Character Profile: Shanks
Fields | USA Info | Japanese Info | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
Name | Shanks | Shanks |  |
Alias | Red-Haired Shanks | Shanks the Red Head | |
Race | Human | Human | |
Gender | Male | Male | |
Age | 37 years old (source: 4th graphic novel) | 37 years old (source: 4th graphic novel) | |
Hair | Red | Red | |
Eyes | Black | Black | |
Height | |||
Weight | |||
Status | Pirate | Pirate | |
Quote | "Then I give you my precious hat, someday you'll return it to me as an outstanding pirate" | "Then I give you my precious hat, someday you'll return it to me as an outstanding pirate" | |
Voice | |||
Debut | Episode 4: Luffy's Past! Enter Red-Haired Shanks! | ||
Anime | One Piece | One Piece |
Character Description: Shanks
Shanks is the captain of the Red-Haired Pirate crew. He managed to obtain the Cursed Fruits, the GumGum Fruit (Gomu-Gomu in the Japanese version, meaning rubber), which makes whoever eats it able to stretch his/her body like rubber.
Shanks arrived on a small village and decided to stay for a while. He was admired by Monkey D. Luffy, a boy from the village. Shanks refused to take Luffy as one of his pirate crew, because he knew that Luffy couldn't swim very well. To become a pirate crew member of Shanks, Luffy trained hard so that he could swim.
One day, Luffy tried to show everyone that he was worthy to be a pirate by carrying a knife. Everyone laughed and reckoned he was joking. But he wasn't (and he accidentally stabbed himself in the face, which is where he got that scar). A group of mountain bandits came to a bar and asked for beer, only the pirates drank it all. Shanks offered their leader a clean, unopened bottle, only to have it smashed on his head. But despite this abuse, Shanks didn't seem to be mad, but rather helped the bartender clean up the mess. Luffy was mad about Shanks' refusal to fight back and accidently ate the GumGum fruit, much to his hero's displeasure.
Luffy managed to find the bandits and demanded them to apologize to Shanks, only to make their boss angry and try to teach Luffy a lesson. But Shanks showed up and drew the line, that he's fine with being abused but attacking little kids is unforgivable. As his crew dealt with the bandits, the bandit leader took Luffy to the coast and threw him in the water as a Seaking (a monstrous Moray-like creature) ate the bandit and was about to do the same to Luffy.
But Shanks rescued Luffy from the monstrous beast, at the cost of his left arm, and frightened the Seaking away with his scowl. Shanks decided to leave the village. But when Luffy promised him that he would become king of the pirates, Shanks gave him his precious hat, the trademark of the Red-Haired Pirates, only for Luffy to give it back to him when he fulfilled his vow...
Some of Shanks' Pirate crew were pretty famous. Among them are Benn Beckman, the vice-captain of the Red-Haired Pirates, Lucky Roo, the person who is always shown eating chicken, and Yasopp, the father of Usopp (one of Luffy's StrawHat Pirate crew).
