One Piece: Can any Roger Pirate match Shanks' current Haki?

One Piece has introduced two major power systems throughout its decades-long run, with many of the series' heavy hitters being proficient in both of these systems. Oddly enough, Red-Haired Shanks, former Roger Pirates crewmate and Luffy's mentor, only uses and has been evidently established as the strongest or one of the strongest combatants and Haki users currently present within the series.

While his status as a former Roger Pirate likely serves toward his inflated power level when compared to the current generation and heavy hitters from Roger's generation as well, it is very much plausible that Shanks has already surpassed the rest of the Roger Pirate crewmates. He is now only rivaled by Roger himself.

Disclaimer- This article is a speculative theory and contains spoilers for

One Piece: Shanks and Roger are products of different eras

Roger as seen in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

One Piece's story throughout its numerous arcs has painted a clear picture centered around inheritance and succession, with many of the main characters directly serving as parallels to the previous ones.

The Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji trio serves as the prime example of this phenomenon, with all three of them directly serving parallels to Roger, Rayleigh, and Scopper Gaban. This is apparent through their tropes, mannerisms, and inherited monikers.

While direct parallels do not serve as direct indicators of their power levels, it does serve as the standard that the former trio is supposed to grow into.

On a similar note, Shanks currently serves as a stand-in for the idea of Gol D. Roger and the influence and respect he commanded as the Pirate King.

Garp as seen in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Shanks' demonstrated feats, like the long-range Conqueror's Haki alongside his command over Roger's sword techniques, further make it clear that he has achieved the level of power once commanded by the Pirate King, possibly surpassing the rest of the Roger Pirate crewmates.

The pirate eras that Roger and Shanks navigated is yet another aspect that needs to be considered when comparing their respective power levels.

The older generation's overwhelming power level and rather high standard has been repeatedly emphasized through Garp, Rayleigh, and Whitebeard's overwhelming displays of power.

However, it is important to note that the older generation simply sailed the seas with different goals.

Shanks as seen in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

The Roger Pirates and, evidently, most of the older generation sailed the seas in search of adventure and treasure, with most of their opponents being strong enough to raise the overall power level of the entire generation to a new height.

On the other hand, Shanks has been operating under some yet undisclosed plan, possibly with the goal of directly waging a war with the ruling body of the world—namely, Imu and the rest of the government.

Although the Roger Pirates navigated much more turbulent waters while facing tougher opponents, it was done out of a want for adventure.

Shanks' apparent plan needs him to be strong enough to face an entire army. This makes it clear that Shanks has an actual reason to get strong, possibly as strong as Roger and beyond.

Nika's silhouette as shown in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Even Roger's own dialogue sometimes mentions how they were born in the wrong time. While this has been interpreted as him being born before Nika's reincarnation, it can also be interpreted as them being born before a war-torn era where they could've been much more impactful.

This further emphasizes that the current generation will eventually far surpass the old generation.

Given the different motivations behind the Roger Pirates and Shanks' journey, it is clear that Shanks has possibly surpassed every Roger Pirate in their prime. He can only be remotely rivaled by the late Pirate King.

The overwhelming feats that Shanks has under his belt compared to the feats of the surviving Roger Pirates further drives the point of Shanks being much stronger.

Final thoughts

One Piece chapter 1149 will be released on May 25, 2025, and will mainly follow the Straw Hats as they try to mitigate the damage being caused by the Holy Knights.

Given that Scopper Gaban is still operating within Elbaph's borders, it is possible that he ends up being the sole major hurdle standing in the way of the Holy Knights' apparent conquest.

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About the author

Anupam is an anime and manga writer at Sportskeeda. Currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Logistics & Transportation, Anupam has simultaneously gained professional experience of almost 2 years as a content writer, having worked previously for Otakukart and Sportslumo.

Being part of the anime fandom for over a decade, Anupam believes his greatest strength lies in theorycrafting around animanga series and predicting their plots. His personal experiences have guaranteed him detailed knowledge about the reputation, reception, and plot points of several anime, which he combines with extensive research to report on a topic. They have also taught him the significance of respecting and accurately reporting on community sentiments attached to a particular series, which has now become a non-negotiable part of his writing process.

Anupam’s favorite artist is video game designer Hideo Kojima, whose ability to nonchalantly embed deep messages in his games he deeply admires. When not debating fresh anime theories, Anupam can be found reading or playing combat games.

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Edited by Prem Deshpande