Shanks is one of the Four Emperors(Yonko) of the New World. He is the captain of the Red Hair Pirates. Shanks is the youngest Yonko as he became a Yonko six years ago. He used to be a rival of Dracule "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk before he lost his arm. Shanks is without a doubt one of the strongest characters in the series.
He is able to use all three types of Haki, which makes him one of the few characters able to fo so. As a Yonko, very few people are capable of matching his strength. However, he is not completely undefeatable. In this post, we will discuss five characters that are capable of beating Shanks and five that aren't.
10 Can: Whitebeard
Whitebeard was a Yonko just like Shanks. He was the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates. While he was still alive, Whitebeard was considered the "Strongest Man Alive." According to Buggy, Whitebeard was the closest pirate to Roger's level. Whitebeard ate the Gura Gura no Mi, which gave him the power to destroy the world.
The devil fruit allowed Whitebeard to create quakes. At Marineford, we finally got to see what Whitebeard is capable of doing. It is pretty simple to understand whyS Shanks won't be able to beat Whitebeard in a fight.
9 Can't: Kizaru
Kizaru is one of the three Marine Admirals. He possesses the Pika Pika no Mi, which is a logia type devil fruit. The devil fruit allows Kizaru to manipulate light freely. Kizaru is able to launch laser beams from his fingers. This ability was also used in the Pacifista system.
Kizaru was able to clash with Rayleigh on equal footing, and that is an impressive feat considering that Rayleigh used to be the right-hand man of the Pirate King. However, there is a massive difference in the power of a Yonko and a first mate. Shanks would easily wipe the floor with Kizaru.
8 Can: Gol D. Roger
Gol D. Roger was the captain of Roger Pirates. Shanks was an apprentice on Roger's crew He was the man who became the Pirate King after reaching Raftel. We haven't seen Roger fighting in the series so far, but the people who have watched Roger fighting label him as a monster.
Only two people are known to be on Roger's level— Whitebeard and Rocks D. Xebec. Shanks hasn't displayed his true power either, but it probably won't be enough to beat the Pirate King.
7 Can't: Charlotte Katakuri
Charlotte Katakuri is one of the Three Sweet Commanders of Big Mom Pirates. He is also the strongest among the three. Katakuri has a bounty of over 1 billion beris. He had a legendary record of never being beaten prior to the Whole Cake Island arc. Katakuri has insanely strong Armament Haki.
He also has Advanced Observation Haki that allows him to look into the future. Katakuri's devil fruit adds even more to his power. He possesses the Mochi Mochi no Mi, which is a special paramecia type devil fruit. His devil fruit allows him to control and manipulate mochi at will.
6 Can: Marshall D. Teach
Marshall D. Teach is more commonly known as Blackbeard. His rise to fame has been astonishingly quick. He became a Shichibukai after capturing Ace. Then he stole Whitebeard's devil fruit and beat the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates. This solidified his position as the newest Yonko.
Blackbeard has two devil fruits making him the only person in One Piece to do so. Both his devil fruits— Yami Yami no Mi and Gura Gura no Mi are insanely powerful. Blackbeard has already got some history with Shanks, but it is still a mystery.
5 Can't: Kozuki Oden
Kozuki Oden is probably one of the luckiest guys in One Piece. Why? He sailed with two of the most powerful pirates ever to roam the seas. Kozuki was a division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates before he left for Roger Pirates. Oden is undoubtedly a very strong swordsman.
He wielded two swords— Ame no Habakiri and Enma. Both are Ō Wazamono grade swords. A huge feat that Oden has to his name is that he managed to wound Kaido, who is supposedly trying his hardest to get himself killed and he might have achieved that if he hadn't turned Oden into Oden soup. Anyway, Oden is a powerful character, but he would have fallen short of defeating Shanks.
4 Can: Monkey D. Dragon
Monkey D. Dragon is the leader of the Revolutionary Army. He is the son of Garp and the father of Monkey D. Luffy. Dragon is a very enigmatic character and very few things are known about him.
Dragon is the most sought after man in the world. He has openly challenged the World Government and is trying to liberate the world from their clutches. It is fair to say that when you have got the entire World Government on strings, you must be pretty powerful.
3 Can't: Monkey D. Luffy
Monkey D. Luffy is the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. He is also known as the "Fifth Yonko." Luffy has become a lot more powerful since he last met Shanks. Luffy is able to use all three types of Haki and after his fight with Katakuri, Luffy is able to use Advanced Observation Haki to look into the future.
However, he is still way behind in power when it comes to facing a Yonko. Big Mom and Kaido both wiped the floor with him. It is still too early for Luffy to meet Shanks, nevermind fighting him.
2 Can: Kaido
Kaido is one of the Four Yonko, just like Shanks. He is known as the "Strongest Creature Alive." Kaido possesses a mythical zoan devil fruit that allows him to turn into an Eastern Dragon. Kaido took one Luffy with just one swift strike.
Almost all the Yonko are equal in strength and it wouldn't be at all surprising that if Kaido can defeat Shanks. They have already clashed once before the battle of Marineford. It is unknown what happened when the two exchanged blows.
1 Can't: Akainu
The final character on the list is Fleet Admiral Akainu. Akainu is the user of the Magu Magu no Mi, which allows him to freely manipulate magma. Akainu is certainly a very powerful character as he faced many super-strong opponents at Marineford. He fought against the likes of Whitebeard, Marco, Vista, etcetera.
However, Akainu is still not close to the power of a Yonko. He was destroyed by Whitebeard at Marineford. Besides, he didn't even try anything when Shanks came to Marineford to stop the war.
