Shanks

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Shanks (香克斯)
Alias(es)	Red-Hair Shanks; Figarland Shanks
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Red Hair Pirates (Captain); Roger Pirates (former); God’s Knights
Occupation/Role	Four Emperor; swordsman; captain; God’s Knight
Status	Alive; displaced 1,000 years into an unknown future 341
First Appearance	Chapter 65

Background

Shanks once sailed with the Roger Pirates and regards Silvers Rayleigh as his first mate. He also knew Douglas Bullet as a fellow crewmate, though Bullet later became his enemy. Shanks retains Roger’s personal Supreme Grade Blade, Ace, named after Roger’s son. 70 229

He originally intended for Gol D. Roger’s son, Ace, to inherit the role of savior and Joy Boy. After reaching Foosha Village with the Rubber-Rubber Fruit, however, he chose Monkey D. Luffy instead, believing Luffy’s ties to Garp, Dragon, the Marines, the Revolutionary Army, and piracy made him the ideal figure to unite the world against the Celestial Dragons. 70 71 270

Doflamingo later identifies Shanks as Figarland Shanks, the last surviving infant of the Figarland Family after the God Valley incident. He further reveals that the Red Hair Pirates comprise the nine God’s Knights. 320

Appearance

Shanks is a red-haired, one-armed swordsman with three scars over his left eye. At Marineford, he wears a loose white shirt, beach shorts, flip-flops, and a black cape. 65

• Holds his sword, Gryphon, in his right hand. 65
• Lost his left arm before his Marineford arrival. 65
• Is 1.99 meters tall. 67
• Carries Roger’s sword, Ace, in addition to Gryphon. 229

Personality

Shanks is ordinarily relaxed, friendly, and humorous. He casually teases Mihawk despite threats against his remaining arm, shows humility when confronting Hancock, and is known as a peacemaker among the Four Emperors. 81 193 247

Behind that demeanor, he is highly calculating and bears a decades-long burden to create a world-changing coalition around Luffy. Bullet’s alteration of Luffy’s Devil Fruit drives Shanks into rage and despair, exposing how personally invested he is in Luffy becoming Joy Boy. 248 269 270

He is also pragmatic when necessary: he accepts Bullet’s demands for 100 billion Beli and support in the campaign against Big Mom, sells assets to raise the money, and eventually accepts Whitebeard’s financial aid. 71 198 199

Abilities & Skills

Swordsmanship

Shanks is one of the world’s greatest swordsmen. His sword aura is recognized alongside Mihawk’s and Rayleigh’s as capable of tearing apart heaven and earth. 90

• Wields Gryphon in one hand. 65
• Uses Divine Departure, a Conqueror’s Haki-infused slash associated with Roger. 89 272
• Can split the sea with a precise slash while lifting Law’s submarine to land without harming its occupants. 76
• His released sword intent splits the sky and ground across Demon God Island. 269

Haki

Shanks possesses exceptionally powerful Conqueror’s, Armament, and Observation Haki.

• His Conqueror’s Haki can crack ship hulls, raise enormous waves, and render hundreds unconscious across several ships. 71
• At Demon God Island, his Conqueror’s Haki knocks out nearly 20,000 pirates and damages buildings across the island. 269
• His Observation Haki can survey several thousand meters without blind spots. 82
• Possesses Observation Killing, concealing his presence even from skilled Observation Haki users. 65 247 269
• Uses Future Sight and formidable Armament Haki in combat. 274

Godspeed

Godspeed is Shanks’s extreme-speed movement technique, derived from Six Powers Shave.

• He stomps hundreds of times per second while using Haki propulsion. 277
• Allows him to evade Bullet’s attacks and rapidly traverse the battlefield. 272 277
• Consumes a great deal of Haki. 277

Time-Time Fruit

Shanks secretly possesses the Paramecia Time-Time Fruit, formerly wielded by Kozuki Toki. 275

• Allows him to enter a spacetime “river” and travel into an unknown future. 277
• Lets him evade otherwise lethal attacks by becoming a phantom and leaving the present timeline. 282
• Cannot return him to the past. 277
• His disappearance cannot be detected through Observation Killing alone. 274
• He attempts to use it to send Teach 1,000 years into the future, but Bullet intercepts Teach; Shanks is sent forward alone. 341

Equipment

• Gryphon — Shanks’s personal Western sword. 65
• Ace — Roger’s personal Supreme Grade Blade, temporarily kept by Shanks during Ace’s training. 229

Relationships

• Monkey D. Luffy — Shanks’s chosen candidate for Joy Boy and the centerpiece of his plan to overthrow the Celestial Dragons; Luffy’s lost Rubber-Rubber Fruit devastates Shanks. 247 248 270
• Silvers Rayleigh — Former first mate and deeply respected mentor figure from the Roger Pirates. 70 231
• Douglas Bullet — Former Roger Pirate comrade turned enemy; Bullet exposes Shanks’s plans, alters Luffy’s fate, and repeatedly defeats Shanks in combat. 70 269 272 282
• Gol D. Roger — Former captain whose will and long-term plan Shanks seeks to fulfill; Shanks possesses Roger’s blade, Ace. 229 270
• Portgas D. Ace — Roger’s son and Shanks’s original intended savior candidate; Shanks later helps oversee his harsh training. 71 229
• Whitebeard — Allied Emperor and confidant; they discuss Bullet’s debt and cooperate around Ace’s training. 198 199
• Benn Beckman — Shanks’s vice-captain and a harsh trainer for Ace. 75 199
• Dracule Mihawk — Longstanding sword-rival and casual acquaintance; their interactions are marked by teasing and threats. 81
• Boa Hancock — Initially confronts Shanks at Amazon Lily, then escorts him to Luffy’s training island. 247 248
• Marshall D. Teach — Shanks believes Teach helped transfer Luffy’s Rubber-Rubber Fruit; he later attempts to send Teach into the future to preserve Nika’s power. 248 341

Story Role / Major Arcs

Marineford Intervention

Shanks arrives at Marineford after the war has devastated the island, blocks Garp’s attack with Gryphon, and demands that the conflict end. His presence and Conqueror’s Haki force Sengoku to accept a ceasefire, preserving Ace, Whitebeard, and their allies. 65 66

Bullet’s Deal

Bullet confronts Shanks over his original plans for Ace and Luffy, then demands 100 billion Beli and Red Hair Pirate assistance in occupying Big Mom’s forces during the seizure of Tottoland. Shanks accepts both terms. 70 71

Luffy’s Altered Fate

After discovering that Luffy’s Rubber-Rubber Fruit has become the Cow-Cow Fruit, Shanks concludes that Teach and Bullet were responsible. He confronts Bullet at Demon God Island, where Bullet admits he changed Luffy’s fate simply because it was “boring.” 248 269

Battle with Bullet

Shanks attacks Bullet with Divine Departure and later uses Godspeed, Observation Killing, and the Time-Time Fruit to survive. Bullet repeatedly overwhelms him, forcing Shanks to retreat toward Tottoland and ultimately escape Bullet’s Seven-Heart Engine through time travel. 272 274 277 282

Final Attempt Against Teach

Shanks confronts Teach after Teach awakens both the Nika and Dark-Dark Fruits. He tries to send Teach 1,000 years into the future with the Time-Time Fruit, but Bullet rescues Teach; Shanks is sent into the future alone. 341

Notable Quotes

“Because it was boring.” 269

“Teach, you're far too naive. You have no idea what true strength is.” 341