Shanks is one of the most powerful and popular characters in all of One Piece. Luffy’s inspiration, one of the four Emperors, the son of Figarland Garling, and the apprentice of Gol D. Roger, Shanks may not have any Devil Fruit powers, but he’s the mightiest Haki user in the entire anime and manga.
However, Shanks isn’t invincible, and there are a number of characters even more powerful than he is. To be sure, Shanks could trade blows with anyone in the series, but these five Emperors and other faction leaders all possess strength either on his level or beyond it, and they each command greater levels of influence, and/or have more diverse sets of abilities.
Monkey D. Dragon Has to Be Stronger Than Shanks
After nearly 30 years of One Piece, Monkey D. Dragon remains one of the series’ biggest mysteries. Despite being the father of series protagonist Monkey D. Luffy, Dragon’s personality and backstory have only recently been fleshed out in the manga, and his powers and fighting style are still entirely unknown.
However, as the father of the protagonist, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, the “most wanted man in the world,” and an endgame character whose abilities the series has been holding back, Eiichiro Oda’s ode to Che Guevara is all but guaranteed to be more powerful than Shanks. As things stand, Dragon commands an army, while Shanks has a deliberately small crew, and Shanks is able to count on having other powerhouses like Benn Beckman to have his back, while Dragon is clearly carrying his faction on his own if his strongest subordinates are Sabo, Kuma, and Ivankov.
Blackbeard Commands Far More Powerful Abilities as the Son of Rocks D. Xebec
The main villain of the entire series, whether Blackbeard is currently physically stronger than Shanks is certainly up for debate. While Shanks is the undisputed master of Haki, Marshall D. Teach isn’t much of a direct fighter at all, instead relying purely on his intellect and his multiple Devil Fruit powers.
Notably, even before Blackbeard had eaten a single Devil Fruit, he was already able to leave a scar on Shanks. Now, with mastery over darkness, the ability to summon earthquakes and tsunamis, and the likes of Kuzan and Shiryu as the elites of his massive fleet, Teach would likely be able to kill Luffy’s mentor, something fans have been predicting will happen for ages.
Nerona Imu is the Most Powerful Character in All of One Piece
In all of One Piece, there is no living character capable of matching up to Nerona Imu. Even looking to the past, the only characters even possibly close to the level of the ruler of the One Piece world are Sun God Nika, Joyboy, and the other divine beings now being introduced in the manga.
An immortal master of all forms of Haki additionally armed with the power of Omen and The Devil’s Fruit, Imu is unkillable, undefeatable by any of the other strongest combatants in the series, and capable of turning others into demonic beings. He previously defeated an alliance between Rocks D. Xebec, Monkey D. Garp, Kaido, Big Mom, Whitebeard, and Gol D. Roger and, in the current pages of the manga, the might of Loki, Ragnir, and Gear 5 Luffy appear to be no match for him either.
Figarland Shamrock Was Introduced to Be an Equal to Shanks
Figarland Shamrock would not exist if he wasn’t one of the biggest powerhouses in the world of One Piece. The leader of God’s Knights and the evil twin brother of Shanks, Shamrock was only introduced in the current arc, and he’s the type of character who would only have been introduced for the purpose of setting up an epic fight between the brothers.
When Shanks and Shamrock inevitably fight, it’s likely that Shanks will come out on top. However, Shamrock is virtually guaranteed to be his twin’s equal in combat, his sword, Cerberus, has already proven its strength, he currently stands near the very top of the World Government, and he’s immortal.
Dracule Mihawk is the World’s Strongest Swordsman and Shanks’ Rival
In the world fandom, there are some power scaling arguments that are especially common, to the point that they become memes. These include Buuhan vs Kid Buu in the Dragon Ball fandom, Itachi vs Minato in the Naruto fandom and, for One Piece fans, there’s Shanks vs Mihawk. The ultimate embodiments of what Luffy and Zoro hope to one day be, these characters have been established as peers and rivals since the beginning, and there is still no definitive answer as to who would win in a fight.
However, there are a few notable arguments to be made in Dracule Mihawk’s favor when it comes to his power. Both Mihawk and Shanks are swordsmen and Mihawk’s literal title is “world’s strongest swordsman.” Mihawk’s abilities have also been shown off less than Shanks’ so far and, in contract to Shanks’ minimalist crew, Mihawk stands as the true power behind the Cross Guild.
- Release Date
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October 20, 1999
- Network
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Fuji TV
- Directors
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Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
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Mayumi Tanaka
Monkey D. Luffy (voice)
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Kazuya Nakai
Roronoa Zoro (voice)