Juracule Mihawk

Dracule "Hawkeye" Mihawk (some fans prefer the spelling Juraquille Mihawk) is a fictional pirate from the anime and manga One Piece. He is a Shichibukai.

In a recent Japanese Fan Poll, Mihawk ranked as the eighth most popular character, making him the most popular character outside Luffy's crew.

About Mihawk
Mihawk travels around in a coffin-shaped raft with two green-flamed candles, a single black sail, and a single seat. The fact that he can traverse across the unforgiving oceans, as well as the Grand Line itself, in such a meager craft is yet another testament to his abilities. Mihawk is the strongest swordsman in the world; a monster superior to monsters, as one character calls him. Because of his status and power, defeating him is Roronoa Zoro's ultimate goal. Mihawk is so strong, in fact, he is accused by some characters, as well as some fans, of having the power of a Devil Fruit; however, his abilities appear to be simply pure skill and power.Also, if he was using Devil Fruit powers, he wouldn't be sailing in such a small ship, out of fear of drowning.Then again, he could be like Portgas D. Ace who displays no fear whatsoever of not being able to swim. He can tear pirate ships apart with a single, unseen slash of his sword, blocking bullets with a simple turn of his sword, and he can easily defend against even legendary swords with a small, inch-long blade concealed in the cross he wears around his neck. As far as his skills go, in the red databook written by Oda, it is explained that Mihawk is such a skilled swordsmen that he can cut through the elements themselves, such as air, fire, and water.

In appearance, Mihawk wears very decorative, ornate, black-and-red clothing. His most identifiable clothing would be his wide-rimmed hat decorated with a large piece of fluff, a long, black cloak, and his cross necklace and sword. He is easily compared to the real-life pirate Bartholomew Roberts, AKA Black Bart, who also donned a crimson overcoat, a wide brimmed hat with a red feather, and a diamond cross attached to a gold chain around his neck.

He wields the Black Sword (Grosses messer), the strongest Sword in the world. It's an ornately decorated, man-sized (6 feet) sword shaped like a cross with a shiny black blade, curved at the end. It also seems to generate otherworldly purple streaks as it slices, as seen when he cut down Zoro and when he split Don Krieg's ship in half.

There is some dispute as to Mihawk's name. His name has never been spelled in English by Eiichiro Oda, and Japanese phonetics make it difficult to determine whether his name is "Dracule" or "Juraquille". Most fans prefer "Juraquille", partially because they feel "Dracule" sounds awkward, and partially because of the way Mihawk pronounces it (ju-ra-kyu-ru). However both VIZ and 4Kids chose to use Dracule for his name.

Due to his English name of "Dracule", his macabre coffin-boat, his inhuman eyes and his extreme power, it seems that he may have has a connection to vampires. Whether he is a vampire, inspired by one, or whether all of these things are simply coincidental have not been addressed by Oda.

In the 4Kids dub verison, he has a French accent.

Differences between versions
All of the crosses on Mihawk's person are edited out in the English dub, changing his necklace to an "I", and shortening the "arms" of his sword. This is mainly due to their religious references. In One Piece Grand Battle! amongst the unlockable art content are unedited artworks from the anime showing pictures of Mihawk without these edits.

Personality and Relationships
While Mihawk is possibly one of the most serious characters in One Piece, he also seems to be the most honorable member of the Shichibukai that has been introduced so far. Two separate examples that he has a sense of honor are seen thus far. The first is he spared Zoro's life so he could get stronger, the other is refusing to fight Shanks because he has only one arm and therefore has a handicap. As far as fans know, he doesn't seem to hurt innocent civilians or people who can't fight.

Though he is the "swordsman above all the world's swordsmen", Mihawk remains grounded. Though he has obviously become jaded regarding the abilities of other swordsmen, he's not unable to recognize talent. In fact, his desire is to see Roronoa Zoro surpass him after having witnessed Zoro's incredible determination and will after their battle.

Mihawk is selective when it comes to fulfilling his "duties" as a Shichibukai as evidenced by his history of poor attendance at Shichibukai summons, as well as his decision to hunt and harass some pirates over others. Zeff speculated that the reason Mihawk attacked Don Krieg and his men might have simply been because they disturbed his nap. While the actual reason for the attack remains unknown, Mihawk admitted that the only reason he followed them all the way back to East Blue from the Grand Line was for fun.

In the past Mihawk was also a rival to one of the most powerful pirates in One Piece, Red-Haired Shanks, which also speaks volumes about his power, but ceased their rivalry after Shanks lost his arm. He still has a neutral relationship with the pirate and seems to know how to track him down if he has business with the pirate. He and Shanks do manage to get along, regardless of the fact that the two are opposites in personalities. Shanks is also able to get Mihawk to join in when he threw a party to celebrate Luffy's coming, even when moments beforehand Mihawk had scorned how laid-back Shanks was.

History
Previously, Mihawk had single-handedly destroyed Don Krieg's entire fleet, save one ship, driving the pirate from the Grand Line. He then followed Don Krieg to East Blue, to the Baratie, and destroyed their flagship as well.

While there, he encountered the Straw Hat Pirates, and Zoro immediately challenged him. Mihawk was able to block all three of Zolo's swords with the tip of his necklace blade, finally stabbing him in the chest with it. Mihawk was so surprised by Zolo's spirit, however, that he granted him a face-off against the Black Sword. Mihawk won flat-out, shattering two of Zolo's three swords (all but the Wadō Ichimonji). Zolo, admitting defeat, allowed himself to be cut down by Mihawk face-to-face, like a true swordsman. Mihawk accepted this offer and cleaved open a massive diagonal cut across Zolo's entire chest, but held back just enough to allow Zolo to live. However it was this bloody and devastating attack that is responsible for the large scar on Zolo's chest, which has never fully healed. Afterwards, Mihawk told Zolo his full name, and gave him a challenge.

Soon afterwards, Mihawk is seen visiting Shanks to bring news of Luffy's coming. Then later on he takes part in a meeting with the Marines and two of his fellow Shichibukai, Donquixote Doflamingo and Bartholemew Kuma.

Mihawk's Challenge
"My name is Dracule Mihawk!! It's too soon for you to die.  Discover yourself.  See the world!!  And grow strong, Zolo!!!  However long it may take, I shall await you at the top.  Strive with your whole heart and mind to best this blade, fierce one!!!  Strive to surpass me, Roronoa Zolo!!!"

-Mihawk's challenge to Zolo after he defeated him at the Baratie.