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Since the beginning of the One Piece series, Shanks and Mihawk have been established as two primary benchmarks for Luffy and Zoro to reach and surpass. Zoro's goal is to beat Mihawk, while Luffy aims to overcome Shanks.
Mihawk is the World's Strongest Swordsman, making him a bit more powerful than even Shanks, a swordsman who leads the Red Hair Pirates and managed to become one of the Four Emperors.
Mihawk and Shanks share a world-renowned rivalry that even Edward Newgate acknowledged as legendary. One Piece author Eiichiro Oda depicted the two characters as perfect counterparts, creating an interesting connection between them.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1080 and reflects the writer's personal views.
"Hawk Eyes" Mihawk and "Red Hair" Shanks are the embodiment of Yin and Yang in One Piece
Two immensely powerful fighters, two completely different individuals
Within the One Piece world, very few characters can compete with the likes of Shanks and Mihawk, whose strength may even eclipse that of the Yonko. The two are depicted as sort of equals, sharing a world-renowned rivalry.
Neither Mihawk nor Shanks needed to obtain a Devil Fruit ability to become prominent fighters. Instead, they developed their Haki, enhancing their swordsmanship to the highest levels.
"Hawk Eyes" Mihawk is the current World's Strongest Swordsman, which implies that he is even more powerful than "Red Hair" Shanks. This is an extraordinary feat, given the immense might of the latter.
Shanks is an exceedingly powerful swordsman. Still, belonging to this class of fighters, he is inherently bound to be at least slightly weaker than Dracule Mihawk, who is the current strongest representative of the category. Granted, given the way that they have been portrayed, it is clear that they are very close in power.
In the past, Mihawk and Shanks used to fight a lot. Their ferocious battles shook the entire Grand Line. Even Edward Newgate, the pirate known as "Whitebeard," acknowledged those clashes as legendary.
The rivalry between Shanks and Mihawk is indeed very similar to that between Roger, the Pirate King, and Whitebeard, the World's Strongest Man.
Mihawk and Whitebeard have the world's strongest title. Shanks and Roger didn't seek such individual status, despite having the necessary power to at least challenge their counterparts for it.
Shanks became one of the Four Emperors, and Roger became the Pirate King. Mihawk and Whitebeard could have competed for such accomplishments had they wanted to, but they weren't interested.
Polarly opposite personalities
Mihawk and Shanks are the embodiments of Yin and Yang, a philosophical concept that represents the perfect duality between two opposite sides that exist in harmony, complementing each other into a flawless balance. Evidently, Mihawk is the Yin, and Shanks is the Yang.
Mihawk lives and travels alone. He prefers to stay isolated, not particularly caring about what happens in the world. Mihawk willingly refuted becoming one of the Four Emperors, despite having a concrete chance to become one.
Conversely, Shanks is very sociable. He formed a crew and recruited allies. He likes to party, showing his carefree attitude. Shanks became an Emperor and took a very active role, frequently meddling with the various affairs of the One Piece world.
Mihawk is cold and emotionless, while Shanks is very extroverted. Mihawk aimed for an individualistic goal based solely on his personal strength. Instead, Shanks decided to partake in a rush among crews.
Mihawk wears high-class clothing. His appearance is refined and formal, making him look like a noble. Shanks, on the other hand, has a much more unkempt guise, which makes him akin to a real-life pirate. Yet, while Mihawk comes from a poor environment, Shanks was likely born as a World Noble.
Interestingly enough, Mihawk also has a Yang component. Despite his lonely attitude, he enjoyed the company of Perona and appreciated the team-up between Luffy and Zoro, as well as their determination and potential.
Likewise, Shanks has a Yin component. Even though he is a pacifist who holds himself back from using violence even when his honor is insulted, when his friends or those under his protection are threatened, he will engage any foe mercilessly.
Mihawk and Shanks share their birthdays on the same date, March 9, meaning that they are born under the sign of Pisces, which is directly tied to the concept of Yin and Yang.
A pair of frenemies
Like Roger and Whitebeard, Shanks and Mihawk have an amiable relationship outside of combat. Crossing blades duel after duel, they developed mutual respect. They are very competitive but. there is no sign of hate between them.
Despite their polarly opposite personalities, Mihawk and Shanks get along pretty well. A testament to the unique chemistry between them, they even partied and drank together to celebrate Luffy's first bounty.
When Shanks arrived in Marineford, Mihawk refused to fight him, stating that his agreement with the World Government included fighting Whitebeard, but not clashing with his former rival.
Two dissimilar ways to be a King of the One Piece world
Conqueror's Haki is a natural-born ability owned only by those who have the attitude to be king. Conqueror's Haki users have superior willpower which helps them overwhelm their enemies. The weaker individuals can't even stand in their presence.
Among those born with Conqueror's Haki, only a few are able to coat their bodies and weapons with it, reaching a whole new level of power that only the absolute strongest characters in the One Piece world can measure up to.
Shanks is a master of Conqueror's Haki, in both his basic and advanced applications. He forced Admiral Ryokugyu into submission and beat prominent Worst Generation member Eustass Kid with a single hit. He can also prevent other characters from using their Color of Observation.
At the moment, it is yet to be confirmed if Mihawk is a Conqueror's Haki user. However, it is very likely that he is, both in the basic version and the advanced one, given that both Shanks, his greatest rival, and Zoro, his disciple and final opponent, have those powers.
Mihawk gained fame by defeating stronger foes until he had no worthy challengers left. Not even Shanks could beat him.
Thus, Mihawk now reigns as the top, sitting on the individual throne of the World's Strongest Swordsman, i.e. the one who dominates all swordsmen.
Despite easily possessing the required strength, Mihawk is not interested in being one of the Four Emperors. He openly rejected obtaining that status. Conversely, Shanks not only led his group to become one of the greatest Yonko crews but wants to compete for the One Piece. Their approaches and behaviors are completely different.
Mihawk and Shanks have given rise to legendary battles in the past. However, Mihawk stopped being interested in fighting Shanks once the latter lost an arm.
The One Piece Vivre Card Databook revealed that Mihawk is waiting for a challenger even mightier than him. That person will likely be Roronoa Zoro. Similarly, Shanks mentored Luffy and is now waiting for him to reach his level.
Nurturing the new generation of powerful pirates
Shanks is a charismatic individual who has been Luffy's role model since the latter was a child. Shanks saved his life and entrusted him with the straw hat he received from Roger. Luffy now aims to become a pirate who can measure up to his mentor.
Since the beginning of the One Piece series, Mihawk has been set up as Zoro's final and greatest opponent, waiting for him at the top of the world as his strongest foe. During the time skip, Mihawk even trained Zoro, helping him learn how to use Haki.
With Shanks and Mihawk being two of the main benchmarks for Luffy and Zoro, respectively, they share a Yin and Yang dynamic as two towering figures who act as both mentors and rivals for the two main members of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Thus, Mihawk and Shanks ended up betting on the new generation. Reflecting their Yin and Yang dynamics, they still took very different approaches.
Shanks acted by stepping into the scene to protect Luffy. Conversely, Mihawk actively tested both Luffy and Zoro. He often put them into situations where they were forced to rise to the occasion and prove themselves worthy of his expectations. Had they failed to measure up to his standards, they would have paid costly.
Mihawk recognized Luffy and Zoro's potential. By cutting Zoro and leaving him half dead, he then asked him to live on and eventually surpass him. This forced Zoro to overcome that crippling injury to advance to the next stage and start getting stronger and stronger.
During the Paramount War, Mihawk tested Luffy, keeping constant pressure on him to see how he survived. This forced Luffy to temporarily awaken Observation Haki. The way Mihawk does things may be harsh, but it works.
Final Thoughts
One Piece author Eiichiro Oda represented Mihawk and Shanks as the embodiment of Yin and Yang, a philosophical concept based on two opposing forces of equal might.
Mihawk and Shanks are contrasting but interconnected individuals. Two of the absolute strongest characters in the series, "Hawk Eyes" and "Red Hair" share a serious strength rivalry between equals. They also have a friendly relationship, making them sort of frenemies.
One Piece fans can't have enough of Mihawk and Shanks. With the series having entered its endgame, it’s time for the duo to finally receive their well-deserved spotlight.
One Piece 1079, the latest chapter of the manga, recently saw Shanks showcasing his immense might, single-handedly annihilating Kid, Killer, and the rest of the Kid Pirates.
To this day, fans have only witnessed a mere glimpse of Mihawk's capabilities. Still, even with his most casual swings, "Hawk Eyes" can cut in half icebergs as big as mountains. One Piece readers can't wait to see him involved in direct combat like Shanks was in chapter 1079.
