As One Piece sails deeper into its Final Saga, fans are finally beginning to see how creator Eiichiro Oda has been setting up the ultimate players in the story’s endgame. And while Monkey D. Luffy remains the undeniable protagonist, one character now stands beside him in importance Red-Haired Shanks.
Currently, One Piece is in the Elbaf Arc, where Luffy and the Straw Hat crew continue their journey toward the ultimate treasure. But as Oda unveils more of the world’s mysteries, one name has begun to dominate discussions: Shanks.
Oda has previously hinted that fans could tell One Piece was entering its final chapter when Shanks began appearing more frequently in the manga. “When Shanks starts showing up often in the story, that’s when you know One Piece is in its final saga.”
This wasn’t just a passing comment it was a coded message from the creator himself that Shanks’s time to shine had arrived.
According to director Goro Taniguchi, who worked closely with Oda on One Piece Film: Red, the author personally explained that Shanks is as vital to One Piece’s story as Luffy himself.
“Shanks is just as important to One Piece as Luffy,” Goro Taniguchi, recalling Oda’s words.
This statement reinforces what many fans have long suspected: Shanks isn’t merely a mentor or symbol he is a key figure whose actions will define the world’s future.
Oda has always portrayed Shanks as a mysterious force charismatic, calm, and immensely powerful. But behind that stoic smile lies a destiny intertwined with Luffy’s. Some fans believe that Oda himself identifies with Shanks, describing him as the kind of person the author aspires to be: wise, capable, and quietly commanding.
That sentiment alone suggests that Shanks’s role in the Final Saga goes beyond being an ally or rival. He represents the culmination of Oda’s themes freedom, destiny, and the will to carry the world forward.
As the story nears its climax, it’s no longer just Luffy’s journey to find the One Piece — it’s also Shanks’s final act in the grand tale he helped set in motion.
After years of standing in the shadows, Shanks is expected to move directly into the spotlight. Whether as an ally, a challenger, or a bridge between the old and new eras of piracy, his presence will be pivotal.
In Oda’s own storytelling language, Shanks’s reappearance signals that the end has truly begun.
In the Final Saga, Oda is weaving the destinies of his two greatest creations Luffy and Shanks toward their inevitable intersection. Shanks isn’t just Luffy’s inspiration; he’s the mirror of what Luffy could become and the final key to the series’ ultimate secret.
So while One Piece may carry Luffy’s name, the end of this legendary voyage will just as much belong to Red-Haired Shanks.
Sources: gamek
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