Known to be one of the Four Emperors of the Sea and an apprentice of the former Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, Shanks is a tremendously important character, especially in the Final Saga of One Piece.

He is also the individual who set Luffy out on the path of becoming the Pirate King, and even entrusted his own trusty Straw Hat to him. Shanks is, in many ways, the trigger of everything that’s going on in the world of One Piece, and that’s attached a special importance to him.

At the same time, Oda himself knows that the character of Shanks is intriguing in many ways And that he will go on to play a pivotal role in the Final Saga. Naturally, in the Final Saga where Luffy has finally managed to ascend to the same level as the Yonko, Shanks needs to be even stronger if he has to be special. In fact, while Shanks just holds the title of an emperor, there is clear evidence in the story that his strength goes far beyond, and that he might actually already be on the same level as the former Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.

How Shanks Has Been Underestimated Over The Years

Shanks Was Revealed As A Yonko By Garp

Shanks Was Quietly On The Sidelines

It is no surprise to know that Shanks is one of the most underestimated characters in the world of One Piece. Oda has built him up in a very interesting way over the years, where fans were led to believe that he is just as strong as the other Emperors and not much special in that regard. Of course, by virtue of the Yonko title, the Emperors are special, but they are not as special as the Pirate King, which is something that Oda has reserved for Roger. But, in reality, Shanks is far more special than what his title alludes to and there is a reason for that.

One of the biggest reasons why Shanks is often underestimated is because there are individuals who appear to be more notorious and have higher bounties. These include the likes of Kaido and Big Mom, and the former even has the title of the World’s Strongest Creature, with many individuals calling him the Strongest Pirate Alive and the mightiest in the world. When someone uses titles like that for an individual, clearly, then the idea of Shanks being the strongest can be disregarded. At the same time, there exists the equation with Dracule Mihawk, who is the World’s Greatest Swordsman and is believed to have had many duels with Shanks. Clearly, some fans believe that Mihawk, being the greatest swordsman, is Stronger than Shanks, due to his title. However, all these things need to be analyzed deeper in order to come to a proper conclusion on how strong Shanks truly is.

When it comes to Kaido and Big Mom, fans need to take into consideration the fact that they have been Yonko for over 2 decades now. In the Great Pirate Era, these two were at the pinnacle of strength and, in many ways, at the top of the era, following a Whitebeard. Shanks only rose to the position of Emperor 6 years ago. In fact, before the timeskip, Shanks had only been an emperor for 4 years, which is an absolutely insignificant period of time, when compared to the others. More than that, fans know the Shanks were always on the sidelines and were actually never really aiming for One Piece up until Luffy rose to the status of Yonko and awakened his Devil Fruit. This was confirmed by Oda himself towards the end of the Wano Country arc, and it is of tremendous importance in the grand scheme of things. Shanks was biding his time because he has a special plan that he intends to enact.

Hey, Beck. I think it’s time to claim it…the One Piece!! – Shanks

More than that, Shanks’s duels with Mihawk, which are often a reason to discredit him, should not hold as much weight. For one, Shanks has no interest in being the strongest swordsman in the world and despite him actually being a swordsman, his goals lie elsewhere. What fans know is that Shanks fought Mihawk on many occasions, and lost none of them.

Mihawk was likely already the World’s Strongest Swordsman by this time, and had finally found a worthy opponent in Shanks. Shanks and Mihawk engaging in multiple duels simply meant that their battles were not settled. In fact, when Shanks and Mihawk met early on in One Piece, the former clearly said that Mishawk had come to “settle the score,” which is a clear indication of the fact that their baffles were never settled.

To put that further into perspective, these battles happened long ago, when Shanks was not even at the pinnacle of his powers, as is proven by the fact that he was not a Yonko. Shanks lost his arm 12 years ago and became a Yonko 4 years ago, which means that right now, Shanks is at the peak of his strength, and when he fought Mihawk, he clearly wasn’t close to his current level. Of course, both Shanks and Mihawk have grown strong, but Shanks has reached a level where he can now be compared directly to the Pirate King himself.

Shanks Is Just As Strong As Pirate King Roger

Shanks Carries The Will Of Pirate King Roger

As has been indicated In One Piece on many occasions, Shanks has actually surpassed all expectations and managed to reach the same level as the likes of Roger. For one, Kaido, the strongest creature, and the individual who many call the strongest pirate alive, holds four characters in very high regard; these characters are Roger, Whitebeard, Rocks, and Shanks. The fact that Shanks is in the same league as these three individuals just goes to show his level of strength.

Shanks was such a genius that Roger pirates were all surprised that Shanks learned Kamusari (Divine Departure) by himself without direct instruction from Roger, and no one else in Roger’s pirates could copy it. – Oda

On top of that, fans now know that Shanks possessed great control over Kamusari, and with that, Advanced Conqueror’s Haki, before even the age of 15, which means that as a child, Shanks was the only person in the Roger Pirates who could actually emulate Roger’s techniques. Shanks was a massive genius right from the get-go. If that isn’t enough, then fans also need to consider the fact that the entirety of the Roger Pirates believed Shanks to be the next Pirate King and someone worthy of filling in his footsteps. There is nothing that Roger could do that Shanks can’t.

More than that, fans know the Shanks is the greatest Haki user in One Piece Right now, far greater than even the likes of Kaido and Big Mom, and possibly dating all the way back to the Void Century. This is confirmed by Oda drawing a direct comparison between him and Joy Boy. When Joy Boy’s Haki was unleashed by Emet, Oda raised the question of who the stronger Haki user between Shanks and Joy Boy was. Clearly, an answer has not been provided to this question yet, and the fact that Shanks is considered to be in the same league goes to show how strong he truly is.

Of course, Shanks does not have a bounty that indicates he is anywhere close to Roger or Whitebeard’s level, but, this bounty is because Shanks has been quiet for many years and is biding his time. Clearly, Shanks has a plan in mind, and this plan has only now been set into action, as is evident by the fact that he claimed to be aggressive in the battle for One Piece following the fall of Kaido and Big Mom and the descent of Nika upon the world. Shanks has a major role in One Piece and he will prove to the fans that he has strength that goes beyond all imagination in the near future.