Shanks vs. Gol D. Roger: Who Is Stronger & Who Would Win in a Fight?

The relationship between Shanks and Gol D. Roger was deep, as Roger was a father figure to the young Shanks, whom Roger found in a chest they had taken from God Valley. Roger decided to take young Shanks with them and raised him to be a pirate. Shanks valued Roger very much and admired him, but how would the two of them have fared in a fight? In this article, we will compare Shanks and Roger to determine who the stronger is and who would win in a fight.

Although Shanks’ powers are relatively unknown at this point, it is still highly improbable that he has surpassed Gol D. Roger regarding powers and abilities. Sure, Shanks is arguably the strongest One Piece character at this point, but without his arm and knowing how powerful Roger was, it is not that likely that Shanks has reached a level that could be described as being above Roger’s. Roger was basically invincible, and he was, without a doubt, the strongest pirate of his era and remains one of the strongest characters in the whole series. This is why he could probably defeat Shanks in a fight.

What follows, of course, is a detailed analysis of the answer we have given you above. We will portray Shanks and Gol D. Roger from One Piece in more detail, giving you a thorough analysis of the issue at hand and the balance of power between the two characters using our usual formula. Through several categories, you will see who the stronger of the two is and why our answer is like it is, i.e., why we think that Shanks still hasn’t reached Roger’s level at this time and that Roger would be able to defeat him in a direct one-on-one fight.

Physical powers

Shanks hasn’t participated in any substantial fight, so his abilities are still ambiguous in the broadest sense. Since he is one of the Four Emperors, his physical strength is supposed to be immense, making him one of the four strongest characters in the universe. In fact, Shanks might be the current strongest Emperor. Whitebeard caused countless pirate leaders to tremble at his mere mention, but Shanks was fearless and strong enough to face down the world’s fiercest pirate, which speaks for itself.

Before he died, Roger was known as the “King of the Pirates” because of his unrivaled combat prowess. Only Edward Newgate, who possessed the Gura Gura no Mi and was named the “World’s Strongest Man” following Roger’s demise, and Vice-Admiral Garp, who repeatedly cornered Roger before yielding, were able to compete with Roger’s strength in a fight. Monkey D. Garp and Roger had to team together to battle Rocks D. Xebec, who was viewed as Roger’s strongest nemesis. His ability to compete with Shiki is another illustration of his might. Although gravely ill, he easily defeated Kozuki Oden, one of the most talented fighters in the series.

We ultimately have to award this point to Roger because Roger’s physical power seems to be unmatched in the series’ lore, perhaps only by Xebec. Shanks might be very close to that level, although we don’t know for certain, and until we do, Roger takes this one.

Points: Shanks 0, Roger 1

Devil Fruit

Devil Fruits are often a character’s best power and represent a character’s trademark power. But, a lot of powerful characters in the series never ate a Devil Fruit, and Shanks is the most notable example among them, especially since he was able to become an Emperor of the Sea without a Devil Fruit, being the only one among the Emperors without a Devil Fruit.

The same can be said about Gol D. Roger as well. It is a well-known fact that Gol D. Roger never consumed a Devil Fruit his whole life, and in that aspect, all of his powers come from his training and his innate abilities. This makes him even more formidable from a power-wise point of view.

What we’re dealing with here is a classic case of two One Piece characters who have not consumed a Devil Fruit, and since we already know what to do in such cases, we will – once again – not award points to any of the two characters in question.

Points: Shanks 0, Roger 1

Haki

Shanks is among a few characters who can use all three types of Haki. When Shanks and Whitebeard engaged in their brief battle, the “heavens” above them tore apart, demonstrating the immense power of Armament Haki that they had imbued in their weapons. He imbued Armament Haki onto his blade during the Battle of Marineford to repel Akainu’s attack while the latter was using his Devil Fruit powers.

Shanks has a very high level of observation of Haki because he notices a weird presence among the residents of Wano County. He can also use Conqueror’s Haki, as he did to scare away the Sea King that attacked Luffy, but also to knock out Whitebeard’s whole crew.

Naturally, as a king, Gol D. Roger could use all three forms of Haki. We don’t know how good Roger was at Kenbunshoku Haki, but he could use it. Roger could hone his sword and slash at Whitebeard’s Murakumogiri with the aid of Busoshoku Haki. Lightning flashed, and wind blasted during their fight 26 years ago, which could only have been brought on by two people using this Haki clashing.

Roger also exhibited his ability to impart Haki onto his blade. Moreover, he was one of the extremely few people who had access to Conqueror’s Haki.

We won’t be unfair and strip Shanks of his well-deserved point here, as both of them can use the same number of Haki, which means that we have to split the points as per usual. And that is exactly what we will do in this penultimate category.

Points: Shanks 1, Roger 2

Weapons

Shanks is frequently represented as a skilled swordsman. One may presume that Shanks is a very skilled swordsman, given that Mihawk, the best swordsman in the world, was his former rival. Even though it is rumored that the redhead once used dual swords, which would account for Mihawk’s lack of interest in combating him after losing his arm and would match the double swords of the redhead’s Jolly Roger, it is assumed that the redhead preferred his left arm before losing it because he is always shown holding his sword in his left hand during flashbacks. He was nevertheless able to parry Whitebeard with a weapon, even without one arm.

As demonstrated by his single-attack triumph over the legendary fighter Kozuki Oden, Roger was a master with the sword. Additionally, he was as strong as Whitebeard’s Murakumogiri, which produced a strong shock wave that shook both Moby Dick and the entire island. As far as is known, he was one of the series’ best swordsmen and has proven himself capable of competing against the most powerful and competent weapon wielders of his day.

Without his one arm, Shanks would certainly stand absolutely no chance against Roger, but we’re not certain that Shanks could defeat the legendary Pirate King even with both of his arms, as Roger was simply an exceptional swordsman. And that is why he wins this final point.

Points: Shanks 1, Roger 3

Shanks is incredibly powerful but against Roger at his peak? We don’t think that even Shanks would claim that he could win

Ultimately, the points confirm that we also guessed when we started our analysis – that Gol D. Roger would be able to defeat Shanks in a fight, and that is – we believe – something that even Shanks himself would confirm if asked directly.

The main issue here is that Roger is a character from the past, which means that we know very little about him, while Shanks is a character from the present, but Oda has revealed very little about his powers and abilities. Both of them are incredibly strong, which cannot be doubted, but we’ve never had the chance to really evaluate their powers and abilities in a proper way, and that is what made this analysis so complex.

Still, we do think that Roger would triumph. Why? Well, he was stronger than Whitebeard, Garp, and even Oden, and together with Garp, he was able to take down Xebec as well. Until Shanks does something similar to this, until his reputation becomes such, we cannot really do much but give Roger the win here. Despite all the question marks, his reputation is certainly there.

And sure, you can argue that Shanks also has a reputation and that Blackbeard is afraid of him, and that he did not lose to Whitebeard or Mihawk, but Roger was not on par with his rivals – he was stronger than them, and he was the King of the Pirates and a King certainly does deserve his crown.