A fan video of Shanks utilising Conqueror’s Haki over Blackbeard from One Piece quickly became viral on social media and sparked discussion.
Reddit users are debating the relative strengths of Shanks and Blackbeard after seeing a One Piece fan video that shows Shanks wielding the Conqueror’s Haki on the latter.
Meme Duka’s animation, which was posted to YouTube, depicts “Red-Haired” Shanks engaged in a fictitious conflict with Blackbeard. Blackbeard can be seen teasing Red Hair in the 30-second film, asking whether he’s “giving up.” Shanks responds by yelling, “Die!!!” and unleashing his Conqueror’s Haki on Blackbeard, rendering him immobile. The animation was posted on Reddit and quickly gained popularity. Meme Duka is an animator that has made multiple fan animations of One Piece moments in addition to Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man.
Meme Duka’s video received praise in the Reddit thread for having artwork similar of One Piece writer Eiichiro Oda, although the majority of supporters seemed more interested in arguing Shanks vs. Blackbeard as the canonical winner.
Although fans have been speculating about a one-on-one fight between Shanks and Blackbeard for some time, the two most formidable characters in the franchise have never engaged in combat. They both possess legendary abilities. Shanks is a crucial role model for Monkey D. Luffy, the main character in One Piece, and the original owner of Luffy’s well-known straw hat. The moment Shanks gave up his left arm to save a young Luffy marked a turning point in Luffy’s conversion to piracy. Aside from being one of the Four Emperors, Shanks is exceptionally strong since he is one of the few characters that can use all three forms of Haki.
In the One Piece universe, haki is an expression of a person’s spiritual energy that gives users the ability to control others, detect the presence and emotions of others, and improve their combat skills. One of Shanks’ greatest abilities is the Conqueror’s Haki, which makes him extremely uncommon and practically invincible against anyone with a weaker spiritual character. Meanwhile, one of One Piece’s main enemies is Blackbeard, who was once known as Marshall D. Teach. He was once a part of Whitebeard’s crew and is motivated by an unquenchable thirst for power, wanting to rise to the top of the pirate hierarchy. Luffy only has one Devil Fruit power, while Blackbeard is known to have two, giving him great strength and making him a serious danger to the status quo.
Though they haven’t yet engaged in on-screen combat, Blackbeard and Shanks are both incredibly strong characters in the series with distinct powers. Their potential conflict is a much debated subject. Fans continue to argue the precise lore between the two, since Blackbeard gave Shanks the triple line scar above his left eye at some point prior to the start of the current One Piece plot. Certain fans claim that Blackbeard’s two Devil Fruits and the scar indicate that he has control over Shanks, meaning Blackbeard will prevail. Others counter that even without a Devil Fruit, Shanks’ amazing strength and ki would still make him the winner in a fight.