This article contains spoilers for the One Piece series.
The Yonko are the four most powerful pirates in the world of One Piece, and they're so terrifying that they are considered one of the Three Great Powers that keep the balance of the world. The original Yonko that fans learnt about consisted of Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, and Shanks. However, a lot has happened since then, and the Yonko order has almost fully changed, with the exception of Shanks. The new Yonko are now Luffy, Blackbeard, Buggy, and Shanks.
One Piece: Oda Officially Reveals A Straw Hat That Could Become A Celestial Dragon
The Celestial Dragons are an evil group in One Piece, and Oda reveals a Straw Hat pirate who could join their ranks in the future.
While the order of the Yonko has changed, their strength remains impressive as ever. However, in the Final Saga, it has become more obvious than ever who the strongest Yonko is, and it’s none other than Red Hair Shanks. Shanks is the child of destiny, and his role will be compared to Luffy’s in One Piece’s final saga. His power could, at the moment, be even greater than that of Roger and Rocks.
The Strongest Yonko In One Piece Has Always Been Debated
- Some Believed it Was Kaido, Others Thought It was Whitebeard
- Shanks is The Strongest Yonko of One Piece
The strongest Yonko of all time has always been a controversial question, and for years, fans couldn't decide who the very strongest among them was. Whitebeard was always a strong contender for the title of strongest Yonko. He was referred to as the World’s Strongest Man, and was even the closest to the One Piece. Whitebeard was even shown to be able to clash with Roger and was considered his equal.
Kaido is another big option for the title of strongest Yonko in One Piece. He was called the strongest creature in the world, and was said to always win in a 1v1 battle. He was definitely impressive, and in Wano, he showcased his powers greatly before his fall alongside Big Mom.
Others believed the strongest Yonko was actually one of the newer ones, notably Luffy or Blackbeard. Blackbeard is impressive, having two Devil Fruits, and Luffy has become the Sun God Nika, and even defeated Kaido. While all of these characters are strong, the final saga has made it amply clear that the strongest Yonko is none other than Red Haired Shanks. Shanks is, for now, the strongest Yonko that fans have seen in One Piece. He might eventually be surpassed by Luffy, but for now, he’s the uncontested strongest pirate in One Piece.
Shanks’s Power Could Even Surpass that of Roger and Rocks
- Shanks’ Haki was Compared to Joy Boy
- Shanks is the Child of Destiny
Shanks has shown quite a lot of impressive feats in One Piece that would definitely make him the strongest Yonko ever. Over the years, he has proven to be the greatest Haki user alive, and Oda directly compares his Haki to that of Boy’s on Egghead proving just that. Upon seeing Joy Boy’s Haki, Dorry and Brogy were unsure if it was stronger than Shanks’s or not. For reference, Joy Boy’s Haki was strong enough to knock the Five Elders back to Marijoa, and actually strike fear and pain in Imu.
In comparison, Imu was recently attacked by Rocks, Roger, Whitebeard, Big Mom, Garp, and Kaido, and they all did so with Conqueror’s Haki. Yet, Imu didn’t even flinch. This goes to show the next level Joy Boy, and in turn, Shanks’s Haki, is on. Shanks isn’t called the Child of Destiny for no reason, and his importance in the final saga will only be rivaled by Luffy’s.
To further assert Shanks's strength, it must be noted that Oda himself had Rocks be comparable to Harald in strength. Harald was most certainly Domi Reversi'd in Elbaf and despite that, Loki killed him. This very monster, Loki, was beaten by Red-haired Shanks. In other words, Oda portrays Shanks to be on a higher level, and given the Joy Boy comparisons, it's not even a surprise.
One Piece Chapter 1165 will be out this 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 November 9. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1165 is November 9, 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
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga's popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
