Anime

One Piece Cosplay Flips The Script With Shanks

Luffy’s pirate mentor has made a big splash in the Grand Line in the anime, manga, and live-action series, so cosplayers are offering new takes on the old favorite.
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One Piece’s final arc is running in both the shonen manga and its anime adaptation, setting the stage for Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates to sail into the sunset. As Monkey and his friends fight against the World Government, there has been one character that fans have been anxious to see come into contact with the shonen protagonists. Red-Haired Shanks has been featured in the background, and as fans wait to see the long-awaited reunion between the powerful pirate and Luffy, one cosplayer has given the classic character a twist.

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Netflix’s live-action One Piece saw serious success by staying true to the source material, thanks in part to creator Eiichiro Oda acting as Executive Producer. Much like the original story, we are shown glimpses of Luffy’s childhood as he ate the Gum-Gum Fruit and gained his rubber powers. Thanks to the influence of the Red-Haired Shanks, Monkey D. Luffy found himself wanting nothing more than to become the king of the pirates. While Shanks has never gained this title, he set the stage for the sort of swashbuckler that Luffy wanted to emulate. In season two, Shanks might not be featured as prominently, but perhaps Netflix will find a way to inject him into the story.

Red-Haired Shanks With A Twist

One of the biggest twists in recent One Piece history was the introduction to the fact that Shanks had a daughter. Uta, the ultimate diva, made her first appearance in One Piece Film: Red, but was further fleshed out in individual episodes of the anime adaptation. However Shanks returns to the series in the final arc, and he’s sure to make quite the impression on the Grand Line before One Piece ends. 

@margeannebutterstick

Sorry for the long intro 😅 but finally cosplaying one of my fav characters who only shows up every 100 episodes 😭 #onepiececosplay #onepiece #redhairshanks #shanks #shankscosplay #femshankscosplay

♬ original sound – Marge ╰໒(◉ᴥ◉)७╯

Despite the fact that Shanks seemingly doesn’t have any Devil Fruit powers, he is a massive powerhouse in the world of One Piece. In a recent chapter, Shanks defeated Kidd during a battle, showing just how strong Luffy’s mentor is, despite never quite being at the forefront of the story. 

What do you think Shanks’ role will be in the final chapters of One Piece? Do you foresee the reunion between Shanks and Luffy being a peaceful one? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the Grand Line.