Shanks vs Mihawk: Who is Stronger and Who Would Win?

Comparing two of the best characters in any category is both an interesting and a difficult task, but we at Fiction Horizon have decided to undertake it in this article, in which we are going to compare Shanks to Dracule Mihawk. The former is one of One Piece’s strongest characters, while the latter is the series’ best swordsman. Who would win? Let us find out!

Shanks would be able to defeat Mihawk, but the difference between them is very small, almost insignificant. What would ultimately secure Shanks’ victory is his versatility compared to Mihawk’s.

The rest of this article will further elaborate on the above-given answer, as we are going to compare Shanks and Mihawk in more detail. Through several categories, you are going to see who the stronger of the two is and why our answer is like it is.

Origins & Overview

As an Emperor, Shanks is considered one of the four strongest pirates in the world of One Piece, as evidenced by his size of 4,048,900,000 Berries, indicating his danger. He wasn’t afraid to face Whitebeard, which very few would even dare to think, and he even managed to stop Kaidou from killing Newgate and later join Marineford in a single day. Furthermore, the Five Elders consider him one of the few people able to stop Blackbeard.

Mihawk holds the title of the best swordsman in the world. Zeff claims he’s the strongest swordsman who ever existed. He is able to cut steel without any problem: he demonstrated this by defeating Daz Bones in one hit, whose body is made of blades. He managed to cut the giant wave frozen by Aokiji. He has one of the best swords in the world, the Kokuto Yoru.

While Mihawk is feared and dangerous, Shanks’ overall reputation is simply greater. Shanks is an infamous Emperor, and while Mihawk certainly isn’t far from the Emperors in terms of power (he might even be on their level), Shanks is, overall, the more infamous of the two.

Point: Shanks (1:0) Mihawk

Physical abilities

Shanks has immense physical strength, as he was once a rival of Mihawk, a master swordsman of enormous strength who could easily overpower Zoro in matters of brute force.

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Even with only one arm, Shanks is able to use his swordsmanship with tremendous force. He can take on Whitebeard, a gigantic man who could completely overpower giants and an entire army of powerful and experienced naval officers.

Mihawk possesses great physical strength, as he is able to skillfully lift and wield a sword that is longer and heavier than him. During the fight with Zoro, he was able to easily parry his opponent’s blows using only a small knife, although according to Johnny and Yosaku the aforementioned blows had always torn everything to pieces.

Zoro himself was hugely amazed by his strength. With one swipe, he was also able to slice through a giant frozen wave from Aokiji as well as a large ship like the Dreadnought Saber. He also has exceptional eyesight, to the point of being able to follow Luffy’s movements and hurt him even though he was using the Gear Second.

It was impossible to discern the more imposing one among the two. Both are slim, they have similar physiques and seem to be equally strong. We haven’t really been able to find a difference, which is why the points are divided in this case.

Point: Both (2:1)

Haki

Shanks is one of the few people who is able to use all three types of Haki. He has a great mastery of the Haki of Armor and, during the war for supremacy, he used it to block an attack by Akainu, a user of a Rogia fruit.

Shanks also knows how to use the Haki of the Conqueror King, owned by one in a million. The first time he demonstrates this ability is during the rescue of Luffy, where he puts the Cliff Lord to flight.

During his meeting with Newgate, he managed to damage Moby Dick with it and even the latter congratulated him on the high level of use.

He knows how to use it to hit only those he wants and his level with this power is such that if he had used it on the Fishman Island instead of Luffy, he would have probably knocked out all the hundred thousand opponents instead of just fifty thousand.

When he used it during the skirmish with Newgate, who was also able to use it in the same way, the sky was torn apart. He is also able to use the Hakiof Perception, with which he was able to sense the presence of Ace when the latter was still in the open sea, headed for the island he was on.

Mihawk masters the Haki of Observation and the Haki of Armament. He taught Zoro how to use the Armament Haki to keep him from breaking his swords again. This implies that he has sufficient knowledge and mastery that he can also teach someone how to use it.

Shanks is known as one of the best (if not the best) Haki users in the world of One Piece. His Haki is exceptionally powerful and although Mihawk can use some Haki techniques, he is not even near the level of Shanks’ skills, which is why this point goes to Shanks.

Point: Shanks (3:1) Mihawk

Weapons

Shanks appears to have favored the use of his left arm before losing it, as we always see holding his sword with his left hand during flashbacks. He is presumed to have been left-handed.

Shanks is usually depicted with a sword. Although his use was only briefly displayed, the fact that he was able to match a Whitebeard hit with just one arm is a clear indication of the strength of his attacks.

Shanks is also powerful enough to stop Akainu’s Magma Fist using his sword and Armament Haki. Mihawk is ranked as the world’s greatest swordsman, and Shanks is a former rival of the latter which allows him to judge his mastery of the weapon.

Mihawk masters the Haki of Observation and the Haki of Armament. He taught Zoro how to use the Armament Haki to keep him from breaking his swords again. This implies that he has sufficient knowledge and mastery that he can also teach someone how to use it.

The last point, of course, goes to Mihawk, the best swordsman in the world of One Piece. Now, we don’t want to belittle Shanks and his abilities, but even Shanks himself was aware that he wouldn’t stand a chance against Mihawk in a swordfight, which is why we had to give this point to Dracule.

Point: Mihawk (2:3) Shanks

Shanks vs Mihawk – Who would win?

And now for the most important and interesting section of our article – the analysis. Here, we are going to use what we have found out about these two characters and analyze how all these facts would (or would not) help them in a fight against each other. Let us continue.

The points show that Shanks is the better fighter and while we do agree with that (well, we kind of have to, we scored it), we have to say that it was a close one. What really made a difference is the fact that Mihawk is “just” a swordsman, i.e., he focused his abilities on that aspect, while Shanks is more versatile.

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Sure, neither of them uses a Devil Fruit, and they have enormous respect for each other (Shanks refuses to fight Mihawk), but we think that if it would come to a direct clash, Shanks’ versatility would secure a win for the red-haired pirate.