This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Elbaf arc.
Summary
- Shanks is the son of Garling Figarland
- Shanks rejected the life of being a God
- Shanks's mother could have been a D character
Shanks is one of the most intriguing characters in One Piece, and now is his time to shine, given that One Piece is in its final saga, and Oda promised fans long ago that he would appear way more often here. It is no surprise to know that Shanks is incredibly important to the story and that he's going to be central to all the major One Piece developments going forward.
One Piece: Oda Reveals He Will Take More Breaks In The Future
One Piece goes on break about once in a while. Oda reveals that he will take more breaks in the future.
In fact, Shanks's very birth is a big deal in One Piece, especially given the position that he's taken in regard to his family. Although Shanks already has great importance attached to him, fans are about to see him take up an even more important role in the final saga when his true lineage is revealed. As is implied by the article, Shanks might well be part Celestial Dragon and part D.
Shanks's Connection To The Celestial Dragons Of One Piece
- Shanks Is The Son Of Garling Figarland
- He Abandoned Life As A God
One Piece fans know that Celestial Dragons are the current rulers of the world and they hold the most power of all. The World Government, which is directly ruled by the Celestial Dragons, specifically the Five Elders and Imu, consider themselves to be different from the rest of the world. They believe themselves to be literal Gods, which is one of the reasons why so much pain and misery exists in the One Piece world. Seeing how cruel and evil the Celestial Dragons are, it is almost shocking to know that Shanks carries the blood of the Celestial Dragons in his veins.
I've changed my mind. I won't go for the One Piece, not yet at least. — Shanks
Indeed, he's the son of Saint Garling Figarland, a very powerful member of the Celestial Dragons who was once the Supreme Leader of the Holy Knights and has now been promoted to the position of Five Elders. Garling Figarland is a very powerful figure and Oda has stated this himself. 38 years ago, he was on the island of God Valley, which is where he took part in the Native Hunting Games. It is there that both Shanks and Shamrock were present, and as fans know, Shanks was eventually separated from the group, ending up in possession of Scopper Gaban, who eventually took the chest that he was into the Oro Jackson.
Roger and crew decided to raise the baby and Shanks ended up becoming a part do the Roger Pirates. It is said that years later, Shanks returned to Marijoa, but he decided to head back to the world down below since he'd grown too attached to it and didn't think life as a God was worth living.
The Truth Behind Shanks's Red Hair
Shanks Doesn't Inherit The Red Hair From His Father
When discussing Shanks, most fans focus overwhelmingly on his father, Saint Garling Figarland. This makes sense, given that Garling is very strong. However, if there's one thing that fans need to keep in mind, it is that Shanks doesn't Inherit his red hair from his father. In fact, Saint Garling Figarland doesn't have red hair at all. Both the official colors for Garling and the anime confirm that Garling Figarland has blond hair instead of red hair, which only means one thing. Shanks got his red hair from his mother, and that particular point is very important.
One Piece: Why One Of The Straw Hats Is From The Void Century, Explained
This Straw Hat member is from the Void Century. Their role in One Piece is huge.
He's one of the brightest shining stars in the world. One of the Yonko! — Garp about Red-Haired Shanks
Fans know very little about Shanks's family, so his mother remains shrouded in mystery, but if there's one thing that can be said for sure about the Celestial Dragons, it is that they often take whoever they want as their wives and have children with them. Jewelry Bonney is one such case, and Shanks could easily have been another. In the case of Shanks, it is likely that his mother was a D, which reflects directly in Shanks's personality.
Why Shanks's Mother Could've Been A D
Shanks Carries The Will of D
Although there is no explicit statement from Oda that says Shanks is a D, it has been hinted at in the story for sure. For instance, Shanks carries the Will of D directly from Roger. This is directly implied in the manga by Shanks performing Roger's signature technique, Kamusari, or Departure of the Gods. A literal translation of this technique means that Shanks is using it to remove the Gods from their power as their enemy. In other words, only a D could perform such a technique. Shanks clearly follows in the footsteps of Roger as his successor and that only means he carries his will.
On top of that, One Piece Volume 105 and Volume 25 parallel each other with the current Four Emperors, two of which are confirmed to be Ds, with Buggy a strong contender for another D. This leaves Shanks, who could very well be a D as well through his mother. Shanks rejects everything from his father, but carries the Will of his mother, or in other words, the Will of D.
One Piece chapter 1146 will be out very soon, later this week. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on the upcoming Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on April 20. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1146 is April 20, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus.
- 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
Cast
-
Mayumi TanakaMonkey D. Luffy (voice) -
Kazuya NakaiRoronoa Zoro (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
