Oda might’ve hinted at who the stronger one between Shanks and Mihawk is.

One Piece has seen the birth of many incredible rivalries over the years and one that particularly stands out is the amazing rivalry between Shanks and Mihawk. These two fighters have been at each other’s throats for many years, that is, until Shanks finally ended up losing his arm.

Prior to this, Shanks and Mihawk were fierce rivals who had fought countless battles and it is known that the clashes between these two characters would ring across the entire Grand Line. For many years, there has been a raging debate over who is stronger between Shanks and Mihawk and, recently, it appears that Oda has weighed in on the situation and provided his answer.

Shanks As One Of The Four Emperors

When it comes to Shanks, fans know that he is incredibly powerful. He is one of the Four Emperors of the Sea and that alone makes him one of the strongest characters in the entire series. Shanks has a bounty of 4.0489 billion berries and this is the highest active amount right now that fans know after the fall of Big Mom and Kaido. Shanks does not possess any Devil Fruit and solely relies on his other skills in battle. His biggest strength appears to be his monstrous Haki which he has utilized on many occasions now. It is clear for the fans to see the Shanks is in a league of his own when it comes to strength and his overwhelming Haki makes it incredibly difficult to take him on and combat and defeat him.

A taste of his strength was provided recently in One Piece, when he took on Green Bull and, later on, Kid in battle. Against Green Bull, Shanks made use of his Haki from miles away and showed enough strength to scare the Marine Admiral into retreat. Against Kid, he used a single swing of his sword to completely obliterate a 3 billion berry pirate and his right-hand man, along with other members of the crew as well. Shanks has monstrous strength up his sleeve the likes of which absolutely cannot be underestimated and, the fact is that he had been laying low for all these years, which means that his true strength might not even have been revealed to the One Piece world, implying that his bounty is actually much lower and it actually should be.

Mihawk’s Title As The World’s Strongest Swordsman

When it comes to Mihawk, there is absolutely no doubt that he’s one of the strongest characters in the entire series. Mihawk was revealed to be the World’s Strongest Swordsman upon his very introduction and, when that happened, Mihawk gave the fans a glimpse of his true strength. At the time, it was clear to see that Mihawk was out of Zoro’s league and it would take the Straw Hat swordsman years before he could get even close to his level. He demonstrated his skills time and again on various occasions, such as in the Paramount War, where he had to fight against Vista and held his own impressively and, later on, when he was looking forward to fighting against the Navy after the abolition of the Shichibukai system.

As one of One Piece’s strongest characters, it makes sense that Mihawk would have a high bounty. But what did he do to warrant such a massive number?

Mihawk is certainly a monstrous fighter and his strength, along with his collaboration with the Cross Guild has earned him a bounty of 3.590 billion berries. This is an incredibly high reward and certainly goes to show that Mihawk is in the same league as the Emperors of the Sea, at the very least. There is no debate surrounding the fact that Mihawk is on the same level as the Emperors. He can very well become an Emperor if he so wishes, however, as he mentioned himself, he has no interest in becoming one. Mihawk wants a peaceful life and, for that, he would gladly use Buggy as a shield.

Oda’s Hint About Mihawk Vs Shanks

Recently, after the abolition of the Shichibukai system, fans got to see the creation of the Cross Guild. Their bounties were revealed to the fans and, at the same time, the threat of the Cross Guild was also made public to everyone in the One Piece world. When this happened, Oda made sure to reveal the strengths of each member of the Cross Guild, and, when it comes to Mihawk, Oda made sure that he highlighted the fact that his swordplay was greater than anyone else in the story. Oda even dragged Shanks into this conversation and clearly said that when it comes to swordplay, Mihawk surpasses Shanks.

However, Oda carefully chose his words for this statement. Instead of saying that Mihawk surpasses even the red-haired Yonko, Oda mentioned that Mihawk surpasses him at swordplay, which means that Shanks is overall still stronger than Mihawk. There is absolutely no doubting the fact that Mihawk is the World’s Greatest Swordsman, however, in other aspects of battle, such as Haki and potentially other abilities that Shanks might not have shown, he is still the superior fighter. This is also clear for the fans to see based on the fact that even with inflation caused by the Cross Guild, Mihawk’s bounty isn’t higher than Shanks.

On the other hand, Shanks himself has never revealed his true strength. In fact, he wasn’t even moving for the One Piece and played the role of a peacekeeper for the longest time. Shanks is only now entering the race for the One Piece and this means that he is starting to show his true dangers now. He will now showcase his true strength in One Piece and fans will surely be surprised when he demonstrates his capabilities.

Is Shanks Stronger Than Mihawk?

Based on the fact that Oda has carefully chosen his words and decided to say that Mihawk only surpasses Shanks at swordplay, it is implied that Shanks is, overall, the stronger fighter. If Shanks and Mihawk were to engage in a duel of pure swordplay, it would be clear for one to see that Mihawk would stand at the top. However, if Shanks were allowed to fight to the best of his abilities using whatever style he wished, he would win this battle.

That is certainly not to say that Mihawk is weak in any way, or that these two characters aren’t close in terms of strength. It simply means that Oda holds Shanks in slightly higher regard than he does Mihawk. It also makes more sense, given that Shanks is Luffy’s goal and idol, while Mihawk is Zoro’s. The portrayal here is clear and Shanks will eventually be surpassed by Luffy, while Zoro will surpass Mihawk.

Of course, as the final saga of One Piece continues, more light will be shared on these characters and the many points that they get involved in, giving fans an even clearer picture of how these two differ in terms of strength.

One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1101, is set to be December 10, 2023.