Red-Haired Shanks | June, 2018 — Is He Basically Pirate King Tier Already?
Shanks barely fights on-screen, yet every time he shows up, the world stops.
He clashes with Kaido, stops Marineford, meets the Gorosei — and walks away unharmed.
So why do Japanese fans treat Shanks as already being on Pirate King level?
Shanks’ Resume Is Already Illegal
1: Anonymous Pirate
Former Roger Pirates crew.
Equal to Mihawk, the world’s greatest swordsman.
Even the Fleet Admiral acknowledges him.
On speaking terms with the Five Elders, the highest authority.
This is insane lol.
25: Anonymous Pirate
>>1
He’s Buggy’s friend…
3: Anonymous Pirate
Mihawk’s status feels downgraded now.
7: Anonymous Pirate
There’s like no way the Marines are still scary at this point.
Mihawk, Admirals, and the Marine Power Gap
>>3: Anonymous Pirate
If he’s the world’s greatest swordsman, he should be Yonko-level in combat power.
4: Anonymous Pirate
The vice-captain just aiming a gun was enough to stop Kizaru.
22: Anonymous Pirate
And he became a Yonko at 37.
When he met Luffy, he’d have been Yonko-tier in his late 20s.
24: Anonymous Pirate
But Akainu one-shot Whitebeard, who was old, sick, and stabbed by his own crew.
44: Anonymous Pirate
>>24
He didn’t deal a fatal blow at all though.
Even direct shockwaves did nothing lol.
31: Anonymous Pirate
The Marines feel like total fodder now.
Including Akainu, admirals, vice-admirals — none of them feel like they could beat a Yonko crew.
33: Anonymous Pirate
Shanks: “I’m here to end this war.”
Sengoku: “…Fine. If it’s you.”
Age, Timing, and Presence
43: Anonymous Pirate
His voice is Char.
49: Anonymous Pirate
So Shanks rode on Roger’s ship, learned the truth of the world,
and now leans toward the World Government side?
The Missing Arm Problem
50: Anonymous Pirate
Oda will definitely give some reason for the missing arm later.
He’ll say it was planned from the beginning.
59: Anonymous Pirate
I like the theory that he ate the Arm-Arm Fruit and can grow and tear off arms.
78: Anonymous Pirate
Cool story, but where’s his arm?
19: Anonymous Pirate
He would’ve been perfect if a fish hadn’t eaten his arm.
Theories, Jokes, and Fan Logic
66: Anonymous Pirate
Thanks, Bartolomeo.
90: Anonymous Pirate
>>66
Picking fights with three Yonko at once — Straw Hats are nuts.
69: Anonymous Pirate
World’s greatest swordsman
(excluding Wano samurai since their strength is unknown).
73: Anonymous Pirate
Is Makino’s kid actually Shanks’?
99: Anonymous Pirate
>>73
The kid has red hair in the color version, so yeah, basically confirmed.
83: Anonymous Pirate
You can’t say that in front of the man who reduced six emperors down to four.
Higuma (Chapter 1)
“There’s an 8-million-Beri bounty on my head. That makes me a top-class wanted man.”
“I’ve taken out 56 guys like this—punks with an attitude just like you.”
107: Anonymous Pirate
>>83
The fact that even Higuma ran away scared of him says everything.
He’s basically Pirate King already.
87: Anonymous Pirate
Do we really need Shanks’ crew to also be insanely strong?
93: Anonymous Pirate
Guns feel weirdly weak in the One Piece world.
Benn Beckman
“Don’t make a move, Kizaru!!!”Kizaru
“…Oooh~ hold it right there.
Benn Beckmaaaaan~~~!!!”
117: Anonymous Pirate
Looking back, wasn’t Whitebeard kinda weak?
123: Anonymous Pirate
>>117
He’s got a 5-billion-Beri bounty, you know.
“Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates”
“Edward Newgate!!!!”
“5,046,000,000 BERI!!!!!”
129: Anonymous Pirate
Luffy 30M → Shanks: “You came, Luffy.”
Luffy 100M → “You came, Luffy.”
Luffy 300M → “You came to the war, Luffy.”
Luffy 400M → “You came, Luffy.”
Luffy 500M → “You came, Luffy.”
Luffy 1.5B (Yonko-tier) →
Shanks: “Uh… I’d like to talk about a certain pirate…”
👉 Why Japan Reads Shanks This Way
Japanese fans don’t rank Shanks by fights — they rank him by authority.
Who stops wars, who the government listens to, who history bends around.
From that lens, Shanks isn’t “strong someday” — he’s already above the normal scale.
👉 What This Says About Power Scaling in One Piece
This thread shows a uniquely Japanese power logic:
battle feats matter less than who the world yields to.
Shanks doesn’t need panels of combat — the story itself treats him as endgame.
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