Very few anime series have achieved the level of success that One Piece has. Now that the manga has entered its final saga, the end is finally in sight, which means that a few major characters will finally play a major role in the story. Shanks is one of those characters, and he has barely appeared in the series even though he has been around since the beginning.
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Shanks is one of the Four Emperors, which means that he is one of the strongest characters in all of One Piece, and he is the man who inspired Luffy to become a pirate. As far as most fans are concerned, most of Shanks' life has been connected to Luffy, but he did have a life before meeting the future captain of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Updated on October 13, 2023, by George Voutiritsas: One Piece's final saga is well underway, and Shanks has already made his presence known. He scared off a Marine Admiral, and he obliterated the Kidd Pirates with a single attack. Shanks is one of the strongest characters in One Piece, and he is an important part of Luffy's life, but his past is still shrouded in mystery. Shanks has accomplished a great deal since meeting Luffy, but he did a number of things before meeting him as well. Some of these things involved legends like Gol D. Roger, Silvers Rayleigh, Oden Kozuki, and Whitebeard. He also visited several iconic locations when he was younger than Luffy.
13 He Joined The Roger Pirates
Like Luffy, Shanks wanted to be a pirate from a very young age, and when he was just nine years old, he joined the legendary Roger Pirates. He was an apprentice at the time, but he was still a full-fledged member of the crew, and he joined them on many adventures.
The Roger Pirates were the only crew to sail the entire Grand Line successfully, and they are the only known crew to ever set foot on Laugh Tale, the legendary island that holds the One Piece treasure. Unfortunately, Shanks never got to go to Laugh Tale because he stayed behind to look after his fellow apprentice, who was gravely ill at the time.
12 He Was Given Roger's Straw Hat
Shanks gave his straw hat to Luffy after saving him from the Sea King. This meant the world to Luffy, and he still considers it his greatest treasure. Luffy dreams about becoming the next Pirate King, yet he has no idea that his Straw Hat once belonged to Roger himself.
Roger was wearing the straw hat when he met Silvers Rayleigh, and he continued wearing it for several years. By the time Shanks was nine, Roger had already given him the hat. He is first seen wearing it while reading a newspaper with Buggy, and he is upset that the paper is focusing on the Whitebeard Pirates.
11 He Made Buggy A Devil Fruit User
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Buggy was the apprentice who got sick, and he joined the Roger Pirates at the same time as Shanks. They spent a lot of time together, and they tended to argue over meaningless things. During a raid, the crew found the Chop-Chop Fruit, and when Buggy learned of its value, he tried to steal it for himself.
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He ate a fake version of the Fruit to trick the crew, but when Shanks found him, he hid the real one in his mouth. Shanks walked off but returned a moment later and surprised Buggy. This caused him to accidentally swallow the Fruit. Buggy has never forgiven Shanks for this, but it can't be all bad seeing as Buggy has accomplished a great deal since the timeskip.
10 He Visited Skypeia & Other Islands
After Oden joined the Roger Pirates, the crew visited the island of Skypeia, and in doing so, they found the Shandorian Golden Belfry Bell - which contained one of the Poneglyhs. It was during this visit that Roger asked Oden to leave the inscription that Robin reads years later.
Shanks was with the crew when they visited Skypeia, and he traveled to several other islands as well. He visited Water 7, Tequila Wolf, Sabaody Archipelago, and Fish-Man Island. He visited Wano very briefly because Oden's daughter got sick. Buggy got sick when the crew visited Zou. This illness is the reason why Buggy and Shanks did not join the crew at Laugh Tale.
9 He Participated In The Edd War
There are only a handful of pirates who can actually challenge Roger, including Shiki, the captain of the Golden Lion Pirates. Shiki was originally part of the Rocks Pirates, so he and Roger had a history. 27 years before the story began, Shiki and his fleet faced off against Roger's crew.
This incident is known as the Edd War, and Shanks fought alongside his crewmates. He even reassured Buggy that the Chop-Chop Fruit made him immune to sword attacks. Shiki's fleet had the numbers, but the battlefield was hit by a hurricane which destroyed half of Shiki's ships. This allowed the Roger Pirates to overwhelm the opposing fleet and win the battle.
8 He Fought The Whitebeard Pirates
A year after the Edd War, the Roger Pirates fought and defeated a group of Marines on an unnamed island. It turned out that the Whitebeard Pirates had docked on the opposite side of the same island. Roger and Whitebeard laughed after a brief clash, and demanded that the other hand over all of their treasure.
This sparked a battle that lasted three days and three nights. At one point, Shanks and Buggy were surrounded by members of the Whitebeard Pirates, but they were able to survive. Shanks was also able to survive an attack from Rakuyo - the commander of the 7th division.
7 He Witnessed Roger's Execution
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Roger disbanded the crew shortly after becoming Pirate King, and in his final year of life, he met and fell in love with Portgas D. Rouge. When he learned that she was with child, he turned himself in to the Marines, who decided to execute him in Loguetown, the city he was born in.
The execution was a public affair, and it was there that Roger spoke his final words. These words inspired a new generation of pirates. A number of famous individuals were present, including Shanks, who cried as his former captain died.
6 He Met Uta
Uta is a world-famous singer and the main antagonist of One Piece Film: Red. Nineteen years ago, her family was killed and she was kidnapped by pirates, but their ship ran into the Red Hair Pirates and she was saved by Shanks. She became Shanks' adopted daughter, which shows just how close they became.
She became the crew's musician, and developed a healthy rivalry with Luffy when the Red Hair Pirates visited Foosha Village. Her relationship with Shanks soured when she believed that he had abandoned her, but they were able to save their relationship after Tot Musica's defeat. Despite appearing in a movie, Uta is a canonical character, so she may reappear in the final saga.
5 He & Mihawk Dueled Multiple Times
Dracule Mihawk is the world's strongest swordsman, which makes sense given his mastery of every bladed weapon and his keen eyesight. He is a former Warlord of the Sea, and when the Marines tried to capture him, he successfully defeated a fleet that included several Vice Admirals by himself.
Mihawk is one of the most honorable characters in One Piece, which is why he no longer challenges Shanks to duels. They dueled a number of times in the past, but in order for Mihawk to have the strongest swordsman title, he needed to have won the final duel against Shanks. Ever since Shanks lost his left arm, Mihawk has seen no point in fighting him.
4 He Fought Blackbeard
For the time being, Blackbeard and Shanks are the strongest of the new Yonko, and they have history. The two first met when Blackbeard was part of the Whitebeard Pirates, and they both fought for their respective crews on an unnamed island near Paradise.
They fought each other years later, and Blackbeard ended up giving Shanks the scars that run over his left eye. This happened before Blackbeard acquired his two Devil Fruit powers, which means that he is a competent fighter with powerful Haki.
3 He Recruited Benn Beckman
Every pirate captain needs a first mate, Benn Beckman was the first person to join the Red Hair Pirates. Much of Benn's backstory is still a mystery, but he is originally from North Blue, and Shanks trusts him more than anyone else in the world.
As a Yonko commander, Benn is one of the strongest pirates in One Piece, He does not appear to have a Devil Fruit power, but he possesses especially strong Armament Haki. He is the only known person in the series who is capable of imbuing bullets with Haki, which explains why he was able to successfully threaten a Logia user like Kizaru.
2 He Recruited Usopp's Father
Usopp is one of Luffy's closest friends, and he has one of the saddest backstories. His father plays an important role in his backstory because he left Usopp and his mother to join a pirate crew, and that crew turned out to be the Red Hair Pirates.
Two years after Roger's execution, Shanks visited Gecko Island in search of Yasopp. He heard that Yasopp was a talented marksman, but Yassop did not join the crew until after Usopp was born. He joined Shanks in Luffy's hometown, and he has since become an officer.
1 He Stole The Gum-Gum Fruit From The World Government
Luffy ate the Gum-Gum Fruit shortly after meeting Shanks, and during the Wano arc, it was revealed how Shanks came to be in possession of the infamous Devil Fruit. It turns out that the Gum-Gum Fruit is actually a Mythical Zoan which allows the user to transform into a legendary sun god who can turn his body into rubber.
The World Government has been searching for this Devil Fruit for centuries because it is linked to Joy Boy and the Void Century. When Shanks and his crew raided a government ship, they found the Devil Fruit and stole it.