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Learn about Shanks, the enigmatic character from One Piece, who became a Four Emperor with immense strength despite his challenges.
Shanks is one of One Piece’s biggest mysteries. Despite his limited screen time, his influence and power are undeniable. He’s the reason Luffy set out to become a pirate in the first place.
When Oda had Shanks lose his arm while saving Luffy from the Sea King, it wasn’t just for drama and emotional depth—it was almost necessary. Even with one arm, Shanks is ridiculously strong. Imagine how much of a threat he’d be if he still had both. And yet, despite that setback, he still rose to become one of the Four Emperors.
He’s the captain of the Red-Hair Pirates, a crew feared and respected across the seas. It was recently revealed that he has a twin—his older brother, Shamrock. Born into a Celestial Dragon family, Shanks chose to abandon that life and instead joined Gol D. Roger’s crew, shaping his destiny.
Now, let’s dive into the Top 10 Greatest Moments of Shanks. Since we have so little to go on, every moment he’s in is legendary. But we’ve ranked them from his most unforgettable to his absolute best.
1. Shanks Saves Luffy and Loses His Arm
Luffy, in his frustration over Shanks refusing to let him join the crew, ended up eating a mysterious fruit completely by accident. That fruit turned out to be the Gomu Gomu no Mi, granting him a rubber-like body but taking away his ability to swim.
Things took a dangerous turn when a pirate threw Luffy into the ocean. Without hesitation, Shanks dove in to save him. But before he could get Luffy out, a massive sea monster attacked. In a split second, Shanks lost his arm—a price he paid to protect the boy. With a single glare, he used his Haki to scare the creature away.
Luffy clung to him, sobbing, guilt-ridden over what had happened. But instead of blaming him, Shanks just smiled. He praised Luffy for standing up to the pirate who had insulted him, showing that he admired the kid’s spirit.
This moment wasn’t just about sacrifice—it cemented the deep bond between them, a bond that would shape Luffy’s entire journey.
2. Shanks Gives Luffy His Straw Hat
After Shanks saved Luffy, the young boy couldn’t help but feel indebted. Watching his idol lose an arm just to protect him was something that left a deep mark on him. But instead of letting that moment break him, Luffy made a bold declaration—he was going to become a pirate and one day surpass Shanks and his crew.
His determination wasn’t just words; it resonated with the entire Red-Hair Pirates. That’s when Shanks did something unforgettable—he took off his precious straw hat, the one he had inherited from Gol D. Roger, and placed it on Luffy’s head.
He told Luffy to return it only when he had surpassed him. That single gesture held so much weight. It wasn’t just a hat—it was a promise, a symbol of Shanks’ belief in Luffy’s potential. And for Luffy, it became a lifelong motivation. He knew he couldn’t let Shanks’ sacrifice go to waste.
3. Shanks Delcare To Claim One Piece
This scene caused an uproar in the fandom. Shanks just said one line—“Let’s claim the One Piece”—and that was more than enough for us to love him even more. We see he is now serious about it.
He prefers to go for it as he acknowledges that Luffy is now strong enough to also pursue it. We have rarely seen him this serious, which gave him depth and made this bold claim exciting. And we are sure now that he will get more screen time as everyone is heading toward the final saga with the same goal—to get their hands on One Piece.
4. Shanks Ends the Marineford War With Just His Presence
The Marineford War resulted in many casualties and could have even ended Luffy if it had not stopped. By this point, we had lost Whitebeard and Ace, and Luffy was knocked out. Pirates were doing their best to escape.
Here, we see Akainu about to strike Koby—until Shanks shows up. He admires the courage Koby has shown and tells him that this small action will change the fate of the world. He says he has come to stop the war, or else the next opponents would be him and his pirate crew. No one dared to step forward and fight him, thus ending the war.
A legendary moment where he proves why he’s one of the strongest.
5. Shanks Saves Uta
Uta was introduced to us in One Piece Film: Red as Shanks’ adoptive daughter, a girl he doted on. He saw her talent, her love for singing, and wanted her to shine. But knowing the dangers of his pirate life, he made the painful choice to leave her under Gordon’s care, hoping she’d be safe.
Years later, when Uta, convinced that Shanks had abandoned her and that there was no hope left, was about to stab Luffy—who else but Shanks and his crew showed up?
Seeing his daughter in distress, Shanks did something unexpected—he took the attacks from the unconscious people she controlled, refusing to fight back. He let her unleash her emotions, enduring the pain until she finally calmed down.
But just when things settled, the Marines arrived, ready to take her away. That’s when Shanks stepped forward, unwavering, and declared that she was family. With a single blast of Conqueror’s Haki, he wiped out the Marines, making it clear that no one was taking Uta from him. It was one of the most emotional moments in One Piece, showing that no matter what, Shanks would always stand up for his daughter. Even if this is not canon in the manga, it did show the true nature of Shanks and captured our hearts.
6. Shanks vs. Kid
Till now, we had not seen Shanks be an absolute unit in a battle. We had heard about it, and we knew that he was strong. This fight gave us on-screen time with him, where we saw that not only is he powerful, but he also has knowledge of battles and is a good strategist.
He saw right through Kid’s strategy and asked his crewmates to scatter around. He also destroyed all of the Kid’s ships to ensure their victory. This moment was to reflect on his strength—unlike others on this list, we do not seem to have an emotional attachment, but just the pure strength of Shanks on a battlefield.
7. Shanks’ Conqueror’s Haki Shakes Whitebeard’s Crew
When Shanks went to meet Whitebeard, his presence alone sent shockwaves through the crew—literally.
When Shanks went to meet Whitebeard, even before he reached the deck, Marco warned everyone to move inside because they wouldn’t be able to handle it. And we know they couldn’t. All of the lower-level crew members lost consciousness just from Shanks’ entry.
Everyone who was unaware of Shanks’ Haki has now experienced it firsthand—his presence alone was as terrifying as it could get. This display of power gave us a clear idea of his strength.
Within a few minutes, he even sparred once with Whitebeard. In between that, Shanks was so unserious that he openly tried to recruit Marco. A jaw-dropping show of power.
8. Shanks Protects Wano from Afar
After the war against Kaido, the Marines made their move again. We see Admiral Ryokugyu had entered to infiltrate Wano. Shanks used his Conqueror’s Haki to intimidate and stop him from pursuing.
Most of them thought it was Momo who scared him off. But we see Luffy smile and figure out who it is. Regardless, if Shanks had not intervened, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji would have taken care of him anyway.
Significant but not as direct or emotionally intense as other moments. A massive declaration, but its impact is yet to unfold.
9. Mihawk Meets Shanks
Mihawk entered the island where the Red-Hair Pirates were camping. Everyone was first worried as to whether he had come to challenge Shanks. But as it turns out, Mihawk had dropped by to tell Shanks about Luffy and his first bounty. Seeing this makes Shanks smile and be very happy that Luffy was finally able to become a pirate. He knew the day would come when they would meet again.
To celebrate this news, they made Mihawk drink, and the entire crew partied throughout that time. We see that both of them are very powerful and are casual friends, which is a surprising relationship no one anticipated before.
10. Buggy Meets Shanks
This happened during the Marineford War when Shanks had come to stop it. He made a promise to Buggy that he would give him the treasure map in return for him returning the straw hat to Luffy.
Their hilarious relationship is seen when Shanks lies about the map, and Buggy is screaming and cursing because he feels tricked. This shows us the relationship between Buggy and Shanks, as they were initially part of Gol D. Roger’s crew and had a similar dynamic then, too. And after a heavy arc, this was a good comic relief.
Conclusion
With the Final Saga in full swing, we can definitely expect to see more of Shanks. Are the days of just dreaming about his reunion with Luffy over? Yeah, they’re almost over. And now that he’s finally making his move for the One Piece, the internet has lost its mind.
Despite having so little screen time in such a massive series, Shanks has left a lasting impact. It’s rare to see a character with such limited appearances become this legendary, but here we are. And honestly, we have Oda to thank for that.
Even now, there are so many unanswered questions. What will the final race for the One Piece look like? What’s his relationship with his twin brother, Shamrock? And the biggest one: will Luffy actually fight Shanks? We’re right at the edge, filled with excitement, just waiting for all the secrets and mysteries of this world to finally unfold.
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