Shanks

"Red-Haired" Shanks, commonly known as just "Red Hair", is the chief of the Red Hair Pirates and one of the Four Emperors that rule over the New World.

Sailing with the Roger Pirates since he was an infant, Shanks would begin his pirate career on their ship as an apprentice alongside Buggy, before forming his own crew after Roger's death.

Notably, Shanks is the pirate who inspired Monkey D. Luffy to go on his own pirate journey, and his crewmate Lucky Roux found the Gomu Gomu no Mi that was accidentally eaten by Luffy. He also owned the Straw Hat that has become Luffy's signature accessory, having gifted it to the boy as part of a promise for them to meet again someday.

Ever since the beginning of the series, Shanks has been an important background character, usually being shown accompanying Luffy's ever-growing reputation as a pirate. He is a late, but still vital ally during both the Marineford and Wano Country Arcs. He and his crew also have a sizable role in One Piece Film: Red, which centers on Uta, Shanks' daughter.

Personality

Shanks is an extremely laid-back man, preferring to take his time by traveling around the world with his crew while enjoying himself as opposed to rushing from one place to another. This was already the case in his youth, where he was playful and innocent compared to his grumpy and opportunistic fellow apprentice Buggy. However, he still suffered from occasional bouts of immaturity, starting trivial arguments with Buggy solely out of stubbornness. In many ways, Shanks himself was like Luffy (as a child) in his younger years.

Abilities and Powers

As a former member of the Roger Pirates, chief of the Red Hair Pirates, and one of the Four Emperors in the New World, Shanks is known to be one of the four strongest pirates in the world. However, not much is known about Shanks' powers and abilities in detail.

Despite previously being the youngest of the Four Emperors, Shanks is on an equal level with the more experienced Kaidou, Charlotte Linlin, and even Whitebeard, who was feared as the strongest pirate in the World. Kaidou acknowledges Shanks as one of the very few powerful pirates capable of fighting him. Rockstar also used his captain's name to convey to Whitebeard the importance of the letter he delivered to him. It was also stated by the Five Elders that he is one of the few people capable of stopping Teach. Admiral Akainu fought through many men, a couple of Whitebeard's division commanders, and two former Warlords of the Sea to get to Luffy, but did not challenge Shanks when the Emperor appeared. Members of the Worst Generation such as Eustass Kid, Scratchmen Apoo, and Basil Hawkins had to ally with each other to have a possibility of overthrowing Shanks. Admiral Ryokugyu chose to pull back his attempt on Luffy after he realized Shanks was present outside of Wano Country.

As a member of the Four Emperors, Shanks' name alone commands great power, as Buggy himself proved. His assertion that he previously had a "brotherly bond" with Shanks was one of the many things that earned him respect from the Impel Down inmates. In addition, Buggy did not shy from using the names of Shanks and his previous captain, Gol D. Roger, to maintain his respect among them. Even the fact that Buggy was seen back talking to Shanks was seen as a testament of Buggy's power to the former prisoners, who were not aware that the two had always acted like this and mistakenly thinking that it was because Buggy was not afraid of an Emperor.

Shanks commands enough power to end the war at Marineford with just words. When he stated that there was to be no more fighting, no one stepped up to challenge him, even though the Marines were fired up after the death of Ace and Whitebeard. When Shanks offered to fight the very overconfident and pompous Blackbeard (who moments before had boasted about destroying the island and taking down Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp after having already killed Whitebeard), Blackbeard declined and decided to leave, as it was too soon for him and his crew to take on Shanks. Furthermore, when Shanks requested that Whitebeard and Ace's dignity at death not be violated, Sengoku himself decided to call off the war and offered to take responsibility, showing that despite being a pirate, Shanks has earned Sengoku’s respect, something that no pirate other than the late Whitebeard is known to have achieved.

Shanks also possesses enough influence to gain an audience with the Five Elders, who like the leaders of the World Government, would normally consider him an enemy.