It Is Time To Admit That Shanks Is Stronger Than Gol D. Roger In One Piece

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This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Elbaf arc.

One Piece is full of incredibly strong characters, and now that the story is reaching its climax, the creator, Oda, is really highlighting the power of characters he’s been building up for a long time. Currently, Oda has established the Yonko as the most powerful pirates. Characters like Shanks and Blackbeard have firmly established their control, while Luffy and Buggy are the new additions to this elite group.

With powerful figures like the Marine Admirals, the Holy Knights, and the Five Elders now in the story, fans are constantly debating who the strongest character is. Currently, Shanks seems to be the leading candidate. Some even believe he’s stronger than legendary pirates from the previous generation, like Gol D. Roger and Rocks D. Xebec. While that might seem like a bold claim, the story’s development, as presented by the author, suggests Shanks could indeed surpass their peak strength, making him the most powerful pirate of this era.

Shanks Could’ve Surpassed Both Rocks And Roger

Rocks Was Equal To Harald In Strength

  • Loki killed Harald after his Domi Reversi buff
  • Shanks Defeated Loki

It’s common in One Piece for younger generations to become stronger than those before them. We’ve seen this with Luffy, who’s expected to eventually exceed the power of both Shanks and Roger. Even Blackbeard is likely to become more powerful than his father, Rocks D. Xebec. It’s perfectly believable that Shanks could surpass Roger, and the story Oda has created gives us clues about how that might happen. To understand how it’s possible, all we need to do is look closely at the established narrative.

Are you that afraid of the new era? — Shanks to Green Bull

When people talk about the most important figures in One Piece history, Gol D. Roger and Rocks D. Xebec are always the first names mentioned. Roger, the Pirate King, was incredibly powerful, and Xebec was a legendary figure considered to be his greatest rival.

Roger and Rocks were roughly equal in strength. We know this because Roger and Garp only managed to defeat Roger after he was significantly empowered by Imu’s Domi Reversi ability, which dramatically increases a person’s power. This suggests that neither Roger nor Garp could have defeated Rocks in his prime alone, implying their base strength levels were comparable. King Harald is another character who experienced the effects of Domi Reversi in the story.

I won’t argue that’s unfair, Navy. But attacking those young, budding leaves – the ones that signaled the end of the old pirate days? Isn’t that going too far? Are you really that scared of what’s coming next?

Harald was a major rival to Rocks, matching him in strength and earning Rocks’ respect. While it’s stated that Loki killed Harald, the flashback to Elbaf shows Loki defeated a Harald who had undergone the Domi Reversi process – making him potentially stronger than Rocks himself. This suggests Loki is now even more powerful than Rocks.

I met King Harald in Marijoa a while back. — Shanks to Gaban in Elbaf

Shanks ultimately defeated Loki, the same Loki who had previously beaten Domi Reversi Harald – a fighter stronger than Rocks. This happened six years ago, and it clearly shows that Shanks is more powerful than both Rocks and even Roger, which is quite surprising.

Shanks Might Have Surpassed Roger Already

Shanks’s Haki Drew Comparisons To Joy Boy

It’s quite possible that Shanks is now stronger than Roger. Roger himself believed Shanks had the potential to become the next great pirate. A strong sign of this is Shanks’ incredible Haki. During the God Valley incident, Roger, Whitebeard, Big Mom, Garp, and Rocks all unleashed powerful Haki attacks against Imu, but none of them could even scratch him.

As a child, I dreamed of creating a manga with an incredibly exciting climax. I wasn’t sure if I could pull it off! Now, after 25 years, we’re nearing the end of the Wano arc and everything is almost ready. You can jump into the story here if you’re new, because from this point on… it’s going to be the culmination of everything – the ONE PIECE! I’m excited to reveal all the secrets of this world through my artwork. It’s going to be a thrilling ride, so please stick with me! — Eiichiro Oda, Author of One Piece, 2022

During the Egghead arc, Dorry and Brogy discussed whether Shanks’s Haki was comparable to, or even stronger than, Joy Boy’s. This powerful Haki reportedly caused Imu significant pain and fear. If Shanks possesses that level of Haki, it strongly suggests he’s now more powerful than Roger ever was.

The newest chapter of One Piece is coming out this week, as it typically does on Sundays. While it will be released in Japan at midnight on Monday (JST), most fans around the world will be able to read it on October 26th. The chapter will be available for free on Manga Plus.

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2025-10-26 14:38