One Piece: Eiichiro Oda Hints at More Shanks' Answers To Come
Shanks was quite influential when it came to forging Luffy's dream of becoming the new king of the pirates, with One Piece seeing the formation of the Straw Hat Pirates as a result. With the Red-Haired pirate returning via the fifteenth film of the series, One Piece: Red, creator Eiichiro Oda still has plenty of questions to answer surrounding Shanks but is promising fans that more revelations will be on the way when it comes to what Shanks has been up to behind the scenes.
The new One Piece movie doesn't just see Shanks making a comeback, it also introduces his daughter, Uta, who has been touted as the "Ultimate Diva". While this is a new character who hadn't appeared in any stories in the past, the television series recently took the opportunity to further explore the younger years of the signing daughter of Shanks, while also showing the relationship that both Uta and Luffy had in their younger years. With Shanks' return in Red, so to do One Piece fans learn a bit more about Luffy's mentor, with a major name drop taking place in the movie that Oda expanded upon.
One Piece: Shanks
In promoting the film as a part of Eiichiro Oda's "SBS" column, which routinely sees the mangaka answering fan questions, the artist didn't expand upon the mystery behind the "Figarland Family" but hints at this new bloodline's past with Shanks and confirms that more will be revealed, "in the future". During One Piece: Red's run time, the Figarland Family is mentioned by the Five Elders, aka the leaders of the World Government.
Currently, the manga is playing out the "Final Arc" of the series, which will bring the Straw Hat Pirates' journey to an end, and with Shanks returning to the Shonen series on both the printed page and in Red, it's clear that the Red-Haired rogue will play a major role in the series moving forward. While Shanks and Luffy have yet to have a heart-to-heart, the Final Arc will surely see the two meet once again.
What mysteries do you think lie within the Figarland Family? Have you already headed to theaters to see One Piece: Red? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the Grand Line.