One Piece Finally Confirms The Strongest Yonko Of All Time

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This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Final Saga.

As a huge One Piece fan, it’s always been clear to me that the Yonko are the absolute strongest pirates out there! Now that we know Imu is the big bad – and seriously powerful – the Yonko still hold that top-tier strength. I don’t see that changing at all as we head into the Final Saga; they’re going to remain forces to be reckoned with!

Following the Wano Arc, the group known as the Yonko has changed. Previously, the Yonko consisted of Kaido, Big Mom, Shanks, and Blackbeard. Now, Luffy and Buggy have taken the places of Kaido and Big Mom, making the current Yonko Luffy, Shanks, Buggy, and Blackbeard. While all Yonko are incredibly strong, they aren’t all on the same level. Buggy is currently considered the weakest of the four. Recently, the creator, Oda, has indicated that Shanks is the strongest Yonko.

The Yonko Are The Strongest Monsters On The Seas

  • Four Kings Who Fight For The One Piece
  • Their Powers Even Scare The Navy

To figure out which of the Yonko is the strongest, it’s important to first understand what the Yonko actually are. They are the four most powerful pirates who essentially rule the New World like kings. Each Yonko controls their own territory and has a huge amount of influence, often extending across many countries. Not only are they incredibly strong, but they’re also famous – and infamous – throughout the world of One Piece, boasting the highest bounty amounts. Interestingly, they also use their power to offer protection to certain countries.

The Yonko also have massive alliances because in the New World, there are only two ways to survive:

  1. To fight the Yonko and end up replacing them or being crushed
  2. To ally with the Yonko by forging alliances

The Yonko are incredibly powerful, forming a force large enough to challenge even the World Government. The Government generally avoids direct conflict with them, and no Admiral is permitted to engage a Yonko unless specifically authorized by the highest authorities, like the Fleet Admiral or the Five Elders.

Conqueror’s Haki, sometimes called the Color of the Supreme King, is a powerful ability possessed by many strong individuals. Unlike other types of Haki, you can’t directly train it to become more potent. It reflects the user’s inner strength and will, growing stronger only as the user themselves develops. — Silvers Rayleigh explaining to Luffy

The Yonko are undoubtedly incredibly powerful figures in the world of One Piece. Their strength comes from a couple of key areas: either they possess legendary Devil Fruits – like Kaido’s dragon fruit or Big Mom’s ability to manipulate souls – or they have exceptionally strong Haki. Regardless, all Yonko demonstrate a superior level of Haki, particularly a masterful control over Conqueror’s Haki.

While all the Yonko are incredibly strong, Shanks has recently proven himself to be the most powerful, particularly with the new information revealed in the Elbaf arc.

Shanks Is Officially The Strongest Yonko

Recent events in the Elbaf arc have strongly suggested to fans that Shanks is the most powerful of the Four Emperors.

To grasp just how powerful Shanks is, it’s important to remember the flashback to Elbaf, where Oda showed us the full extent of Rocks D. Xebec’s strength. Xebec was a legendary figure, strong enough to defeat an Admiral with ease. He was Roger’s biggest rival, and for a time, even surpassed him in power.

Eventually, Roger probably became as strong as, or even stronger than, Rocks, but it’s understood they were related in some way.

I suppose that’s fair, Navy man. But attacking those fresh, new leaves – the ones that signaled the end of the old pirate ways? Isn’t that going a bit too far? Are you really that scared of what’s coming next?

Rocks wasn’t the only dominant figure of his time. Many fans recognize Harald as equally powerful and a fierce rival. Rocks D. Xebec and Harald clashed several times, with the author making it clear they were evenly matched opponents. Ultimately, Harald became stronger than Rocks after receiving the Deep Sea Covenant from Imu. This granted him incredible superhuman strength and, crucially, immortality.

Chapter 1170 of One Piece revealed a character powerful enough to overcome even Harald, who had just gained immense strength. That character turned out to be Loki, Harald’s son. Loki quickly subdued and gained the respect of Ragnir in the same chapter. He then consumed the famed Devil Fruit of Elbaf, a power so great that Harald couldn’t compete with him in battle. Years later, eight years after the events at Aurust Castle on Elbaf, Shanks ultimately defeated Loki.

Loki is incredibly powerful, potentially able to defeat even the legendary Rocks D. Xebec at his peak. This puts him above both Harald and Rocks, and now Shanks surpasses even Loki in strength. This firmly establishes Shanks as one of the most powerful pirates ever, possibly exceeding Gol D. Roger, and making him the strongest character in the current One Piece story, excluding those from the Void Century. Consequently, Shanks is definitively the strongest of the Four Emperors.

Shanks Has Powers Fans Haven’t Seen Yet

Honestly, I don’t think we’ve seen anything close to Shanks’ full potential yet! It’s always bugged me that he’s not considered the strongest, but it’s starting to make sense. He’s been holding back, completely concealing his true power. It feels like he’s only really started to move and act when Luffy awakened as Nika – like that was the signal he was waiting for!

Roger tasked him with ensuring Nika’s return, and his actions clearly demonstrate this – he stole the Gomu Gomu no Mi and spent over a year in the East Blue searching for the next person to wield its power. He even sacrificed his arm to fulfill this goal. Throughout his life, his only desire has been to honor the legacy of Captain Roger, whom he saw as a father figure.

Shanks wasn’t looking to take action until the prophesied figure, Nika, appeared. With Nika’s arrival, Shanks has begun to make his move, and he’s about to reveal powers that fans haven’t witnessed yet.

Eiichiro Oda’s popular manga, One Piece, follows Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, as they search for the legendary treasure, the One Piece. The story is currently in its final arc. The newest chapter, 1170, will be released in this week’s Weekly Shonen Jump on January 4, 2026. In Japan, it will be available at midnight on Monday, which is 11:00 AM Eastern Time and 8:00 AM Pacific Time. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus and the Shonen Jump app, which helps support the creator.

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2026-01-06 23:35