This article contains spoilers for One Piece's Elbaf Arc.

The Yonko of the Sea, Redhaired Shanks is one of the most powerful One Piece characters. Shanks was introduced quite early in One Piece and fans saw his stature only grow with time. Around Water 7, it was confirmed to the fans that Shanks was actually a Yonko of the Sea, and then, later on, fans also got to see glimpses of his power.

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By Rei Penber

It goes without saying that Shanks is among the strongest in the world of One Piece, and he's managed to achieve all that without ever eating a Devil Fruit. As fans know already, Shanks doesn't have a Devil Fruit power, so he's completely reliant on Haki instead. But, his Haki won't be the strongest forever as the young generation is gunning for him.

Shanks's Haki Is Unstoppable In One Piece

Shanks tells Beckmann that is time to claim the One Piece - One Piece

Shanks Has The Power To Use All Haki Types
His Haki Is Similar to Rocks And Roger's

As has been made quite clear in the story, Shanks is a monster when it comes to Haki. This was made clear by the author, Eiichiro Oda, immediately after he visited Whitebeard. Even someone like Whitebeard and his crew made sure to comment on his Haki, and it is very important to note. Marineford gave the fans a good look at Shanks's power, and it became increasingly clear that he was strong enough to hold his own against the mightiest.

I won't say that's not fair, Navy man. But raiding the worn-out new green leaves that changed the era of piracy forever? Don't you think you're doing too much? Are you that afraid of the new era? — Shanks

One Piece: Oda Officially Revealed A Special Haki Technique Only One Character Can Use

One Piece: Oda Officially Reveals A Special Haki Technique Only One Character Can Use

This haki technique is so special that only one character in One Piece can use it.

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By Rei Penber

Kaido himself put Shanks in his top 5, and if that wasn't enough, Shanks was able to one-shot Eustass Kid, someone even Kaido and Big Mom couldn't take down easily. All that is to say that Shanks is easily among the strongest in One Piece, and he has accomplished everything with Haki alone.

Shanks uses Conqueror's Haki against the Lord of the Coast - One Piece

What's even more curious is that Shanks's technique is actually similar to that of Rocks and Roger. In Elbaf, Oda confirmed that Roger's technique was derived from Rocks, and he used Haki with his sword in a way that it hit like a hammer or cannon fire, blowing away everything in the surrounding area. Shanks is one of the only three legends to be able to use this power.

Luffy Will Go Beyond Shanks In Haki Usage

Luffy Has To Reach Joy Boy Level

Gear 2 Luffy smiles at Blueno - One Piece

While Shanks truly does have the strongest Haki, fans also know very well that his Haki isn't unmatchable. In fact, Luffy absolutely has to get to his level and even surpass him. The bar for Luffy has already been set. Fans know very well that Luffy will have to surpass Joy Boy, since he has to do what Joy Boy couldn't.

Whether it's the Four Emperors or the Navy Admirals, if I don't beat them all, I'll never be Pirate King. — Luffy

To that end, he needs his Haki to be on a similar level. In Egghead, it was already hinted that Joy Boy's Haki was potentially above even that of Shanks, or at the very least, of a similar level. If Luffy reaches this level, his future is clear.

Luffy will match Joy Boy in terms of Haki, and might even go on to surpass his Haki. He will be the greatest Haki user in One Piece, and only after he achieves all this can he go on to surpass everyone and bring true freedom to the world.

One Piece Chapter 1162 will be out next week. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on October 12. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1162 is October 12, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus.

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Release Date: October 20, 1999
Network: Fuji TV
Directors: Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou