One Piece fans celebrate first anniversary of Crunchyroll-crashing event

Exactly one year ago, One Piece broke Crunchyroll and set the internet aflame with a transformation fans still cannot get over.

Even after over 20 years, One Piece is still delivering huge moments. Recently, you had Garp’s Galaxy Impact and Shanks vs Kid, two monumental scenes fans who read the manga were waiting for.

Exciting as they were, though, neither compare to what’s been dubbed a “generational” transformation: Luffy, leader of the Straw Hats, going Gear 5 for the first time.

The event took place in Episode 1071, as part of the Wano County Arc. Luffy awakens his Devil Fruit power during the fight against Kaido, of the Beasts Pirates. You can guess who wins the battle.

It was a huge scene, years in the making, not unlike Goku going Super Saiyan, except on a much longer scale. Fans rushed to check it out as soon as it was available, crashing Crunchyroll in the process and cementing this as the time One Piece brought down the anime internet.

Viewers still remember it all fondly, one year later. “The internet that day was legendary,” reads one comment on an X/Twitter post about the moment. “Best transformation of all time,” added another user.

“Generational time man, love the way how community was happy,” said a third. “You had to be there,” is the overarching sentiment, shared by people who feel like they witnessed pop culture history.

To be honest, they did. These types of scenes reverberate for years. They’re often big finales, but sometimes you have events that stand alone, like The Simpsons with ‘Who Shot Mr Burns?’ and, well, Luffy tapping into power that had only been spoken about prior.

Now that One Piece is sailing into the Final Arc, the frequency of events like this might increase. Knowing Eiichiro Oda, though, we still have a long way to go.

Check out our Chapter 1123 guide for what’s currently happening in the manga, and our One Piece Season 2 article for the latest on Netflix’s live-action version.