The Straw Hats have survived all kinds of challenges, including entire wars, which calls for more than a little plot armor, especially for Luffy.

The epic shonen saga of One Piece stars Monkey D. Luffy as he fights his way across the East Blue sea, the Grand Line, and more recently, the terrifying New World. Luffy and his pirate crewmates have survived nasty weather, powerful villains, and even entire wars to get this far, which calls for more than a little plot armor, most of all for Luffy himself.

To author Eiichiro Oda’s credit, most of Luffy’s victories feel organic and well-earned, which leads to some satisfying adventures and battles all throughout One Piece, from the Romance Dawn arc to the current Egghead Island arc. Still, if fans play close attention, they can find a few moments where Luffy definitely needed some help from the plot itself to avoid certain doom and survive encounters that normally would have killed him. Perhaps that’s part of his destiny as Joy Boy — for the world’s sake, Luffy simply can’t afford to die until he has freed the world from oppression.

One Piece has over 1000 episodes and while Luffy has some great iconic moments throughout the anime, there are some that are quite underrated.

10Shanks Saves Luffy From Drowning at Windmill Village

Episode
Original Air Date
IMDb Score

“Luffy’s Past! Enter Red-Haired Shanks!”
December 8th, 1999
8.3

Chronologically, one of the first moments of peril in Luffy’s entire life arrived when he was just seven years old. At the time, he had just eaten the Gum-Gum Fruit, and then Higuma the Bear terrorized Windmill Village. In the chaos, Higuma seized Luffy and dropped him in the sea to drown. Higuma then got devoured by a sea king, but that fact didn’t help Luffy much.

That was when Shanks dove into the water and lost an arm while saving Luffy from doom. Such plot armor came at a physical cost for Shanks, but being a caring and fatherly man, Shanks didn’t mind that much. He even used Color of the Supreme King Haki to chase off the sea king that had chomped off his left arm.

9A Thunderstorm and Dragon Bail Luffy Out of Trouble at Loguetown

Episode
Original Air Date
IMDb Score

“Buggy’s Revenge! The Man Who Smiles on the Execution Platform!”
December 13th, 2000
8.2

Near the end of the East Blue saga, Luffy’s five-man pirate crew arrived at Loguetown. This short arc didn’t make it into the live-action version, but it still had a few notable developments that all fans should be aware of, such as the introduction of Captain Smoker and Monkey D. Dragon.

Luffy found the execution platform where Gol D. Roger had died some years before, and then Buggy the Clown tried to take Luffy’s head while the latter was trapped. However, Luffy didn’t seem the least bit concerned, and right on cue, a thunderstorm arrived, freeing Luffy with a convenient blast of wind. That, combined with Dragon’s interference, allowed Luffy to escape to sea unharmed.

8Nico Robin Saves Luffy in Alabasta’s Desert

Episode
Original Air Date
IMDb Score

“Dash For a Miracle! Alabasta Animal Land!”
May 12th, 2002
7.8

In the Alabasta saga, Luffy need a few instances of plot armor to stand a chance against his next foe, Sir Crocodile. Being one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile was too powerful for Luffy, and he easily won their first clash in Alabasta. Crocodile left Luffy for dead in the unforgiving desert, but help was on the way.

Of all people, Crocodile’s right-hand woman, Miss All-Sunday, arrived to help Luffy survive. That was Luffy’s future crewmate in action, with Nico Robin being a much kinder and more heroic person than her membership in Baroque Works would suggest. That plot armor helped make sure Luffy survived to reach Alubarna and fight Crocodile two more times to save Vivi’s kingdom.

7Luffy Defeats Sir Crocodile Without Using Haki or Gears

Episode
Original Air Date
IMDb Score

“I Will Surpass You! Rain Falls in Alabasta!”
September 15th, 2002
9.4

Luffy’s second fight against Sir Crocodile was short and ended poorly, but that wasn’t the end. Just moments after Crocodile left the battlefield, Luffy rejuvenated himself with water, then raced to thre underground catacombs where Crocodile had gone. Down there, the two pirate captains fought their final battle, and for the first time, Luffy stood a real chance of winning.

In all fairness, Luffy did use creative methods, such as his own blood, to partially negate Crocodile’s advantage with his Sand-Sand Fruit. Still, looking back, it’s obvious that some serious plot armor was involved, because there was no way Luffy could defeat any Warlord without using Haki or any of his Gears. If Luffy needed Gears 2 and 3 to fight CP9’s members, then he would surely need the same against Crocodile.

6Inazuma Finds Luffy and Mr. 2 in Impel Down’s 5th Floor

Episode
Original Air Date
IMDb Score

“A Paradise in Hell! Impel Down – Level 5.5!”
February 14th, 2010
7.5

Luffy needed a lot of plot armor in the intense Summit War saga, since Luffy kept challenging enemies whom he wasn’t ready to fight. In short, Luffy was in over his head, so One Piece‘s plot armor worked overtime to keep him in the game. The first major example was when Luffy was dying of Magellan’s poisons in Impel Down’s fifth floor, and not even Bon Clay could save him.

With deadly wolves and dangerously cold temperatures, Luffy and Bon Clay were in serious trouble — until Inazuma arrived, that is. Inazuma graciously saved both of them and brought them to level 5.5, the hidden paradise where Emporio Ivankov kept his hidden army of revolutionary fighters.

5Emporio Ivankov Injects Luffy With Hormones to Fight Magellan’s Poisons

Episode
Original Air Date
IMDb Score

“Believe in Miracles! Bon Clay’s Cries from the Heart!”
February 28th, 2010
7.7

Luffy’s thick plot armor continued when he met Ivankov in level 5.5 of Impel Down. Inazuma may have saved Luffy from level 5’s cold and wolves, but there was still the matter of Magellan’s lethal poisons, and that was right in Ivankov’s wheelhouse. Ivankov used his Horm-Horm Fruit to jumpstart Luffy’s body with special hormones, and then the struggle for survival began.

For almost an entire day, Luffy fought for life against the poisons in his body. Ivankov estimated that Luffy ad a 3% chance of survival, but as shonen action fans know, any percentage for survival above 0% might as well be 100%. Sure enough, Luffy overcame the poisons, then ate a few days’ worth of food to complete his recovery.

4Mr. 2 Helps Luffy’s Team Escape Impel Down’s Territory

Episode
Original Air Date
IMDb Score

“Come, Final Miracle! Break Through the Gate of Justice!”
May 16th, 2010
9.3

Luffy recruited a variety of people to serve as his temporary crew, including Ivankov’s group and even former enemies like Mr. 2, Mr. 3, and Buggy the Clown. Even Sir Crocodile joined the motley crew, but Impel Down’s staff wouldn’t allow that group to escape, even with a Warlord on Luffy’s side. So, Mr. 2 made a sacrifice play and used his Clone-Clone Fruit to good effect.

At extreme risk, Mr. 2 imitated Magellan himself, using that disguise to order Impel Down’s huge gates to be opened. That allowed Luffy’s team to sail away and head to Marineford, and everyone aboard Luffy’s stolen ship wept for Mr. 2’s noble sacrifice. For the second time, Luffy owed Mr. 2 for saving his life, the first time being the harbor escape at Alabasta.

3Shanks and Trafalgar Law Save Luffy’s Life at Marineford

Episode
Original Air Date
IMDb Score

“Here Comes Shanks! The War of the Best is Finally Over!”
March 6th, 2011
9.5

Luffy’s final piece of plot armor in the Marineford saga arrived right after he witnessed Ace’s tragic death at Admiral Akainu’s hands. Luffy was in no shape to fight and wasn’t strong enough to face his strongest enemies on that battlefield, but at least he had powerful allies to bail him out of trouble.

Red-haired Shanks arrived to help protect Luffy, and as an Emperor, he was easily strong enough to get the job done. Then, Trafalgar D. Water Law finished the job by personally evacuating Luffy, getting him off the battlefield aboard his submarine. Only after One Piece‘s time skip, however, would Luffy and Law become official allies in the New World.

2Luffy Learns Color of Observation Haki While Fighting Charlotte Katakuri

Episode
Original Air Date
IMDb Score

“Finally, It’s Over! The Climax of the Intense Fight Against Katakuri!”
February 3rd, 2019
9.5

During the Whole Cake Island saga, Luffy met his true equal, Charlotte Katakuri, who had stretchy Devil Fruit powers and a variety of Haki abilities at his disposal. Katakuri was at least on par with the Seven Warlords, if not stronger, and he was a serious obstacle for Luffy. The two of them fought, with Katakuri having a clear advantage thanks to his Color of Observation Haki.

By all rights, Luffy should have lost that fight, but then his plot armor gave him the edge. Against all odds, and rather conveniently, Luffy started picking up on Color of Observation Haki and survived long enough to use it properly and thus defeat Katakuri on the latter’s own terms. True, Luffy is known to learn on the fly and has a hands-on approach to things, but it still felt a tad contrived as plot armor.

1Luffy Awakens Gear 5 While Fighting Kaido at Onigashima Island

Episode
Original Air Date
IMDb Score

“Luffy’s Peak – Attained! Gear Fifth”
August 6th, 2023
9.1

Luffy’s most recent plot armor was also the most memorable, and for all the right reasons. Not even Gear 4’s strongest forms could help Luffy defeat the mighty Emperor Kaido, and for a moment, it seemed Luffy had finally lost. That was almost the case, but then the shonen transformation of Gear 5 took place.

Luffy became the embodiment of Joy Boy and the sun god Nika with his transformation, breaking One Piece‘s combat system in the process with his cartoon powers. It was blatant plot armor, but on the other hand, One Piece had previewed this transformation a few times, and there really was no other way to defeat Kaido during that battle.