Luffy’s arm is one of the most iconic parts of One Piece. As the main character, Luffy has battled many fearsome foes over the course of the series, and his arm has taken a lot of damage along the way. In several major fights, Luffy’s arm has been severely injured or even removed entirely. This has left fans wondering – who is responsible for taking Luffy’s arm?
What is the significance of Luffy’s arm?
Luffy’s stretched rubber arms are his main weapon and power in combat. He uses them to deliver powerful punches, grab objects and enemies from a distance, and rocket himself around. As a Devil Fruit user, if Luffy’s arms are severed he cannot simply reattach them – the damage is permanent. This makes his arms a prime target for enemies who want to defeat Luffy. Losing an arm also significantly hinders Luffy’s fighting abilities and mobility.
Why do enemies target Luffy’s arms?
There are several reasons enemies specifically go after Luffy’s arms:
- Removing Luffy’s arms limits his primary fighting style of punching.
- Without his arms for mobility, Luffy loses speed and agility.
- Severing an arm causes Luffy extreme pain and weakens him.
- It is symbolic of defeating Luffy by taking away his power.
- Permanently handicapping Luffy by cutting off an arm makes him less threatening.
For these reasons, many major villains see cutting off Luffy’s arm as the path to victory over him. Some of the most desperate and ruthless enemies stop at nothing to tear Luffy’s stretchy arms off his body.
Enemies Who Removed Luffy’s Arms
Over the course of Luffy’s journey, he has lost his arms several times when pushed to his limits against nearly unbeatable foes. Here are the major enemies who succeeded in depriving Luffy of his arms:
Aokiji
One of the first enemies to remove one of Luffy’s arms was Aokiji, an Admiral in the Navy. During their initial encounter on Long Ring Long Land island, Aokiji froze Luffy’s arm solid and then shattered it, breaking it off Luffy’s body completely. This disarming gave Aokiji the advantage to quickly defeat Luffy.
Bartholomew Kuma
The Shichibukai Bartholomew Kuma delivered a devastating surprise attack on Luffy during the Thriller Bark arc. His rapid paw swipes cleanly separated Luffy’s arms from his body. This was part of Kuma’s mission to completely obliterate the weakened Straw Hat crew after their battle against Moria.
Magellan
The deadly Chief Warden of Impel Down, Magellan, melted off one of Luffy’s arms during their intense fight in Impel Down. Magellan’s corrosive poison ability let him slice through Luffy’s rubber limbs with ease. Losing an arm to Magellan’s poison left Luffy nearly dead.
Hody Jones
While under the effects of Energy Steroids, the fishman Hody Jones bit down on Luffy’s arm and tore it off at the shoulder. This happened during their massive battle between the Straw Hats and New Fishman Pirates on Fishman Island.
Other Notable Disarming Incidents
In addition to these major disarming incidents against Luffy, there have been other notable cases where Luffy has lost control of one or both arms in battle:
Arlong
The saw-nosed fishman Arlong trapped Luffy by shackling his arms to the ground, leaving them unusable. This let Arlong brutally beat Luffy without resistance.
Crocodile
While Luffy managed to avoid losing his arms against Crocodile in their first two fights in Alabasta, Crocodile succeeded in severing both of Luffy’s hands during their third battle. Luffy was only saved from complete disarming by water reversing the dehydration.
Lucci
CP9’s strongest assassin Rob Lucci fractured one of Luffy’s arms during their lengthy battle in Enies Lobby by using his Rokuougan technique. This left Luffy unable to use one arm for the remainder of the fight.
Moria
Gecko Moria stole Luffy’s shadow during the Thriller Bark arc, leaving Luffy temporarily unable to control his body in sunlight – including his arms.
Caesar Clown
The mad scientist Caesar Clown restrained Luffy’s arms using his Gas Robe ability during their first confrontation on Punk Hazard.
Lasting Effects of Losing Arms
Whenever Luffy loses an arm, it leaves long-lasting effects on his body and fighting ability:
Extreme Pain
Losing an entire limb is agonizingly painful, especially for a rubber man who feels pain more acutely. This intense trauma has pushed Luffy to the brink of death.
Weakening
Missing an arm drains Luffy’s overall strength and stamina as his body goes into shock. This makes him more vulnerable to follow up attacks.
Reduced Mobility
Luffy relies on swinging his arms for mobility and dodging. Losing one arm severely impacts his speed and agility.
Haki Limitation
Luffy often channels his Armament Haki through his arms for both offense and defense. Without both arms, he cannot use full-body Haki hardening or throw as many Haki-imbued punches.
No Regeneration
As a Devil Fruit user, any limbs Luffy loses are gone for good. This permanent maiming sticks with Luffy after each battle.
Psychological Impact
Having an arm torn off or severed leaves deep mental scars for Luffy in addition to the physical ones.
Coping Without His Arms
Whenever Luffy has an arm detached or made useless in battle, he has to quickly adapt his fighting style and mentality to cope with the loss. Here are some of the ways Luffy has persevered when minus one or both arms:
- Fighting primarily with legs instead of punches
- Using teeth or head for brute attacks
- Unlocking new Gears to enhance body parts
- Focusing his Haki into his remaining arm
- Getting creative using surroundings as weapons
- Drawing on pure willpower and rage
Losing his iconic arms forces Luffy to evolve and expand his combat capabilities beyond his standard punching attacks. Pushed into desperate situations without his main weapons, Luffy discovers new ways to keep fighting against all odds.
How Luffy Recovers His Arms
Though Luffy suffers terrible damage each time he loses control of his arms, he has managed to eventually recover in each case:
Medical Treatment
After battles where Luffy’s arms are damaged or detached, he receives emergency medical care from doctors like Tony Tony Chopper to stabilize his condition.
Time
Thanks to the resilience provided by his rubber abilities, Luffy’s arms can eventually regenerate to full length even if severed, given enough recovery time.
Milk
Drinking milk helps accelerate Luffy’s regeneration after suffering major arm amputations, letting him regrow arms faster.
Mechanical Arms
As a temporary measure, replacements like mechanical arms can minimize Luffy’s combat limitations until his real arms are back to full strength.
Allies Protecting Him
With his arms out of commission, Luffy relies on his crew to protect him from further attacks during vulnerable recovery periods.
Conclusion
Luffy’s stretchy, powerful arms are his greatest asset as well as biggest vulnerability in the heat of battle. Ravenous enemies know debilitating Luffy by separating him from his trusted arms is one of the only ways to stop him. But even when deprived of his main weapons, Luffy always manages to adapt and survive by any means necessary. And given enough time, Luffy’s rubber constitution ensures he inevitably restores his essential arms – no matter how many times foes take them away from him. Losing his arms only fuels Luffy’s determination to grow stronger and defeat those who disarmed him.