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Shanks, the Captain of the Red Hair Pirates, is one of the most important characters inOne Piece, being the one primarily responsible for the story even taking off in the first place. Shanks has always been shrouded in mystery, and Oda has treated this character very carefully so far.
Shanks only appears rarely in the story and his true motivations, goals, and even a significant portion of his past remain unknown for now. However, all that is set to change in the Final Saga of the story. It is here that Shanks will play an incredibly important role and Oda has already confirmed it to all the readers on multiple occasions.
Oda Confirms Shanks Will Play A Big Role In The Final Saga
If there’s one thing that fans know about Shanks, it is that he will be extremely important in the Final Saga. There are some fans who believe Shanks will be just another side character that Oda throws some light on inOne Piece’sFinal Saga, like other Yonko, or perhaps antagonists like the Admirals, or World Government men, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The truth of the matter is that Shanks is incredibly important and he will be central tothe vast majority of the Final Saga.All things in this saga will, in one way or another, revolve around the red-haired pirate and Oda has already said as much to the fans.
Are you that scared of the new era? — Shanks
While Oda wasn’t exactly sure whenOne Piecewould end and when the Final Saga would begin, there was one thing he always believed to be a solid indicator of the story being in the Final Saga, and that is Shanks. According to Oda himself, when Shanks appears frequently, One Piece is in the Final Saga. Here is what Oda had to say:
When Shanks appears frequently in the manga, you can assume that One Piece has entered the final saga. — Eiichiro Oda, 1998
Oda Confirms Shanks Is One Of The Biggest Players In The Final Saga
Oda has already stated that he has huge plans for Shanksin the Final SagaofOne Piece, but that’s not all. Not only is Shanks going to appear frequently in this part of the story, but it is also confirmed already that Shanks will be a major player. Once the speech that Vegapunk delivered in Egghead ended, Oda highlighted the major players of the Final Saga of the story, and Shanks was highlighted as one of the main players.
The fact that Shanks and family were there means that things will be centered around them more than most others, and that fills fans with joy. It is essentiallyconfirmed that the Final Sagawill see Shanks play a role that can even rival Luffy’s own, and fans absolutely cannot wait to see that.
One Piece Chapter 1149 will be out in a week. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on May 11. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1149 is Jun 22, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free onManga Plus.
