Shanks and Mihawk have an interesting personal history. Here’s everything you need to know about the rivalry between the two.
Kodoani.com – Shanks and Mihawk are undoubtedly two of the most important characters in Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece. The cause was introduced to fans in the first chapter and eventually became the main reason Luffy set sail 10 years later. Handing his beloved Straw Hat to Luffy and asking him to return it one day, the red-haired Shanks has established himself as one of the most important figures in the world. One Piece.
Although not nearly as important, Mihawk was introduced to fans in Baratie, where he was challenged by Roronoa Zoro, Luffy’s number two. With the goal of surpassing Mihawk, Zoro left his village for years, and just as Shanks became Luffy’s target, Mihawk did the same to Zoro. Interestingly, Shanks and Mihawk also have a history together, as was revealed as the story goes on and the rivalry of the two could be one of the greatest relationships ever seen in history.
Shanks and Mihawk in the past
Both Shanks and Mihawk seem to have humble beginnings in the world One Piece and not nearly as strong as it is today. Shanks was an apprentice on Gol D. Roger’s ship and went on to learn a lot from Roger himself. By the time Roger disbanded, Shanks had been entrusted with the legendary Straw Hats, and eventually, he went on to start the Red Hair Pirates. As for Mihawk, fans don’t know much about his past, only that he trained extremely hard and defeated quite a few strong swordsmen to reach the pinnacle of his art. Even during the Great Pirate Era, Mihawk was already quite a famous swordsman. In the end, became the World’s Strongest Swordsman – a title he holds now and Zoro chases after to this day.
After making a name for himself, Shanks clashed with Mihawk on a few occasions. According to Whitebeard, their battles took place throughout the Great Front like legends and they are still famous to this day. Shanks and Mihawk have dueled several times and, given that they have done it many times, it is safe to assume that all of their fights are drawn in the end, otherwise Mihawk certainly wouldn’t entertain with the idea of fighting him over and over again, and Shanks wouldn’t be where he is today. Although their rivalry is quite extraordinary, fans never realize it as it dissolves into nothingness after a while.
Who Is Stronger Of The Two?
Until 12 years ago, Shanks and Mihawk were still rivals in the One Piece world. They fought often and on the surface, they painted all their battles to show that they were well matched. However, after Shanks lost his dominant arm in East Blue, Mihawk stopped fighting him, seemingly thinking it wouldn’t be fair to win that way. As a result, their rivalry ended. Shanks and Mihawk are still quite strong to this day. If anything, Shanks eventually became even stronger after losing his arm.
Six years after losing his arm, Shanks improved his strength to the point of becoming one of the Four Emperors despite his disability. When the two fought in the past, Mihawk may have been the Strongest Swordsman in the World, however, Shanks is far from reaching the pinnacle as a pirate. Currently, Shanks is considered one of the strongest people in the world, if not the strongest. Even Kaido, the Strongest creature in the World, acknowledges Shanks as one of the five most legendary men he has ever fought.
On the other hand, the Mihawk may or may not improve. Given that Mihawk did not find a worthy opponent after Shanks until his encounter with Zoro, it is likely that he has not improved much in terms of skills. Despite holding the title of World’s Strongest Swordsman, it is likely that Mihawk is weaker than Shanks at the moment. However, that does not mean that the two are not relative in strength. It is quite easy to see that Oda has established two fierce opponents and Mihawk is quite close to Shanks in terms of strength.
In fact, it would be extremely surprising if Mihawk was, at least, close to the level of a quartet. With that much power, it’s pretty easy to see that Mihawk is a worthy opponent for Shanks even today, even if he might be a bit weaker than the current Red-Haired Yonko. Now, however, he has invested all his attention in Roronoa Zoro, who is slowly becoming stronger and closer to being able to surpass him to become the greatest. As for Shanks, all eyes are on Luffy, who traverses a path far more dangerous than the one Zoro has taken, and so Shanks will have to meet higher expectations.
Via: Kodoani.com