One Piece: Shanks’ twin theory overlooks some important facts

Tulisha srivastava
An Image of Red-Haired Shanks From One Piece

One Piece’s chapter 1083 reveals the existence of “God’s Knights”, or some might call them “Holy Knights.” While only their silhouette is revealed, the person in the middle bears a striking resemblance to Shanks. This gave rise to the famous “Shanks’ twin theory” – but is it really plausible?

One Piece’s Final Saga will witness an event that will impact the world somehow. It is something for fans to find out later whether it will bring about a good change in the world.

The Revolutionary Army, who were assumed to be biding their time, have started making their move to accomplish their goal. However, the plan to overthrow the World Government was never an easy one.

In One Piece chapter 1083, the Revolutionary Army openly declared war against them by destroying the flag of the Celestial Dragons. They also fear a potential enemy who is strong enough to destroy them. Although fans claim that Shanks may have a twin, this theory overlooks some crucial facts.

What is the famous Shanks’ twin theory?

An image of God's Knights from One Piece chapter 1083

One Piece always makes plenty of assumptions and speculations regarding the mysteries of the world. Some theories even go far as claiming Crocodile to be Luffy’s mother. However, not all theories are entirely baseless, either. 

Recently, an intriguing Shanks’ twin theory surfaces when the Eiichiro Oda introduces the Holy Knights in silhouette form, with one member looking eerily similar to Shanks. 

According to the theory, Shanks and his twin brother are born to parents who are said to be Celestial Dragons. Since Roger finds Shanks in a treasure chest at God Valley, the latter becomes a pirate. On the other hand, Shanks’s twin brother stays at Marie Joise and becomes a member of the esteemed God’s Knights. 

To further support this notion, Oda is believed to have forgotten to sketch Shanks’ scar during his encounter with the Gorosei. Many fans suspect the person who encounters Gorosei is not Shanks but rather his twin brother.

Here are examples of fans’ claims regarding chapter 1083 of One Piece:

Why doesn’t this theory seem plausible?

For one, the twin theory doesn’t make sense if one were to remember how Shanks stole the Gomu Gomu no Mi. In the “Wano Country Saga,” Luffy’s devil fruit is revealed to be Hito Hito no Mi after he awakens it. Fans also get a glimpse of Shanks stealing it from the World Government. 

The fact that Shanks meets up with Gorosei means that he has access to the holy land of Marie Joise — something that even a majority of Marines don’t have. Therefore, stealing the devil’s fruit would be easy for Shanks. 

What’s more, when Shanks is talking with Gorosei, only his right profile is shown. As fans know by now, Shanks has a scar on the left side of his face. Therefore, it could be possible that Oda is purposely using cryptic clues to distract fans.

Another fact that the Shanks’ twin theory overlooks is that Oda never reveals anything with the silhouettes. One Piece’s Chapter 69 first mentions the Seven Warlords of the Sea. 

Based on the silhouettes, it’s clear that none of them resembles the real Warlords of that time. Therefore, this further claims that the twin theory will most likely not come true in the future. 

That said, Shanks is still one of the most mysterious characters in the series. Despite having so little screen time, his presence has always impacted the series in major ways. Oda certainly has something huge in store for fans regarding Shanks’ identity.

One Piece can currently be streamed on Crunchyroll. In the meantime, check out our other TV hubs below:

Attack on Titan Season 4 Part 3 | Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Part 2 | Chainsaw Man Season 2 | BRZRKR movie | Jigokuraku Hell’s Paradise | Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 | Sonic the Hedgehog 3 | Invincible Season 2

About The Author

Tulisha is an anime writer at Dexerto. In the past, she has worked for Comic Book Resources. She is most knowledgeable about Shonen series, particularly One Piece and Jujutsu Kaisen. You can contact her at tulisha.srivastava@dexerto.com