Summary

  • The Gum-Gum Shotgun was a unique variation on Luffy's classic attack.
  • The Gum-Gum UFO was a creative ability, but maybe too much effort for results.
  • The Gum-Gum Fireworks attack is unpredictable and could be strong in base form.

When it comes to Luffy’s fighting style in One Piece, the Straw Hat Captain has some of the most creative moves in the series. Although he is trained, Luffy truly uses his Devil Fruit to its fullest on the battlefield showing off a wide variety of attacks that push his rubber body to its limits. From blowing himself up like a balloon to deflect cannonballs to catching literal lightning, watching Luffy fight is always a great treat for fans.

However, due to his creativity on the battlefield, Luffy tends to spontaneously create attacks, usually with varying degrees of success, and then never use them in One Piece again. Although many of these attacks are silly and niche abilities, some of these attacks, especially those Luffy created before his training during the time skip, seem like they could have actually been useful in future battles. Sadly, these are some of the abilities that Luffy has only used once and then forgotten about in One Piece.

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What Are Luffy's Forgotten Attacks?

Moves The Luffy Made Spontaneously In Battle

For these abilities, only moves that Luffy used seriously in battle will be considered as a forgotten ability. This means that any of Luffy's joke and gag moves, or moves that are used specifically for comedic abilities, will not be considered. This includes moves like Gum-Gum Screw, a move used to propel a boat in the Long Ring Long Land Arc and is something some fans wanted to see jokingly return.

Gum-Gum Screw... - Luffy as he slowly runs out of energy from touching water

At the same time, this list will also stay away from niche moves that were used specifically in a certain battle to exploit his enemy’s weaknesses. While these moves are neat, it’s understandable why they have been left behind in the series. A good example of this is Water Luffy, a form where the Straw Hat Captain fills himself with water in order to be able to attack through Crocodile’s Logia Devil Fruit.

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Gum Gum Shotgun Luffy
  • The Gum-Gum Shotgun Was A Unique Variation On A Classic Attack
  • The Gum-Gum UFO Was A Creative Ability

One of the most interesting forgotten abilities that Luffy has left behind throughout One Piece is the Gum-Gum Shotgun. Used against Crocodile in the Alabasta Arc, this move involved Luffy throwing a normal Gum-Gun Pistol and then stretching his arm with his other hand, causing his punch to move haphazardly as it approached his opponents. Although Crocodile easily dodges the attack, it seems like it could have been used to catch slower opponents off guard, at least before the advent of Gear 2. With Gear 2, Luffy no longer needs to catch enemies off guard with unpredictable attacks, and can now instead attack them at incredibly high speeds to hit them.

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Another ability is the Gum-Gum UFO, a strong, if not unpredictable attack, that could have interesting applications even in the modern story of One Piece. This ability involves Luffy stretching out his leg as far as possible, and letting it snap back to his body, spinning his lower half around like a top. After this, he is able to move around like a tornado, knocking out enemies in his path. Although this ability lacks substantial firepower, it seems fairly effective when dealing with larger groups of weaker enemies, especially for a base Luffy technique. However, as Zoro mentions, the attack is fairly silly and may be too much effort for too few results.

The Gum-Gum Fireworks May Be A Strong Base-Form Luffy Attack

It Is A Bit Unpredictable To Use With Friends Around

Luffy Gum Gum Fireworks

Finally, another attack that fans want to see Luffy use again is the Gum-Gum Fireworks, a technique that was briefly used at the beginning of One Piece’s Skypiea Arc. This attack involves having Luffy jump into the sky, wrapping himself in his own arms and legs, and spinning around rapidly. After this, Luffy unravels himself sending a flurry of blows in random and unpredictable directions. Much like the Gum-Gum UFO, in modern One Piece, this attack could be used to take out large groups of enemies quickly, though it is highly unpredictable. In fact, the random nature of the attack is most likely why Luffy hasn’t used it again.

Gum-Gum Fireworks! - Luffy

Beyond this, there are a lot more attacks that Luffy has used once and will never use again. However, the Gum-Gum Shotgun, the Gum-Gum UFO, and the Gum-Gum Fireworks are the most unique of these attacks and deserve a chance to return to the series once again. In the end, with a series like One Piece, seeing one of these attacks return isn’t the most unlikely thing in the world.

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Release Date
October 20, 1999
Network
Fuji TV
Directors
Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
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  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Mayumi Tanaka
    Monkey D. Luffy (voice)
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Kazuya Nakai
    Roronoa Zoro (voice)

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming
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One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga's popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.