Raid Suits represent technologically advanced armor suits developed by the Kingdom of Germa in the One Piece world. The only known wearers to don these strong combat suits are the family of the Vinsmokes and high-ranking commanders in their militia arm, Germa 66. Basically, Raid Suits are the peak of Germa science, amalgamating technology with combat.
Each Raid Suit is stored in a small canister with its owner's number etched onto it. Once activated, it deploys the suit and binds itself very firmly to the user's body. In the anime, this transformation is impressively done, with a burst of light emitted as the suit materializes piece by piece.
Color-coded and numbered by user, the raid suits are: Reiju: Poison Pink, 0 - Ichiji: Sparking Red, 1 - Niji: Electric Blue, 2 - Sanji: Stealth Black, 3 - Yonji: Winch Green, 4. Each suit is made to bring out the powers and fighting styles of its user. For example, Reiju's suit enhances her poison-based powers, while the abilities of Sanji are amplified by his stealth powers.
Raid suits have all kinds of diversified abilities. They enhance the user with strength, speed, and durability. The suits are even bulletproof and fireproof, so they work wonders in protection during battles. Other than these general augmentations, each Raid Suit has its own abilities: Reiju's gives her the ability to fly, Ichiji's enhances his sparking and manipulation, Niji's intensifies his electrical attacks, and Yonji's comes with extendable winch-like arms.
Most notable would be the Raid Suit, Stealth Black, of Sanji. It gives him the power of invisibility, matching his penchant for covert operations and his role as the crew scout. It also enhances his already powerful kicking power and further amplifies his speed, making him an even more formidable fighter.
The Raid Suits bring a lot more into the story of One Piece. They don't just power up characters; they also embody technological advancement in this world and the family issues of the Vinsmoke clan, respectively. That would be representative of the fullest extent of Judge Vinsmoke's genetic experimentation on his children, which is one such element that puts Sanji through a lot of inner turmoil.
An interesting fact about Raid Suits is just how much one can develop them. It has been revealed that Judge Vinsmoke may have specifically toyed with Sanji's Raid Suit to turn on his genetically enhanced abilities that he had suppressed prior. Adding this plot point to the technology makes it seem like the suits can actually interact with and affect the biology of the user.
The Raid Suits have been a point of controversy among fans in light of character development, particularly in the case of Sanji. Sanji himself shows an attitude of hesitation to wear it at first, soon using it and afterward destroys it. This thus binds him in his relationship with his family and himself. This character arc accomplishes that it expresses how Oda uses technological elements, the raid suits, to unwind deeper topics of family, identity, and self-acceptance.