After almost two decades since their debut, Luffy and Naruto, two of the most popular shonen protagonists in anime history have each reached the pinnacle of their abilities.
Gear 5 represents Luffy awakening his Devil Fruit. Baryon Mode sees Naruto pushing himself to the utmost limit by sacrificing his tailed beast for a fleeting ultimate strength. This raises one important question, Is Luffy stronger than Naruto now? Let’s find out.
Gear 5 vs Baryon Mode
In terms of sheer power, Baryon Mode Naruto likely retains the edge for now. His fused chakra form grants speed and strength overwhelming even a godly Ōtsutsuki. He moves too swiftly for Isshiki to react and blitzes him with merciless blows. This divine power exceeds anything Luffy has endured.
- Naruto’s every move and mere presence drain opponents’ lifespans by linking chakra.
- However, Gear 5 is no slouch in might either. Luffy’s newfound strength let him battle Kaido in a grueling 1v1 and ultimately prevail.
- His unrestrained attacks also carry seemingly endless creativity. His body has become virtually indestructible, able to absorb devastating impacts.
- Still, when pitted against a nigh-infinite chakra fuelled force like Naruto, that indestructibility would surely be put to the test.
Conditions of the Battle
Naruto’s time limit gives Luffy an advantage in endurance. Baryon Mode rapidly drains its user’s lifespan, forcing Naruto to conclude battles quickly. Meanwhile, Luffy can fight for far longer stretches without fatigue in Gear 5.
- Luffy’s awakened Zoan powers also grant him tremendous durability, as attacks now simply bounce off his rubbery body.
- However, the same might not apply when Luffy’s around a lifespan-shaving entity.
- Ultimately, if Naruto goes all out immediately, he may be able to overpower Luffy before running out of steam.
- But the longer the duel drags on, the more Gear 5’s higher endurance will allow Luffy to outlast his opponent. Luffy has shown a tenacity to withstand devastating attacks through sheer willpower alone.
Who will win?
Both Naruto and Luffy are raw-strength-oriented combatants so exchanges would happen at high speed. The environment would likely get warped and smashed as collateral from their overwhelming attacks. Luffy’s rubbery body and reflexes allow him to counter blows from any angle, while Naruto relies on Kurama’s chakra shroud for defense.
- In terms of raw destructive abilities, however, Luffy is massively outclassed by Naruto due to his lack of energy-based destructive ranged attacks.
- This makes their strengths difficult to definitively compare until Gear 5 gets pushed to its limits. Luffy is also still mastering his new abilities, suggesting room for further growth.
- And in terms of narrative weight, Gear 5 represents a greater transformation, awakening Luffy’s fruit to joyously unrestrained heights.
Conclusion
So while Baryon Mode Naruto likely still claims the upper hand for now, Gear 5 Luffy may allow the Straw Hat captain to surpass even the Hokage’s divine strength soon. It exemplifies Luffy discarding limits to boundless new heights.
Though the long-running manga isn’t over yet, Luffy’s journey points toward him becoming the Pirate King standing above all others. His awakening into the Warrior of Liberation brings that destiny closer.
