One Piece Episode 1170 Review: The fight we are waiting for finally comes!

Luffy's Gear 5 clashes with Scopper Gaban in One Piece Episode 1170! Read our full review and rating of the intense battle for Loki's key.

The One Piece anime aired its latest episode, Episode 1170, on July 19, 2026. This is one of the episodes manga fans have been longing for, as it delivers an amazing fight and leaves an important hint for what's to come. After watching it, I am truly satisfied and have a few thoughts to share and discuss with everyone, especially since it's important to take note of every key detail for the upcoming episodes.

Source: ONE PIECE.com(ワンピース) Official X account

One Piece Episode 1170 Review: One of the Best Most Important Episodes of the Elbaf Arc

Before diving any further into this post, I want to address the spoiler situation. While I understand everyone's concerns, this review will contain quite a few spoilers as we explore the story in depth. As most fans know, the One Piece anime is adapted from the manga. However, this post will focus almost entirely on the anime without touching on future manga content. So, if you want to avoid spoilers, please stop here! And for those who haven't watched Episode 1170 yet, trust me, it is definitely worth watching.

One Piece Episode 1170 takes place during the Elbaf Arc, as Luffy and his crew continue exploring the island of giants. Elbaf is full of mysteries, including the myth of the Sun God, the true history of the One Piece world, a mysterious man connected to Shanks, and the cursed prince, Loki. Among all these mysteries, Luffy decides to deal with Loki first, as Loki holds something Luffy desperately wants.

Even though Loki has been locked up for many years, he actually knows Shanks for some reason and seems to know his current location. Since the ultimate bait for Luffy is always either meat or Shanks, Loki successfully uses Shanks as leverage to get Luffy to find the key to set him free.

Source: ONE PIECE.com(ワンピース) Official X account

Personally, I can understand why Luffy is so eager to get Shanks's location from Loki. Since he shares such a deep bond with Shanks, it makes sense that he wants to reunite with him as soon as possible. However, most people don't want Loki freed. In fact, Loki is the most hated person in Elbaf, not a single giant is looking forward to his release, and everyone just wants to stay far away from him. Because of this, Luffy has to pass a series of "trials" just to get the specific key for Loki.

Since it's all for the sake of reuniting with Shanks, Luffy doesn't mind facing any trouble, and the same goes for his crew. Zoro and Nami care deeply about Luffy and have stood by him through every obstacle, even when facing off against a weird old man. Luckily, everything went well and Luffy successfully retrieved the key, though he ultimately failed to realize the old man's true identity.

Source: ONE PIECE.com(ワンピース) Official X account

The Fearsome "Left Hand of the Pirate King": Scopper Gaban

One Piece Episode 1170 is a fantastic entry, giving us an epic clash between Luffy and the legendary "Left Hand of the Pirate King," Scopper Gaban. Luffy is the type of fighter who needs a reason to brawl, so he actually didn't want to fight Gaban at first. However, once Gaban used Loki's key as bait, Luffy fell into another trap and did exactly what Gaban wanted him to do.

Although Luffy fails to realize the old man's true identity, the sheer power Gaban displays throughout this episode gives us a clear hint of just how incredible he really is. Even for anime-only viewers, this single episode makes it clear just how powerful Gaban is. Much like another legendary figure, Silvers Rayleigh, Gaban is one of the few who has mastered all three types of Haki. Luffy and Zoro try multiple ways to attack him, but most of their hits don't even connect! Despite his old appearance, Gaban is just like Rayleigh, he's still remarkably sharp, agile, and strong.

Luffy isn't the type to care about someone's identity. Even without knowing who Gaban is, Luffy has no choice but to bring out his ultimate form, Gear 5, just to win that key. The Gear 5 transformation in Episode 1170 is truly amazing! Thanks to Gear 5's unique ability to affect his surroundings, Luffy actually stands a real chance against a legend like Scopper Gaban.

The fight between Luffy and Gaban is truly amazing, and I honestly wished it lasted a bit longer, after all, who doesn't get hyped seeing two absolute legends clash? Unfortunately, since Gaban only meant to test Luffy, he gives up the moment Luffy and Zoro prepare to go all out. Getting trolled like that definitely feels frustrating, but since Luffy got what he came for, he couldn't care less about Gaban anymore!

Source: ONE PIECE.com(ワンピース) Official X account

The Connection Between Gaban and Nika: The One Who Knows the True History

In Episode 1170, there is a pivotal scene after Luffy completes his transformation where Gaban immediately recognizes Luffy's white Gear 5 form. Since Luffy's latest wanted poster features his Gear 5 appearance, it's common knowledge that he can turn white, but almost nobody understands the true meaning behind it.

As a member of Gol D. Roger's crew, and someone who actually reached Laugh Tale, it's not hard to guess that Gaban is one of the few people who knows the true history of the One Piece world. While most fans probably realize this, it is a crucial point to keep in mind, as it will likely drive Gaban's actions in the upcoming episodes.

What do I mean by that? As someone who knows the true history, and chose to step back from fighting the true darkness himself, Gaban is betting on the arrival of the next Nika, or the next JoyBoy. Since the next JoyBoy is destined to play a massive role in saving the One Piece world, the chances of Gaban lending his full support to help him fulfill that destiny are incredibly high.

Here’s a great YouTube video worth checking out.

AnimeOshi — Meet Your Anime Alter Ego

One thing I've genuinely been enjoying on AnimeOshi lately, their Avatar System. You get to build your own custom chibi-style anime avatar, and it shows up across your profile and every review you drop. It's such a fun way to express yourself as a fan, and honestly, it makes the whole reviewing experience feel way more personal. If you're into anime and haven't tried it yet, what are you waiting for? Go make your avatar.

The Nightmare of Elbaf Begins: The Gathering of The Knights of God

Besides the story of Luffy, Loki, and Scopper Gaban, another crucial event is unfolding in Elbaf: The Knights of God (known in Japanese as Kami no Kishidan, or 神の騎士団) have assembled and are planning something big. Although "The Knights of God" sounds cool and gives off an impression of justice, they are actually an elite squad of ruthless warriors from the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.

As we've seen in previous episodes, they inflicted immense damage on Loki and slaughtered all the animals around him, which shows just how truly ruthless they are. To avoid major spoilers, I won't go into too many details about their scheme, but it is undeniably evil, and true to their plan, they intend to kidnap the giant children and bring them to Mary Geoise.

In Episode 1170, Saint Shepherd Sommers, the old man who was seen on the Den Den Mushi, and Saint Rimoshifu Killingham, the one who resembles a giraffe, arrive in Elbaf in an instant via the abyss. Elbaf currently has four members of The Knights of God on the scene. Even if Saint Figarland Shamrock returns to Mary Geoise, the fact remains: Elbaf is facing a massive crisis.

Here’s a great YouTube video worth checking out.

Conclusion:

Thank you so much for reading this post! There's a good reason why fans are so drawn to One Piece Episode 1170 and why it's being actively discussed all over the internet. Luffy and Gaban's fight was absolute hype! Even though Gear 5 didn't get tons of screen time, it still delivered all the excitement we could have asked for. I'm really looking forward to the next episode, especially now that the Holy Knights have gathered!

AnimeOshi also just dropped a new avatar system, you can unlock anime-themed profile pictures based on how much you engage with the community. The more you rate, the more you unlock. It's a genuinely fun way to build out your anime identity on the platform. Worth checking out while you're there.

Here’s a great YouTube video worth checking out.