭

Interesting video, but Luffy’s Devil Fruit has always been a Rubber Paramecia. It is that, and when awakened, becoming the Mythical Zoan Nika. :)

under 38 subs for a video like this is crazy

Nice vid but the picture at 5:20 isn't Oda it's the producer of the Legend of Zelda Eiji Aonuma

Nobody would have hard feelings about Luffy’s awakening if it didn’t have the “sun god” moniker. It literally does exactly what everybody thought it would, but with an added strength buff.

there is no other powerup that would have been better for luffy wdym?!

Zombies, tiktok, elves E-FUCKING.NOUGH! I'm so fucking sick of the chosen one and special destiny. It's seriously the dumbest and most story breaking cliche sake as literal deus ex machina and mcguffins. Why can't you ever just have a story of a guy not called to adventure, but who simply said "fuck it I'm broke and homeless just go" and gains strength and power over time but never to rival the strongest "So This is their legacy, you three inheriting their will... Except you, who are you? You weren't in the prophecy" "The what? I just wanted toilet paper and your goons said no so I punched them and ended up here". "Also GIVE ME SO DAMN PAPER! you're lucky I've been constipated this whole time or you wouldn't have any carpets left to save!".

For me the biggest issue is how Gear 5 was handled. Using the Naruto example, for people *who actually read the manga* we knew from the beggining of the Pain Arc that the Great Toad Sage had told Jiraiya about the Prophecy of the Child of Destiny. We as a reader were already primed that Naruto after defeating Pain had to be this "Child of Destiny". So as a reader when the whole reveal of Naruto being one of many reincarnations of the children of the Sage of Six Paths, we can make that connection way back in the Pain arc and be like: oooooooh, ok. So that was actually real and stuff. Ok. Now if you dont like or like that, thats another issue, but careful readers were primed that there was something special about Naruto. then in the war arc as Naruto helps the Tailed beasts, Son Goku comments about how The Sage of Six paths would tell them about how someone would appear and help the tailed beasts and Son thinking this person was finally here in the form of Naruto and he helped him. Again, more foreshadowing for the big reveal about him being Ashura's reincarnation. That is all to say that the closest thing we got to Nika being foreshadowed I think is way back in the fishmen arc where Luffy is able to hear the big titan fish (I forget the name) something that the manga expresses only really Joyboy had been able to do. But after that it sort of stops. Then Wano comes along with a focus on Luffy learning better armament Haki and then we get blind sighted with the big reveal. If Wano was instead about how Joyboy played a big part or whatever and people being like: "Wow Luffy, you come to help us become free just like Joyboy!". Then maybe the big reveal doesn't sting as much. But it did sort of felt like it came out of left field for me. I dont ultimately dislike it. Luffy is still basically Luffy, the same way Naruto just kepted being himself. But I do think it could've been handled better.

Luffy is not a chosen one, he is not the reincarnation of a god, and his power wasn't gifted to him. These are common misconceptions that people really need to stop screaming toward the heavens.

- Luffy's fruit could have just been a regular fruit - Luffy's awakening power could still be the same without shoehorning the Nika factor - Luffy could still be the savior of the world without being a sun god reincarnation - Luffy could still embody Nika and Joyboy without having a special fruit that directly link them (By being the Pirate King, he is basically an immediate threat to the WG, and people would naturally look at him as saviour just with his feats alone - Luffy caught the world's attention by simply punching a celestial dragon! Why is there a need for a complicated lore just so he could become the center of the story? Not only is it unnecessary, but it also betrays the central themes of One Piece: Dreams and Freedom!