This article talks about Mihawk and Shanks' rivalry and how the truth of it has been revealed years ago.

In the One Piece story, the current and old generations of the world tend to get all the hype. This is for good reason too, since legends such as Roger and Xebec are remembered to this day for their unparalleled strength and the millions they continue to inspire. On the other hand, characters such as Luffy and Blackbeard carry their wills in the current day, becoming powerful Emperors who strike fear into the World Government.

However, the mid-gen of One Piece is often overlooked, possibly because there are only two characters who have ever reached the level of the greatest figures from the old and current generations. These are Shanks and Mihawk; incredibly powerful pirates who are among the strongest in the whole story. They've shared a contentious rivalry for decades, but Oda may have revealed the truth of the winner long ago.

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By Haider Haroon Rasheed

Many Fans Believe That Dracule Mihawk Is The Stronger Of The Two

The World's Strongest Swordsman

First Appearance	One Piece, Chapter 49, "Storm"
Story Arc	Baratie

When it comes to scaling the strengths of Mihawk and Shanks, it's quite a difficult task due to the incredibly sparing appearances that both of them have had throughout the franchise. Even with this in mind, Shanks has had far more impressive showings over the years, displaying a mastery of Haki that may just be the greatest in the modern era and, according to some, may even surpass the Haki of Roger and his contemporaries in the previous era.

However, this may just be purposefully done by Oda. Just like with many other incredibly powerful characters, their true strengths tend to be reserved for later on in the series, so many believe that he hasn't shown Mihawk's real power yet for the same reason. The main point that fans of Hawk Eyes use is his title; 'The World's Strongest Swordsman', which straight up states that out of all the swordsmen in the series, Mihawk is the strongest of them all, and his skill with a blade is also second to none.

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This is where his rivalry with Shanks comes in. While it's true that they have always been spoken of as equals, the fact of the matter is that, in essence, Shanks is a swordsman who uses his blade, Gryphon, as his primary means of combat. Because of this, Mihawk's title of World's Strongest Swordsman naturally implies him to be a stronger swordsman than his rival. In fact, at the close of the Wano arc, Mihawk was straight-up stated to have greater sword skill than Shanks, cementing him as being superior in the eyes of many.

For those in his camp, these distinctions are an open-and-shut case. Given that Shanks uses a sword as his main means of fighting, this, technically, qualifies him as a swordsman. Keeping this in mind, Mihawk would have to be stronger than him, since he would have had to defeat his rival at one point to claim this coveted title. Ultimately, fans can only wait for Oda to reveal the truth behind this rivalry, though many are convinced that Mihawk's title proves all that there is to prove.

I'm not the kind of fool who hunts rabbits with a cannon. You may have a reputation, but you're still just a bunny.

Conversely, those in Shanks' camp believe that feats and narrative are the true deciders when it comes to the strength of a character in the One Piece series. Shanks has the greatest feats of both Conqueror's and Observation Haki in the modern era, with the former only being surpassed by Joyboy's own legendary use of the ability. Plus, he has always been implied to be the strongest of the modern Emperors and Luffy's ultimate goal is to surpass him, which clearly puts him as one of the most important figures in all of One Piece.

At the current moment, it's impossible to say for certain who the stronger character of the two really is. However, Mihawk's title is proof of his otherworldly power, and the fact that he has made his career on the Grand Line and New World as a solo pirate who wanders without a crew is truly a testament to how terrifying he truly is. While Shanks clearly gets more of a spotlight, Mihawk may be the greatest pirate in the shadows.

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By Rei Penber

The Truth Of Their Rivalry Is Far Simpler Than Either Of These Agendas

Equals In Strength

The truth is that Shanks and Mihawk are equal rivals.

The rivalry between Shanks and Mihawk has been described as incredible, even by living legends of the world such as Whitebeard. The truth of the matter is that, for such a rivalry to exist, the ones who have fought to a stalemate must be on a similar level of power, no matter how anyone looks at it. In the simplest terms, Shanks and Mihawk are currently dead equals until Oda comes out and explicitly states one to be stronger than the other.

Their rivalry has been ongoing for decades, and though Mihawk doesn't want to fight a one-armed Shanks, their battles in the past have been equal as well. Since then, both have only gotten stronger, though Shanks is the only one whose strength has been seen. Thematically, they both serve similar roles as ideals that Luffy and Zoro have to surpass so it only makes sense for them to be equal in the grand scheme of things.

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