One Piece

Appearance

Shanks always wears a long black cape over his shoulders and, until he met Luffy, wore a straw hat that he had worn for many years beforehand. He always wears trousers that are cut below the knee as well as a pair of sandals and is unshaven with a short beard. The most striking thing about Shanks is the color of his red hair, of which his nick-name 'Red Haired Shanks' comes from. He also has three scars across his left eye, which were revealed to have been given to him by Blackbeard[4], and saving Luffy from a sea king he had lost his left arm. He usually carries a Sabre on his right hip.

At the start of One Piece, Shanks bore much more similarity to Luffy. As Oda's style changed, Shanks began to become more distinct. The shape of his eyes are drawn much sharper. His nose has become more redefined, similar to how Nico Robin's nose is heavily defined from other character's in the series.

Personality

Shanks is one of the most laid back characters in the world of One Piece, preferring to take his time as he and his crew travels around the world rather than rushing from one place to another. Shanks isn't cruel like many other pirate captains, nor does he rule over his crew with fear to gain respect. His friendly nature means he won't purposely seek to harm others, and he is able to make serious characters like Mihawk join in with his fun. Yet despite how simple minded he appears at first, Shanks is a complex person with some rather difficult to understand views. For example, he believes if two people share very different views, its better they go their seperate ways.[5]

Shanks doesn't seem to mind what happens to himself. He'll take others throwing food and drink or spitting on him without even fighting back, laughing with his crew at his own misfortunes. Even losing an arm did not bother him much. However he would never forgive anyone for attacking a friend. Shanks and his crew are almost always seen partying and drinking alcoholic beverages whenever they make an appearance, as the captain's favorite pastimes are attending and hosting parties and banquets. According to Oda, Shanks is the one character that resembles himself the most out of all the One Piece characters, because of his fun-loving partying nature and cheerful personality. [6] He also is against the idea of needless bloodshed, even if honor is involved and so far seems to only step up for a fight when a friend is in danger.

He also likes teasing people, as demonstrated by his apparent reactions to Luffy as a child. [7] Oda also stated that if a child asked Shanks for a Devil Fruit he'd tease them about being 10 years too young to eat one. [8] Shanks himself was like Luffy (as a child) in his younger years. [9]

Despite being calm and brave most of the time, he has displayed a side of him that likes to panic when things go wrong.

Crew

While only a few of Shanks' crew have been named, he seems to generally get along with them all and they look up to him with respect as their captain. Shanks looks out for the well-being of the entire crew, from refusing to take a child (Luffy) on board his ship to denying Rockstar permission to take on Whitebeard's men who had insulted Rockstar's honor.

Of the Jolly Roger Pirates, most relationships between Shanks and the other crewmates remain unknown. However, it has been shown through flashbacks that he would fight with Buggy over just about anything. The Marines themselves described their relationship as a 'brotherly bond'[11] and Whitebeard himself had noted the pair were always together. Shanks appears to still consider Buggy as a friend. He also still refers to Rayleigh as "Master" Rayleigh.

Friends

“ Listen up...you can pour drinks on me, you can throw food at me...you can even spit on me. I'll just laugh that stuff off. But...good reason or not...nobody hurts a friend of mine!!!!

-Shanks' warning to Higuma on hurting Luffy. [13]
”

Luffy looks up to Shanks as his role model, childhood hero and the man he wants to eventually surpass. At first, Shanks never took Luffy seriously as he was just a boy so mocked his dreams to become a pirate, dubbing him "Anchor". Later after Luffy stood up for him in front of Higuma and his men, as they were leaving when Luffy declared he would be better than him Shanks begins to treat him seriously.

In the manga Ben Beckman tells Shanks that Luffy is going to make something of himself. Shanks confirms this by saying that Luffy reminds him of himself when he was Luffy's age. Just as Luffy is currently looking for Shanks, Shanks eagerly awaits the day he meets up with Luffy. Shanks also sees Luffy as the future for piracy[14] and was delighted at his coming so much he threw a party to celebrate even though he was already suffering from a hangover over being drunk previously. Meanwhile Garp blames Shanks for poisoning Luffy's mind with ideas about being a pirate when he wanted Luffy to become a Marine.

Enemies

The World Government view Shanks as a problem and a trouble maker, but realizes he is a man who won't try to change the world by himself. However due to the position he holds, they fear he could get out of hand and are prepared to eliminate him if he ever does.

So far, outside of the World Government, the only one who appears to oppose Shanks is Buggy the Clown. Ironically, in their youth Buggy accused Shanks of being too naive and innocent to ever make it as a pirate and yet presently Shanks is a great pirate while Buggy and his crew are quite weak in comparison.[5] As his rivals, the other Yonkou are enemies.

Abilities and Powers

Little is known about what Shanks can do. According to Buggy as a young man, he was a strong fighter and had it not been for his ideals, he (Buggy) would have wanted him on his crew.[15] What is also known is that, as a member of the four Emperor Pirates in the second half of the Grand Line, his power is equal to that of Whitebeard and that losing an arm did not weaken him in any way. [16]He appears to be an excellent swimmer as well, having reach the young Luffy in time out in the middle of the sea before the Sea King could devour him.[

Haki

Little is known about what Shanks can do. According to Buggy as a young man, he was a strong fighter and had it not been for his ideals, he (Buggy) would have wanted him on his crew.[15] What is also known is that, as a member of the four Emperor Pirates in the second half of the Grand Line, his power is equal to that of Whitebeard and that losing an arm did not weaken him in any way. [16]He appears to be an excellent swimmer as well, having reach the young Luffy in time out in the middle of the sea before the Sea King could devour him.While Shanks has yet to display the full extent of his combat abilities, it is heavily implied that he's one of the strongest characters in the series. After saving Luffy from a Sea King, Shanks was able to frighten it off with a single angry glare using Haki. Later, while boarding Whitebeard's ship for their meeting, half of Whitebeard's crew lapses into unconsciousness and the ship itself begins taking damage from Shanks' mere presence. Whitebeard's men attribute this to his superior "Haki."[18] Also, when Shanks and Whitebeard clash with their weapons, the sky above them split, hinting the incredible power of the Yonkou.

Weapons

So far in the series, Shanks has only been seen wielding a sword in combat. While his use of it was only briefly shown, the fact that he was able to match a blow from Whitebeard is a clear indication of the strength he puts behind his attacks. Before losing his arm to rescue Luffy, Mihawk would often seek him out for duels. Since Mihawk is classified as the world's greatest swordsman, and Shanks is a former rival of his, it can be assumed that Shanks is an extremely proficient swordsman. It's also possible that his sword is one of the greatest swords and that he is close in skill as a swordsman to Mihawk.

Appearance

Being an abnormally large human, he is roughly five times the size of a normal human. He is always seen with a bandanna around his head and a white captain's coat worn over his bare upper body which has his Jolly Roger symbol on the back of it.

The most prominent feature of his, is his large half-moon shaped mustache that has given him his nickname. However, his hair under his bandanna can be seen as brown.

For unknown reasons, the scar on his chest wasn't present in Ace's flashback when they first met three years ago.

Personality

His reign on the sea, reputation and foreboding power have made him overconfident and fearless. In initial appearances he seems unable to see any cause for alarm on any decision he makes and refuses all advice given to him (from his nurse telling him not to drink heavily to Shanks warning him of Blackbeard). However, later revelations show that he is much more thoughtful than he appears. Actions that initially seem to be the result of thoughtless, headstrong bravado actually have strong reasons behind them (his loud declaration that Fishman Island belonged to him freed the island from all pirates and slavery, and his insistence that Blackbeard be punished was merely a cover for Ace, who had set out after him against Whitebeard's wishes).

He also seems to enjoy talking about the past. The first things he talks about when Shanks visits are old memories from the past 22 years. People that were children at that time are still children in his eyes, even men as powerful as his fellow Yonkou Shanks and Admiral Aokiji. Among his philosophies in life is that it is fine when a man decides what to make of his life, as long as he doesn't live to regret it.

A distinguishing feature of Whitebeards personality is his high moral standards. As stated by Buggy the Clown, Whitebeard never forgives the death of a crewmate. His stance, that a man cannot live without some form of moral code, stands in direct contrast to that of his immoral former subordinate, Blackbeard. The ultimate proof of his unwavering sense of right and wrong comes when he declares war with the World Government solely to save Ace's life. He will only go against his moral code in extreme circumstances, such as when he instructed Ace to let Blackbeard go because he had an uneasy feeling about him.

Crew

Any nakama from Whitebeard's crew who kills another nakama must be punished by another member of his crew, they are to be hunted down by the commander of that former crewmember's division. Whitebeard's strong stand against crewmate killing is based on his fatherly stance over every member of his crew. As a result of this treatment the whole crew affectionatly refer to him as "Pops". However, Whitebeard does not force commanders to hunt down wayward crewmember's if he has an uneasy feeling about the situation. In the case of Blackbeard, for example, Whitebeard tries to make an exception and stop Ace from hunting down Blackbeard. In spite of Whitebeards advice Ace insists on hunting Blackbeard for the sake of Pops' honor. This is not blind loyalty as Whitebeard is willing to go to war with the World Government to save Ace. In addition, Whitebeard takes full responsibility for the actions of his crew and keeps a stern iron fist outward appearance for non-crew members, falsely claiming to outsiders that he ordered Ace to hunt down Blackbeard.

Allies

Whitebeard has a great number of allies from the New World, strong and infamous pirates, among which are "Bohemian Knight" Doma, "Thunder Lord" Makugai, the Decalvan Brothers, "Great Whirlpool Spider" Squardo, Oars Jr., and "Ice Witch" Whitey Bay.

Because of his role as a protector of Fishman Island, Whitebeard is considered a hero by many fishmen, in particular Jinbei of the Shichibukai.
Luffy and Whitebeard stand side by side.

Whitebeard seems to have some form of respect for Luffy after hearing about him from both Ace and Shanks. Whereas Ace had shown excitement that Luffy was on the Grand Line, Shanks had stated that he had given up his arm on a "bet on the New Age". After showing his fierce tenacity, Luffy has managed to gain Whitebeard's respect, something that he does not give to many other "brats". Whitebeard has gone as far as assigning his top commander Marco to act as Luffy's bodyguard during the war.

Enemies

Despite having been rivals to Gol D. Roger he seemed to have a lot of respect for him, to the point that he'd adopt Roger's son, even aiming to help Ace become Pirate King.[1]

Since none of the Yonkou are united together, any other Yonkou is a threat to him and his crew. When he first appears, he receives a letter from Red-Haired Shanks delivered by Shanks' newest crewmate Rockstar. However, before even reading the letter, Whitebeard throws it away, claiming that if Shanks wants to talk, then he should visit in person. He even asks Rockstar to tell Shanks to prepare an expensive bottle of sake when Shanks comes to visit. Most of all, he refuses to accept Shanks as anything more than the snot-nosed kid he was 22 years ago, believing he is 100 years too young to tell him what to do.

He has also made many enemies over the years besides the other Yonkou and World Government. There are many prisoners in the lower levels of Impel Down who wish to kill him because of personal grudges, the only one known by name so far however is Crocodile. Another enemy of his is Blackbeard, for killing Thatch and for Ace's capture and impeding execution.

Abilities and Powers

He is the captain of the "Whitebeard Pirates". He is the only man in the world who could match the late Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, in a fight (the only one to come close, is Marine Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp, said to have cornered Gol D. Roger numerous times), Whitebeard has been given the title of the "strongest man in the world". Whitebeard allegedly controls an enormous pirate fleet (much like Don Krieg's, though considerably more powerful and less numerous) which is divided into numerous corps under the command of a Whitebeard subordinate. Even with his health issues, he is still considered the world's most dangerous and powerful pirate, which raises the question of how powerful he must have been in his prime during the days of Gol D. Roger (though the databook states that he hasn't lost any power from his prime). Whitebeard appears to have some health problems, possibly stemming from his advanced age and severe drinking. He is always surrounded by nurses, when not in battle he uses oxygen tubes, and is hooked up to intravenous tubes and life support systems. Despite this, he still literally drinks sake by the barrel.

Whitebeard is one of the Yonkou, four of the most formidable pirates that rule the second half of the Grand Line, along with Shanks, Kaidou, and an unnamed fourth. They are considered the biggest pirate threats to the World Government.[2]

An example of his power is his "fight" with Shanks as when their swords clash the "the heavens" split in two.

Another testament to this power is the fact that the Shichibukai and World Government are using virtually all their power to prepare to fight him. Also, aboard his ship, the Moby Dick, 23 Marine ships were destroyed in an instant. Whether he destroyed them with his own skill or Devil Fruit ability has yet to be seen.

Whitebeard's powers are so great, that few would dare challenge him or any of his crew, making Ace and Blackbeard two very brave and powerful people. In fact, Whitebeard's reputation is so great, his simple declaration that Fishman Island is his territory is enough to drive slave traders and pirates from attacking the place further, making him far more effective than a treaty signed with the World Government 200 years ago.

Whitebeard was also capable of injuring Ace in self-defense every time the latter tried to sneak-attack him, despite Ace having a Logia Devil Fruit. Whitebeard's retaliation was so effortless, he was able to do this even when sleeping.

Another testament to his strength is that he was able to defeat a Vice-Admiral Giant in mere seconds.

Devil Fruit

Whitebeard ate the Gura Gura no Mi, a Devil Fruit that makes him a "Quake Man". With the power of this fruit, Whitebeard is able to create shock waves by shattering the air like a mirror. These shock waves then would be redirected into the ground, resulting in earthquakes and, if under the seafloor, tsunamis. He has shown to create such quakes even in the air, rendering airborne attacks ineffective. According to Sengoku, Whitebeard has the power to destroy the whole world.

Weapons

Whitebeard fights with a heavy spear-type weapon called a bisento. When clashed with Shanks' saber, the heavens had actually split. Not only is he immensely skilled with it, the bisento can also withstand enormous amount of heat enough to block one of Admiral Akainu's molten lava attacks.