According to a One Piece theory, Shanks might have a twin brother and his interaction with Whitebeard in the past seemingly confirms it.

SUMMARY

Shanks’ character has been questioned by One Piece fans for a long time.

All of the allegations erupted when he went to meet the Five Elders in One Piece.
However, according to one theory, it was his twin brother who met the Five Elders.

The debate about Shanks’ role in One Piece has been one of the most prominent topics within the fandom. His mysterious character and his unclear goals have led fans to believe that he might be the big bad villain of One Piece who is hiding behind the mask of wisdom and will reveal his true nature at the last moment to gain everything for himself.

Shanks in One Piece | Credit: Toei Animation

This debate about Shanks being evil has originated from his secret meeting with the Five Elders, who have already been established as one of the main antagonists. This meeting took place during the Reverie arc, and ever since then, almost every action of Shanks in One Piece has been judged by fans, while some are sure that Shanks is evil, others have come up with an explanation for the scene.

The explanation is much of a theory that points out that Shanks has a twin brother who actually is a part of the World Government and is the real evil character. While there are a few pieces of evidence that support this theory, the biggest one was Shanks’ meeting with Whitebeard back in One Piece chapter 434.

Shanks being evil doesn’t make sense

Although Shanks has been a part of One Piece since day one, his intentions and his goals have remained a mystery. He is one of the One Piece characters who has had the least amount of appearances, and only when the story reached the final saga did Shanks start becoming a regular. Still, fans don’t know half of Shanks’ plan.

However, this doesn’t mean that Shanks is an evil character. From the beginning, Shanks has tried to do what’s right. Be it saving Luffy from the Sea King or stopping the Marineford War and providing a proper funeral for Whitebeard and Ace. He has always protected the people who couldn’t stand up for themselves and has never engaged himself in an unnecessary battle.

Shanks meets with the Five Elders in One Piece. | Credit: Toei Animation

Not only that, he has shown genuine care for Luffy and has wished for his betterment, even in his thoughts. This proves that there is no way that Shanks could be an evil character, but considering Eiichiro Oda’s habit of introducing uncanny twists, nothing can be said until the One Piece manga creator confirms himself.

Shanks’ twin brother theory might be confirmed by Whitebeard

While almost all of his actions are justified, the one that still holds the most weight is his meeting with the Five Elders. However, according to a One Piece theory posted by u/Comprehensive_Cup497 on Reddit, the one who met the Five Elders was not Shanks but his twin brother, who, just like Shanks might be a celestial dragon.

Whitebeard meeting Shanks | Credit: Viz Media

This theory is confirmed by Shanks’ meeting with Whitebeard in Chapter 434 when Shanks warns Whitebeard about Blackbeard. During the meeting, Whitebeard particularly says that whenever he looks at his “face,” his scars ache, which means that the person who gave Whitebeard those scars was most likely someone with the same face as Shanks.

While an argument can be made that Figarland Garling might be the one who gave him the scars, the only time the two have met, according to the One Piece narrative, is during the God Valley Incident, and Whitebeard got those scars much later. Thus, the only possible explanation is that Shanks’ twin brother got into a battle with Whitebeard, which clears Shanks of all the evil allegations that One Piece fans have put on him.