Shanks

"Red-Haired" Shanks, commonly known as "Red Hair", is the captain of the Red Hair Pirates and one of the Yonko. He is also a former member of the legendary Roger Pirates, the only group to successfully conquer the Grand Line.

He is the pirate who inspired Luffy to go on his journey as a pirate. He found the Gomu Gomu no Mi that was accidentally eaten by Luffy.

Appearance
Shanks always wears a long black cape over his shoulders and, prior to giving it to Luffy, wore a straw hat obtained from Gol D. Roger (his former captain) that he had worn for many years beforehand and which was synonymous with his image. He initially wore slightly loose brown trousers cut below the knee and collected halfway up the shin, with golden buttons down the outer leg. Recently he has been seen wearing a similar pair, but looser and with floral patterns on them. He wears a pair of sandals and is unshaven with a short, scruffy beard.

In all his appearances so far as captain of his own crew, Shanks has worn a white shirt which is only half buttoned, leaving part of his chest exposed. A large red sash is tied around his waist and holds his sabre on the right side. Initially, in Chapter 1, his shirt is tucked under the sash. However, in his appearances that feature him since he left Luffy's hometown, the shirt is untucked, giving him a much scruffier appearance than when he is seen in the past.

The most striking thing about Shanks is the color of his red hair, from which his epithet 'Red-Haired Shanks' is derived. He also has three scars across his left eye, which were revealed to have been given to him by Blackbeard, He is also missing his left arm, a direct result of him saving Luffy from a Sea King when Luffy was a child. The scars across his left eye seem to tingle whenever he confronts Blackbeard.

At the start of One Piece, Shanks bore a physical similarity to Luffy. As Oda's style changed, Shanks became more distinct. The shape of his eyes are much sharper and narrower than they used to be. His nose has become more defined, similar to how Nico Robin's nose is heavily defined compared to those of most other characters in the series. His trademark red hair is also slightly longer, with the fringe pushed more toward the sides. It is also wavier and more slicked back, as opposed to how it was parted in the middle at the beginning of the series.

Personality
Shanks is an extremely laid-back man, preferring to take his time as he and his crew travels around the world rather than rushing from one place to another. Shanks is not cruel like many other pirate captains, nor does he rule over his crewmembers with fear to gain respect. His friendly nature means he will not purposely seek to harm others, and he is able to make serious people like Dracule Mihawk join in with his fun. However, despite how simple-minded he appears at first, Shanks is a complex person with some rather difficult-to-understand views; for example, he believes that if two people share very different views, it is better that they go their separate ways.

Shanks does not really care about what happens to him and will take any belittling and mockery directed at himself without fighting back and will simply laugh with his crewmates. Even losing an arm did not bother him much. However, he would never forgive anyone for harming his friends or his crewmates.

Listen up… You can pour drinks on me, you can throw food at me… You can even spit on me. I’ll just laugh that stuff off. But… Good reason or not… Nobody hurts a friend of mine.

Shanks and his crew are almost always seen partying and drinking alcoholic beverages whenever they make an appearance, as the captain's favorite pastimes are attending and hosting parties and banquets. The author of the manga One Piece, Eiichiro Oda has said: "Shanks is the one character that resembles himself the most out of all the One Piece characters, because of his fun-loving partying nature and cheerful personality".

He also is against the idea of needless bloodshed, even if honor is involved, and so far seems to only step up for a fight when a friend is in danger. He also seems to admire those who have courage, having protected and commended Coby for gathering his courage to stop the war as the young Marine believed that it was pointless to continue.

Shanks also has skills in diplomacy, as shown when he brokered a ceasefire between the Whitebeard Pirates and the World Government. His skills in diplomacy are so great that he managed to convince Sengoku to agree with his proposition, even though Sengoku has a strong hatred for pirates.

He also likes teasing people, as demonstrated by his apparent reactions to Luffy as a child. Oda also stated: "If a child asked Shanks for a Devil Fruit, he'd tease them about being ten years too young to eat one". Shanks himself was like Luffy (as a child) in his younger years.

Despite being calm and brave most of the time, Shanks sometimes reacts in ways that are not always fitting in what others expect from him, a trait noted by Buggy as having "always annoyed him". These include panicking when things go wrong or shrugging off Buggy's angry disposition towards him to greet him in a friendly manner. He also seems to carry something personal regarding Marshall D. Teach deep within him, as when he spoke about his 3 scars to Whitebeard, he became serious about the situation surrounding Teach.

Even though he has traveled the world, Shanks believes the best sake can be found in his hometown in the West Blue. When with Whitebeard, he also refers to alcohol as "healing water".

Like other characters in One Piece, Shanks has his own unique laugh, starting it with a "Da" (i.e. Dahahahahaha!).

Crew
While only a few of Shanks's crew, the Red Hair Pirates, have been named (Yasopp, Lucky Roo, Benn Beckman, and Rockstar), he seems to generally get along with them all, and they look up to him with respect as their captain. Shanks looks out for the well-being of the entire crew, from refusing to take a child (Luffy) on board his ship to denying permission to take on Whitebeard's men who had insulted Rockstar's honor.

Benn Beckman
Beckman is the right-hand man of Shanks. He seems amazed at the actions of his captain, such as panicking when Luffy was taken or getting even more drunk when he had already drank a lot before and when Mihawk brought news of Luffy's new bounty. He is one of the three members of the crew who always appear with Shanks.

Lucky Roo
Lucky Roo is unquestionably loyal to his captain as he quickly shot one of Higuma's men who pointed a gun at Shank's head. He is also one of the three members of the crew who is always seen with Shanks.

Yasopp
Yasopp joined Shanks' crew after Shanks heard stories about the most accurate shooter and came to his home island to find him. Yasopp is happy to fulfill his dream of becoming a pirate and is grateful to Shanks. He is one of the three members of the crew who always appear with his captain.

Rockstar
Rockstar also respects and admires his captain. Although he was a novice, Rockstar was ready to defend Shanks' honor and dignity while he was on Whitebeard's ship, delivering a letter. He also tried to use the strength of his captain to back up the importance of the letter he delivered to Whitebeard.

Roger Pirates
Of the Roger Pirates, most relationships between Shanks and the other crewmates remain unknown. However, it has been shown through flashbacks that he would fight with Buggy over just about anything. The Marines themselves described their relationship as a "brotherly bond" and Whitebeard himself has noted that the two were always together. Shanks appears to still consider Buggy a friend.

Just like Buggy, he had a close bond with Roger, as he was seen crying at Roger's execution and had acquired Roger's Straw Hat from him.

Monkey D. Luffy


Luffy looks up to Shanks; his role model, childhood hero and the man he wants to eventually surpass. At first, Shanks never took Luffy seriously because he was just a boy, so he mocked Luffy's dreams to become a pirate, dubbing him "Anchor".

Later, as Shanks and his crew were leaving after Luffy stood up for him in front of Higuma and his men, Luffy declared he would become better than him, causing Shanks to begin to treat him seriously. As the ultimate expression of this, he entrusts Luffy with his signature Straw Hat, which is of extreme sentimental value to Shanks (as it belonged to his former captain). There is an understanding between the two that Luffy will return the hat upon him becoming a great pirate, a promise that they have both taken very seriously - Luffy defends the Straw Hat with his life, while upon finally meeting an unconscious Luffy again at Marineford, Shanks was not ready to accept the hat back. Benn Beckman told Shanks that Luffy is going to make something of himself, which Shanks confirmed by saying that Luffy reminds him of himself when he was Luffy's age. Just as Luffy is currently looking for Shanks, Shanks eagerly awaits the day that he meets up with Luffy. Shanks also sees Luffy as the future of piracy, a belief he was not shy with Whitebeard about when discussing his lost arm, and was so delighted at seeing Luffy's first bounty that he threw a party to celebrate, even though he was already suffering from a hangover from getting drunk previously. He expressed his empathetic thoughts for Luffy after helping bury his brother Ace after the war, knowing that it must be hard on him.

They still have yet to meet each other face to face since Luffy was a kid, but Luffy restated his interest in seeing Shanks again in the New World after departing from Fishman Island. Meanwhile, Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates seem delighted at Luffy's most recent bounty poster.

Buggy


So far, outside of the World Government, the only one who appears to oppose Shanks is Buggy. Ironically, in their youth Buggy accused Shanks of being too naive and innocent to ever make it as a pirate, but Shanks is currently a great pirate while Buggy and his crew are very weak in comparison. However, despite what they claimed to each other, Buggy did not pass up the opportunity to exploit Shanks' name, and when the two met for the first time in years, Shanks was able to trick Buggy into giving Luffy the Straw Hat back. After learning of his deception, Buggy furiously berated Shanks for it afterwards while Shanks himself was calm despite Buggy's reaction, indicating that despite their differences, the pair's relationship is still on a similar ground to what it was in the past, although Shanks has matured. However, he still seems to view Buggy as a friend. Ironically, it was partially due to Buggy's association with Shanks (along with several other factors) that led to Buggy being offered the position in the Shichibukai by the World Government.

Inuarashi and Nekomamushi
At some point in the past, Shanks met the two rulers of the Mink Tribe and they became well acquainted. Later on, Nekomamushi states he along with Inuarashi met Shanks while sailing on Roger's ship when they were retainers for Kozuki Oden.

Makino
In Foosha Village, Shanks was close friends with Makino, the bartender of the village. Makino was very caring towards Shanks when Higuma assaulted him. Shanks even offered to help clean up the mess Higuma made, and Makino helped clean off Shanks after Higuma left. She was very grateful toward Shanks for saving Luffy at the cost of his left arm and holds him in high regard, knowing that, despite being a pirate, he is a good person. She even helped Ace learn to thank Shanks for saving Luffy's life.

Marco
Marco regarded Shanks as an enemy. After Shanks knocked out some Whitebeard Pirates with his Haki, Marco insulted and scolded him for the damage he had done, and even told him to shut up after the Yonko offered him a chance to join his crew. When Shanks arrived at Marineford to stop the war, he asked Marco to withdraw. After the battle of Marineford, Marco apologized to Shanks for his previous behavior and genuinely thanked him for ensuring the funerals of both Whitebeard and Ace, finally acknowledging him as something of an ally.

Portgas D. Ace
Shanks was on relatively good terms with Ace, who seemed to greatly respect him primarily for his role in saving his adoptive younger brother, Luffy, from the Sea King during the incident with Higuma. After setting out to begin his life of piracy, Ace immediately sought out Shanks to meet the man in person and thank him on Luffy's behalf. Shanks initially thought that Ace came to confront him (he was ready to unsheathe his sword at the Logia user on that very encounter), but immediately warmed up to Ace upon learning of his relation with Luffy. Shanks showed some concern for Ace upon learning that he was in pursuit of Blackbeard, and personally sought out Whitebeard to vocally disapprove of this and attempt to persuade him to recall Ace. After the announcement of Ace's execution, it was revealed that Shanks personally intercepted Kaido, another member of the Yonko, when the latter attempted to take advantage of the situation by attacking Whitebeard.

It is unknown if Shanks ever found out that Ace was the son of his captain, Roger, before Sengoku made this fact public to the world. However, he has made connections between their personalities and behaviors in retrospect (at the burial site of Whitebeard and Ace), as neither of them would back down when someone they cared for was insulted.

World Government
The World Government views Shanks as a problem and a trouble maker, but realizes he is a man who will not try to change the world by himself. However, due to the position he holds, they fear he could get out of hand and are prepared to eliminate him if he ever does. The World Government tolerates his actions until that time comes.

Marines
Shanks and Sengoku hold some level of respect for each other; even as enemies, both the World Government and Red Hair Pirates see a clash between sides as the final option. When Shanks arrived at Marineford and proclaimed that the pirates would give Whitebeard and Ace proper burials, Sengoku agreed to hand over the bodies and declare the war to be over, as well as take all responsibility himself, which Shanks thanked him for. Vice Admiral Garp blames Shanks for poisoning Luffy's mind with ideas about being a pirate when he wanted Luffy to become a Marine.

When Coby was about to be killed by Admiral Akainu for wasting precious seconds of the war by begging for a ceasefire, Shanks defended him and commended Coby for his brief moment of courage, which he stated would change the future of the world for better or worse. Shanks earned Akainu's fury not only for protecting Coby but because his arrival had allowed Luffy to escape his grasp.

Dracule Mihawk
In the past, they sought out each other on many occasions to duel. Their battles were said to echo through the whole Grand Line. However, Mihawk has given up on trying to fight Shanks after he lost an arm. He retains a neutral, though somewhat friendly relationship with Shanks, and is able to track him down if the need arises. He and Shanks do manage to get along, regardless of their opposite personalities. Shanks was able to get Mihawk to join in when he threw a party to celebrate Luffy's first bounty, even when moments beforehand, Mihawk had scorned how laid-back Shanks was. Mihawk even mused out an apology to Shanks during the battle at Marineford, where he declares that he will not be holding anything back against Luffy right before launching a full-force assault upon him. When Shanks made his entrance during the Whitebeard War, Mihawk left the battlefield while stating that he agreed to participate in the war against Whitebeard, but fighting "Red-Hair" is beyond the scope of the World Government's orders.

Kid, Apoo, and Hawkins Alliance
Despite not having met them, these three pirate captains have formed an alliance to take down Shanks. However their alliance to take down Shanks seems to have ran into trouble due to an encounter they had with Kaido, which resulted in Kid being beaten and imprisoned, Scratchmen Apoo apparently becoming subordinate to Kaido, and Basil Hawkins's fate is unknown. Thus, the status of their alliance is unknown.

Yonko
As his rivals, the other Yonko are enemies. Although he and Whitebeard clashed over Ace and Teach, Shanks seemed to be on good terms with his former captain's rival. Furthermore, he was willing to battle Kaido to stop the other Yonko from attacking Whitebeard, and took it upon himself to put an end to the Battle of Marineford, taking the responsibility to give Ace and Whitebeard proper burials.

Marshall D. Teach
The one Shanks seems to watch out for the most is Blackbeard, who gave him his three scars in a previous encounter. At Marineford, he was exceptionally sharp towards the other pirate. Shanks himself seems to know the potential danger Blackbeard represents is greater than that of anyone else.

Edward Newgate
Despite being a Yonko that made Whitebeard an adversary, Shanks met with him personally to warn him to keep his distance from Blackbeard, and prevented another Yonko, Kaido, from reaching Whitebeard, which enabled him to arrive at Marineford without any hindrance. After Whitebeard's death, Shanks saved Whitebeard's crew and the other allies and gave Whitebeard and Ace a proper burial.

Kaido
When Kaido tried to stop Whitebeard from going to Marineford, Shanks interfered and clashed with him in order to allow the other Yonko to rescue Ace. It is not known what happened during their encounter, but Shanks arrived at Marineford unharmed.

Abilities and Powers
As a former member of the Roger Pirates, captain of the Red Hair Pirates, and one of the Yonko in the New World, Shanks is known to be one of the four strongest pirates in the world. In fact Shanks is the youngest of the Yonko, being capable of being on equal level with the experienced Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, and even Whitebeard, who was feared as the strongest pirate in the World. Rockstar also used his captain's name to convey to Whitebeard the importance of the letter he delivered to him. It was also stated by the Gorosei that he is one of the few people capable of stopping Teach. Admiral Akainu fought through many men and a few Shichibukai to get to Luffy, but did not challenge Shanks when the Yonko appeared. In fact, members of the Worst Generation such as Eustass Kid, Scratchmen Apoo, and Basil Hawkins had to ally with each other to have a possible chance to overthrow Shanks. Even Linlin acknowledged Shank's power as she claimed that only with the combined military force of the Big Mom Pirates and Elbaf's army of giants, which is famed as the strongest in the world, would she have a chance to kill Shanks.

He appears to be an excellent swimmer as well, having reached the young Luffy out in the middle of the sea before the Sea King could devour him. Since Shanks was capable of swimming ten years prior to Luffy setting out on his adventure, meaning that he did not consume any Devil Fruit at the time when he was a rival to Mihawk.

According to Buggy, as a young man, Shanks was a strong fighter and, had it not been for his ideals, Buggy would have wanted him on his crew.

As a member of the Yonko, Shanks' name alone commands great power, as Buggy himself proved; his assertion that he previously had a "brotherly bond" with Shanks was one of the many things that earned him respect from the Impel Down inmates. In addition, Buggy did not shy from using the names of Shanks and his previous captain, Gol D. Roger, to maintain his respect among them. Even the fact that Buggy was seen back talking to Shanks was seen as a testament of Buggy's own power to the former prisoners, who were not aware that the two had always acted like this and mistakenly thinking that it was because Buggy was not afraid of a Yonko. Shanks commands enough power to end the war at Marineford with just words; when he stated that there was to be no more fighting, no one stepped up to challenge him, even though the Marines were fired up after the death of Ace and Whitebeard.

When Shanks offered to fight the very overconfident and pompous Blackbeard (who moments before had boasted about destroying the island and taking down Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp after having already killed Whitebeard), Blackbeard declined and decided to leave, as it was too soon for him and his crew to take on Shanks.

Furthermore, when Shanks requested that Whitebeard's and Portgas D. Ace's dignity at death not be violated, Sengoku himself decided to call off the war and offered to take responsibility, showing that despite being a pirate, Shanks has earned Sengoku’s respect, something that no pirate other than Whitebeard is known to have achieved.

Physical Abilities
Shanks has tremendous physical strength and fortitude as he was once a rival to Mihawk, a master swordsman with tremendous power that could overwhelm Zoro in terms of brute force with immense ease. Even with only one arm, Shanks could apply tremendous power in his swordsmanship, able to easily match Whitebeard, a gigantic man, who could completely overpower giants and an entire army of powerful and skilled Marine officers. With his physical strength combined with Busoushoku Haki, Shanks could defend against Akainu's magma fist which has extremely destructive offensive power that could burn powerful enemies such as Jinbe, Ace, and even Whitebeard. Shanks has immense tolerance to pain. Even after having his arm bitten off by a Sea King that attempted to devour Luffy, Shanks was completely unfazed despite the heavy bleeding and simply used Haoshoku Haki to scare off the Sea King.

Swordsmanship
As the former rival of Mihawk who is known the world's greatest swordsman, Shanks himself is an immensely powerful swordsman. Shanks could match a blow from Whitebeard with only one arm, which is a testament of his prowess in swordmanship Shanks is also powerful enough to easily defend against Akainu's magma fist using his sword and Busoshoku Haki.

Shanks appears to have favored his left arm before he lost it, as he is always seen holding his sword in his left hand during flashbacks. He is presumed to have been left-handed.

Video Game Only

 * "Strike for the New World" (新世界への一撃): Shanks unsheathes his saber and raises it in the air, causing red lightning to rain down and strike the ground around him, before finishing the attack with an earth-shattering forward slash from his sword. Appears as Shanks's first special attack in One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3.
 * "To the heights of piracy!" (海賊の高みへ！): Shanks jabs his saber into the ground, unleashing red lightning from his Haki-infused sword (akin to his C3 final input and his C4), before sending the enemies flying with a horizontal swing of his Haki-infused sword, via a massive burst Haoushoku no Haki. Appears as Shanks's second special attack in One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3.
 * Kenbunshoku Haki: By initiating his Kenbunshoku Haki, Shanks can briefly slow his perceived flow of time via quick-thinking-ahead, and often allowing him to act sooner in accordance to his oppositions' actions. Appears as Shanks's Unique Action in One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3. (Note: Shanks' use of Kenbunshoku Haki in the game is non-canon.)
 * Red Hair: Shanks thrusts his saber forward which emits a small shockwave from the tip of the blade. Used by Shanks as one of his special attacks in One Piece: Burning Blood.
 * Counter: A counterattack where Shanks counters an attack with an upward sword slash that knocks the opponent into the air. Used by Shanks as one of his special attacks in One Piece: Burning Blood.
 * Charged Sword Assault: Shanks launches a chargeable sword slash. Used as a special attack by Shanks in Shanks (Strong World) and One Piece: Burning Blood. A similar move predates it in Pirate Warriors 3 as Shank's C3 second input.
 * This Isn't For Show: Shanks pulls out a large shotgun and fires it. Used by Shank (Strong World) as one of his special attacks in One Piece: Burning Blood. He also uses the said gun as a part of his C2's full-input-finisher and his inverted C3's full-input-finisher in Pirate Warriors 3.
 * Betting on a New Era: Shanks changes towards the opponent and knocks them into the air with his saber, then pulls out his shotgun and shoots the helpless opponent. This Isn't For Show can be used afterwards for a follow-up attack. Used by Shanks (Strong World) as one of his special attacks in One Piece: Burning Blood.
 * Heaven Splitter: Shanks unsheathes his saber and charges towards the opponent and delivers a powerful slash to the opponent (strong enough to leave an impact of the slash on the surrounding terrain), then Shanks tells his opponent to beat it (his face showing the same glare he used on the Lord of the Coast) then raises his sword into the air followed by a burst of Haoshoku Haki, before slash the opponent with a downward slash that produces a huge slash wave. This is Shanks' Ultimate Attack in One Piece: Burning Blood.

Haki
Shanks can utilize and has shown mastery over at least two of the three types of Haki. Even Whitebeard complimented Shanks for his Haki when he used it on his "visit".

Busoshoku Haki
Shanks has immense mastery of Busoshoku Haki, which he could easily match Whitebeard, who was an extremely powerful Busoshoku Master in his own right. The force generated from the clash of their weapons split the "heavens" above them, hinting at the incredible Busoshoku Haki that the two Yonko had imbued into their strikes.

During the Battle of Marineford, he imbued Busoshoku Haki into his sword in order to block a magma attack from Akainu.

Haoshoku Haki


Shanks can use Haoshoku Haki, an ability that only one in a million people can use.

After saving Luffy from a Sea King, Shanks frightened it off with a single angry glare using this ability. Later, while Shanks was boarding Whitebeard's ship for their meeting, a large amount of Whitebeard's crew (experienced men who have survived in the New World) lapsed into unconsciousness and the ship itself began to take physical damage from Shanks's mere presence. Whitebeard's men attributed this to his superior Haki.

Oda mentioned in a SBS that Shanks could have knocked out all 100,000 pirates and fishmen opposing the Straw Hats during the Fishman Island Arc with his Haoshoku Haki (Luffy managed to overwhelm 50,000).

Weapons


So far, Shanks has only wielded a sword in combat. His sword is a large saber with a single edge blade and a large hand guard.

Shanks has wielded three different swords at various points in the past; two different swords during his time as an apprentice pirate aboard Gol D. Roger's ship(one around the time Buggy ate the Bara Bara no Mi and another during a clash with the Whitebeard Pirates) and another one during his stay in Luffy's hometown.

In One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3, Shanks wields a large firearm (either a shotgun or rifle) which he uses during certain combos. He also wields a similar weapon in One Piece: Burning Blood, though only as part of the moveset for his Strong World costume.

The Apprentice Years


Shanks comes from the West Blue and, in his past, was a member of Gol D. Roger's crew as a cabin boy, where he took part in many things such as fighting with Whitebeard's crew. At some point, Shanks acquired Roger's straw hat, although the circumstances behind Shanks acquiring the hat from Roger are unknown at this point in time. His date of joining is unknown, but he spent most of his time together with fellow trainee, Buggy, arguing over meaningless things, such as which pole was colder, the North or the South. Their constant bickering was met with annoyance by the crew's first mate, Silvers Rayleigh.

At one point, Roger's crew was preparing to attack a nearby ship. As they prepared for combat, Shanks and Buggy discussed the importance of treasure, with Shanks claiming that treasure is not the only important thing in a pirate's life. After the battle, the crew threw a party in celebration of their victory, and Shanks tried to invite Buggy to join them, as they had found a "weird treasure". Shanks and Buggy talked about what they were planning to do after leaving the crew, and when Buggy claimed that he would gladly take Shanks as his crew member if it were not for his ideals, Shanks stated that he did not want to be Buggy's follower and that people with different beliefs like them should travel different paths. The two of them agreed that they would meet as enemies once they left the crew before Shanks told Buggy about how they had found a Devil Fruit, which he noted would sell for around 100,000,000. The next day, after Buggy ate a fake version of the Devil Fruit to trick the rest of the crew, Shanks came across him with the real fruit, forcing Buggy to hide it in his mouth. Shanks told Buggy to not steal too much food and walked away, but came back to tell him something that Roger just did, surprising Buggy, who accidentally swallowed the Devil Fruit. As Buggy was yelling at him, Shanks noticed the map Buggy had found earlier floating away, which prompted Buggy to leap into the ocean in pursuit of it. However, since Buggy could no longer swim, Shanks dove in after him and saved him.

Twenty-six years before Monkey D. Luffy set out to become a pirate, Roger had contracted a fatal illness and made one last voyage with his crew into the Grand Line to conquer it. A year before he died, he disbanded the Roger Pirates. Shanks and Buggy were last seen together at Loguetown on the day of Roger's death. Shanks immediately began his quest to form his own crew by offering a place to Buggy, but Buggy refused, and the two separated. Shanks would continue to hear rumors that Buggy was still a pirate somewhere over the course of the following years.

The Rise of Captain Red-Haired Shanks
24 years before the current timeline, Shanks heard about a skilled sniper on the name of Yasopp and went to Syrup Village to recruit him. At some point in his life, Shanks met Marshall D. Teach, then a member of Whitebeard's crew. What exactly happened is unknown, but Blackbeard left Shanks with the 3 scars across his left eye. The exact date of that event is unspecified; however, there are signs indicating that those scars were made near the time of Roger's execution: while images of a younger Shanks depict him with his face unscathed, in two flashbacks (in Chapter 434 and Chapter 0), he has his face hidden by his hair and his hat.

Shanks also fought often with Mihawk, and their battles were said to echo through the whole of the Grand Line. As his strength as a pirate captain rose, he and three other pirates were named the Yonko, including Whitebeard, Kaido, and Big Mom. At some point, during his travels in the New World, Shanks came across the two rulers of the Mink Tribe, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, and they became acquainted.

Years later, after becoming the captain of his own pirate ship, Shanks arrived on an island, where he met a strange young boy named Monkey D. Luffy. Intrigued by the boy and enjoying the atmosphere of Luffy's village, he decided to make the island his crew's base for a short period of time, which turned into a year. Luffy quickly grew attached to the crew, so much so that he wished to join their ranks and become a pirate as well, but Shanks refused to allow the boy into his crew on the basis that he was too young.

Romance Dawn


One day, Shanks and his crew were parting in the Partys Bar, with Shanks denying Luffy the opportunity to join his crew because he felt the boy was too young and inexperienced. After tricking Luffy into drinking juice, Shanks told him that he and his crew would be leaving the village after two or three more trips, which Luffy said would give him time to learn how to swim. However, they were interrupted when Higuma and his bandits arrived and demanded sake, which Shanks and his crew had drank all but one bottle of. Shanks offered Higuma the last bottle, but Higuma smashed it over his head because he felt it was not enough. When Shanks tried to clean up the mess rather than retaliate, Higuma threw Shanks's food onto him and left, convinced that Shanks was a coward. Afterward, Shanks and his crew laughed over his humiliation, but Luffy, disillusioned by how Shanks refused to fight back, tried to leave, leading to Shanks discovering that he had eaten the Gomu Gomu no Mi when he grabbed Luffy's arm. Shanks told Luffy that this meant he could never swim again.

A few days later, Shanks and his crew went out to sea, with Luffy being left behind once again. Eventually, Higuma returned and took Luffy as a hostage when the latter insulted him. As Higuma was preparing to kill Luffy, Shanks, having returned, appeared nearby and teased Luffy about his claim of having a punch as powerful as a pistol. Higuma warned Shanks to stay back, and when Shanks began to approach him, one of the bandits put a gun to his head. However, Shanks merely told the bandit to not point a gun at someone to scare them as Lucky Roo shot the bandit in the head, shocking the onlookers. When the other bandits claimed this was dirty, Shanks pointed out how he and his crew are pirates before telling Higuma that he will never forgive someone for harming his friend, no matter what their reasons may be. After Benn Beckman defeated the rest of the bandits, Higuma tried to claim that Luffy is the one who started this, but Shanks stated that it did not matter because Higuma had a bounty on his head, forcing Higuma to throw a smoke bomb and escape. Shanks expressed shock at Luffy having been kidnapped and frantically wondered what they should do.

Soon afterward, Shanks caught up to Luffy, who had been thrown into the ocean by Higuma, and defended him from the Lord of the Coast, whom he scared away with a glare. However, as Shanks was comforting him, Luffy began crying over how Shanks had lost his left arm in defending him, only for Shanks to claim it was just an arm. Later, Shanks and his crew began preparing to leave the village. When Luffy told him that he would become a pirate on his own, Shanks claimed that Luffy did not have what it took to become a pirate, which prompted Luffy to angrily proclaim that he would gather his own crew to rival Shanks's and claim One Piece himself. Smiling at this, Shanks gave Luffy his straw hat and told him to return it once he had become a great pirate, causing Luffy to begin crying. As Shanks boarded his ship, Beckman told him that he believed Luffy would become a well-known pirate, which Shanks agreed with because Luffy reminded him of himself when he was younger.

Shortly after, Shanks returned to the Grand Line, eventually arriving on the Sabaody Archipelago and meeting Rayleigh again. To Rayleigh's surprise, he had lost his trademark Straw Hat along with his left arm. When Rayleigh asked him why, he excitedly started telling him about the young boy he met in East Blue whom had spoken the exact same words as Gol D. Roger.

Meeting with Ace
A short while before the storyline he met Portgas D. Ace, who thanked him for saving his little brother. Shanks responded by throwing a party to celebrate, as he did not know Luffy had a brother.

Loguetown Arc
A few years later, while Shanks was relaxing on an island after drinking too much, Mihawk brought news that Luffy had gained a bounty of 30,000,000. Hearing Luffy had finally made his emergence, Shanks threw another party despite being already unwell from his previous drinking session.

Jaya Arc
Shanks later expressed an interest in Ace's pursuit of Blackbeard, and sent Rockstar to deliver a note to Whitebeard concerning this matter. Angry that Shanks sent him a letter, Whitebeard told Rockstar his captain must come in person and bring plenty of good rum. Elsewhere, Shanks talked on a Den Den Mushi to Rockstar, where he laughed how the old man has not changed a bit and denied Rockstar the chance to redeem his honor against the Whitebeard crew before ordering him to come back. When Beckman questioned whether or not he should go to Whitebeard, Shanks told him that the crew should prepare for battle.

Post-Enies Lobby Arc
But he is not a man who would try to upset the world himself. We will observe him without taking rash actions!

After Whitebeard told Rockstar that Shanks would need to come to him in person if he wanted to deliver a message, the two Yonko finally met during the Jaya arc. At the Marine Headquarters, all Marines present were alerted about the news of the meeting of the two pirates. As both pirate ships approached each other, Whitebeard's men announced that Shanks was coming. When Marco warned the younger crew members to step back because they "will not last", they questioned why, only to begin to fall unconscious and collapse one by one. Unfazed, Marco told the crew not to make a fuss about it as Jozu noted that Shanks's Haki is as strong as ever. Having arrived on the deck, Shanks apologized for his actions and claimed he was simply being cautious because Whitebeard's is still an enemy ship before telling Whitebeard he came to talk and had brought some "healing water". When Marco pointed out what Shanks had done, Shanks asked him to join his crew, which Marco angrily rejected.

After sitting down to drink with Shanks, Whitebeard began reminiscing about the past, where he noted that Shanks used to be a simple apprentice on Roger's ship. When Whitebeard asked him if the "Red Nose" that was with him was still alive, Shanks revealed that he had not seen Buggy since they split up at Loguetown before revealing that he had heard rumors of Buggy still being a pirate. Whitebeard claimed that he could still hear the duels between Shanks and Mihawk that used to echo throughout the Grand Line before asking him what enemy he lost his left arm to, only for Shanks to state that he bet it on the "New Era".

No one could have stopped this, it's the rampaging point of this age!



Shanks noted that the scars over his left eye were currently aching and revealed that Blackbeard inflicted them before describing how Blackbeard deliberately avoided becoming notorious during his time on Whitebeard's crew. Shanks warned Whitebeard that Blackbeard would come for his position now that he had gained strength and started moving, and when Whitebeard asked him what he wanted him to do, Shanks asked him to stop Ace because he felt it was not the time for he and Blackbeard to fight. However, Whitebeard claimed that he needed to teach Blackbeard about morality and that Shanks was 100 years too early to tell him what to do. After finishing their sake, Shanks and Whitebeard drew their weapons and clashed, resulting in the skies above them splitting in two.

Impel Down Arc
As mentioned by Momonga, when Whitebeard began making his move towards Marineford to save Ace, Kaido attempted to take advantage of the situation to attack the Whitebeard Pirates. To the horror of the Marines, reports came in that Shanks had intercepted Kaido, creating a dispute between two of the four Yonko. While the two captains ended their confrontation with a stalemate, the Marines became greatly anxious of the possible problems that could arise from conflict between the two pirates.

Marineford Arc
I'm here to put an end to this war!



After the deaths of Ace and Whitebeard, Shanks suddenly arrived at Marineford, just in time to save Coby from being killed by Admiral Akainu. Commending the young Marine for his determination, Shanks told him that he had secured the "seconds of courage" to change the fate of the world with his brave words before proclaiming that he has come here to end the war. The Marines noticed the presence of the other Red Hair Pirates as they wondered how Shanks was able to arrive at Marineford so quickly, having fought with Kaido the day before.

Calling out to Buggy, Shanks told him to give Luffy his straw hat and lied about rewarding him with a treasure map.When Lucky Roo asked him if he was sure that he did not want to see Luffy again after having not seen him for 10 years, Shanks admits he would like to do so before stating that it would be breaking their promise. After Trafalgar D. Water Law escaped with Luffy, an enraged Buggy called Shanks out on lying to him, but Shanks merely commented on how it has been a while since they last saw one another.



After ordering Marco to withdraw in order to stop encouraging the battle, Shanks told the remaining Marine and Whitebeard Pirates that he and his crew would fight anyone who wished to continue the war. Shanks asked Blackbeard if he wished to do so, but Blackbeard decided to leave instead, having determined that it is not yet time to face Shanks. Shanks told the remaining Whitebeard Pirates and Marines to save face for him before telling the Marines that he wanted to give Whitebeard and Ace the burials they deserved. When Fleet Admiral Sengoku stated he would hand their corpses over to the pirates and that he would take responsibility for the Marines' actions, Shanks thanked him for doing so.

Post-War Arc


Shanks took Ace and Whitebeard and buried them on an unknown island somewhere in the New World. His crew, along with the Whitebeard Pirates, attended the funeral to pay their respects. Marco thanked Shanks for ensuring that Whitebeard and Ace received proper burials. Shanks quietly thinks about how Luffy is handling Ace's death and noted that one must know both victory and defeat to become a real man.

From the Decks of the World: The 500,000,000 Man Arc
While attending a wedding at the ruins of a certain island, Shanks read the news of the Straw Hats' new bounties.

Major Battles

 * Roger Pirates vs. Whitebeard Pirates (as an apprentice pirate)
 * Roger Pirates vs. Golden Lion Pirates (as an apprentice pirate)
 * Shanks vs. Marshall D. Teach (not seen)
 * Shanks vs. Dracule Mihawk (multiple times, none seen)
 * Shanks vs. Edward Newgate (simple clashing of weapons)
 * Red Hair Pirates vs. Kaido and his crew (not seen)
 * Shanks vs. Admiral Akainu (short clash)

Early One Piece


Shanks was first featured in the first pilot of One Piece Romance Dawn V.1 in the Shonen Jump specials showcasing upcoming artists, about a year and a half before One Piece began. Much of his storyline remained the same, with the major difference being that Higuma the Bear was absent from the story in this version. Another minor difference was that his arm was bitten off by a shark instead of a Sea King. Shanks himself is described as a Peace Main type of pirate.

In the second pilot Romance Dawn V.2 of One Piece (featured in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine itself), Luffy got both his hat and the Devil Fruit he ate from his grandfather, not Shanks. According to Oda, the reason for not featuring Shanks was that he wanted Shanks to be kept a secret until One Piece was serialized so he would have a greater impact.

Unlike Luffy, there was no real significant change in appearance from Romance Dawn V.1 to the final version. Even with change of art style, aside from being drawn less realistically, he is the same, the only real exception being the absence of his black cloak, although he did wear a decorative short cape over his left shoulder at the end of the chapter.

Anime and Manga Differences
In the manga, when Shanks is floating in the sea holding Luffy after losing his arm, blood can be seen dripping from his missing arm. In the anime, this blood is missing.

The initial scene where Shanks meets Mihawk was very small in the manga. The anime extended this scene greatly. In the manga, Shanks asks Mihawk if he would join them in celebrating while in the anime, Mihawk is seen joining in Shanks's fun.

Shanks's flashbacks of Luffy were extended and some of Buggy's were shown. Also, as the narrator talked about the war, scenes of Shanks inspecting Ace and Whitebeard's corpses were shown.

Translation and Dub Issues


Shanks is mostly the center of the removal of alcohol-related alterations in the English dub by 4Kids. For example, the scene where Mihawk brought news of Luffy's coming suffered heavy cuts. Shanks still asks Mihawk to stay, but much of this scene was removed because of the alcoholic references, including references to him throwing a party to celebrate Luffy's coming. Thus, Shanks's fun-loving nature was lost, and instead it depicted him with an evil tone; as Mihawk shows him Luffy's wanted poster, Shanks says that he can not let him leave, and the ensuing party was cut out due to the use of alcohol, leaving viewers to assume Mihawk's fate. Also, the scene was cut from its original episode and added at the end of a much earlier episode.

In the process, many other scenes from the original episode were also cut from the 4Kids version and never shown, such as the scene showing Kaya and Luffy's hometown.

He also speaks with a cockney accent in the English 4Kids dub.

In the book The Anime Encyclopedia - A guide to Japanese animation since 1917 (2001), there was a short article about One Piece. In it there were two mistakes concerning Shanks; his name is written as "Junx" and he was written to have been saved by Luffy instead of the other way round. Of all these errors, the name "Junx" would remain in several revisited editions of the book.

Cameos and Crossovers

 * Shanks has appeared in the game Jump Ultimate Stars for the Nintendo DS.
 * Shanks starred in the Mugiwara Theatre - Red-Hair of Class 3 - Sea Time written and drawn by Oda. The strip was done after he claimed first place in a poll for characters fans wanted to see appear in the Mugiwara Theatre series.

Cultural References

 * Some real-life pirates were caught on video using Shanks' Jolly Roger.

Merchandise


He was issued alongside Luffy and the Lord of the Coast in a One Piece Block Figures set featuring the Straw Hats and their past mentors/loved ones. He has featured in One Piece Gashapon sets. Another Gashapon set he featured in was the One Piece Full Color R Gashapon series. There was also a Plushie released for him. He was also featured in the Portrait of Pirates series.

A note with many of the products produced featuring Shanks is that quite of few of them have a second arm hidden beneath his cloak (sometimes blackened out).

Songs

 * Katayoku no Taka
 * Talking Blues

Enemy Appearances

 * Dragon Dream!
 * One Piece: Round the Land

Support Appearances

 * One Piece: Gigant Battle
 * One Piece: Dance Battle
 * One Piece: Great Pirate Colosseum

Non-Playable Appearances

 * One Piece: Treasure Wars
 * Birth of Luffy's Dream Pirate Crew!
 * Jump Ultimate Stars

Trivia

 * In one of the SBS sections of One Piece, in reference to Shanks and Buggy's "which is colder" question, a fan asked Oda who got it right. Oda went on to explain that the Arctic was just a mass of ice and the Antarctic was a continent, which was made of land. Since land is colder than the sea (and the Arctic is frozen sea whereas the Antarctic is frozen land), Shanks was correct and the South Pole is colder.
 * Shanks shares the same birthday as Franky and Dracule Mihawk (March 9).
 * Shanks is the first character in the series to show any form of Haki.
 * In the 5th Japanese Fan Poll, Shanks is ranked the 14th most popular character in One Piece, making him the most popular of the Red Hair Pirates and the Yonko.
 * Shanks' hair is depicted in a unique manner in the black-and-white manga, with it having a grey shade instead of being colored black or not colored at all like every other character.
 * In One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3, Shanks' taunt action allows him to put on sunglasses, which is a reference to his Strong World costume.
 * Shanks' moveset in this game, such as the red lightning effects, is non-canon, aside from his Haoushoku no Haki and generic sword strikes.

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