One Piece is undoubtedly a series that features its fair share of strong and powerful characters. Thanks to the powers and abilities of these characters, we can use a sufficient number of characters for our comparisons. The protagonists of this comparison will be Eustass Kid, one of the most formidable members of the "Worst Generation," and Shanks, one of the Yonko, who are both among the best swordsmen in the world of One Piece. In this article, we will analyze both, pitting Eustass Kid against Shanks to finally determine who is the strongest and best swordsman.

Shanks would do so and, as far as we know, has already defeated Eustass Kid. Eustass Kid lost his arm and received his scars earlier in the story while fighting Shanks' pirate crew some time ago; it is unknown if Shanks did this personally or not, but it is known that Eustass Kid is aware that Shanks is stronger but still wants to fight the legendary pirate.

The remainder of this article will expand on the answer given above, as we compare Shanks and Eustass Kid in more detail. Across several categories, you'll see who is the stronger of the two and why our answer is the way it is—that is, why Shanks would ultimately be able to defeat Kid in a direct fight.

Physical powers

Kid has demonstrated tremendous strength, being able to carry dozens of gigantic boulders in a very short time, practically on par with Luffy, while wearing handcuffs containing sea stone and with only one arm. He also defeated Dobon, a leader of the Beast Pirates, as well as Luffy with great ease, all with the aforementioned drawbacks. He is also strong enough to destroy a ship with the help of Luffy and Law.

He also possesses tremendous stamina, as he could withstand a direct punch from Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors, whom he sent flying right afterward with the power of his fruit. He has been shown to be able to gain enormous weight from ingested food and, like Luffy, quickly digest it to return to his normal form. It is unknown if this is due to one of his abilities or if it was just a comedic moment.

Shanks' abilities remain unknown, as he has yet to be seriously engaged in battle. However, as a member of the Four Emperors of the New World, his raw physical power is considered immense, and he is known to be one of the four strongest characters in the world. Shanks did not even fear Whitebeard, the world's most powerful pirate, and even had enough strength to stand up to him, while some pirate captains trembled at the mere mention of his name.

As a Yonko, Shanks is definitely stronger than Eustass Kid, as he is one of the most powerful characters in the entire series. This means that Shanks easily understands this point.

Points: Child 0, Shanks 1

Devil Fruit

Kid ate the Jiki Jiki no Mi, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit connected to magnetism that allows him to attract and repel metallic objects at high speeds as if his body were a huge and powerful magnet. With this, he can repel bullets and send them back at his shooter or attract all the metal in the area and create enormous limbs, like arms, to strike his enemies or block attacks, such as a Pacifista's laser beam.

Additionally, he has excellent physical fitness to withstand the added weight of these metals. The child can launch compressed balls of scrap metal at high speeds in the Unlimited Cruise game. The child can also attract himself to metal structures using his metal arm as a magnet, allowing him to travel by plane.

Shanks is the only one among the Four Emperors who does not have Devil Fruit powers, as he has never eaten one; from what we can gather, it seems that Shanks has never had any desire to eat a Devil Fruit.

As usual in this category, the character with the Devil Fruit always wins the point if the other character doesn't have a Devil Fruit. Since Shanks doesn't have one, as far as we know, Kid wins this point.

Points: Child 1, Shanks 1

Sailor Moon figurine

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RIGHT

Kid can use all three types of Haki, including one non-canon. Kid can use Kenbunshoku Haki, being able to detect Luffy after activating his awakening. Kid can use Busoshoku Haki, but his level of use is unknown. In One Piece: Stampede, Kid was able to harden two metallic arms he created with Busoshoku Haki. Kaidou revealed that Kid possesses Haoshoku Haki. In the anime, Kid uses it to intimidate various members of the Beast Pirates, showing that he can use it consciously.

Shanks can use all three types of Haki. Even Whitebeard complimented him on his Haki when he used it during his "visit." He demonstrated the use of both Royal Haki and Armament Haki. When Shanks and Whitebeard clashed, the "heavens" above them split, showing the incredible power of the Armament Haki that both emperors had imbued into their weapons.

He imbued his blade with Armament Haki during the Battle of Marineford in order to deflect an Akainu attack in a Logia-like manner. Shanks has a fairly high degree of observation, as he notices a strange presence among the residents of Wano County. Additionally, Shanks has access to the power of a million Royal Haki.

He used his Haki and an angry expression to scare the sea monster after freeing Luffy from it. Later, as Shanks entered Whitebeard's ship, many of Whitebeard's men—seasoned warriors who survived in the New World—were already knocked unconscious by his super-effective Royal Haki, and the ship even began to take physical damage from Shanks's mere presence, demonstrating the extent of his strength.

And while both can use all three types of Haki, there is absolutely no doubt that Shanks' Haki skills surpass Eustass Kid's in every way possible, which is why, ultimately, Shanks wins this point.

Points: Child 1, Shanks 2

Weapons

Around his torso, he carries a pistol and a purple-handled dagger. Although he has drawn the latter several times, he has never used it in combat, so his abilities with it are unknown at this time. At some point during the timeskip, his left arm was replaced with a metallic one, making him a cyborg. The ability this new arm grants him is still unknown, but he is able to combine it with his Devil Fruit abilities.

Shanks is generally portrayed as a great swordsman. Shanks can be presumed to be an extremely skilled swordsman, given that Mihawk is the best swordsman in the world and is his former adversary. While there is speculation that the redhead once used dual swords, which would explain Mihawk's lack of interest in fighting him after losing his arm and would match the redhead's Jolly Roger dual swords, it is assumed that the redhead preferred his left arm before losing it, as he is always shown holding his sword in his left hand during flashbacks.

And while Kid is certainly not someone to be underestimated in this aspect, it is Shanks who also takes this last point into account as he is an exceptionally skilled swordsman on the level of Mihawk.

Points: Child 1, Shanks 3

Eustass Kid vs. Shanks: Who Would Win?

The points clearly confirm that Shanks would be able to defeat Eustass Kid in a direct fight, and this is absolutely correct. Eustass Kid is simply not on Shanks' level, and while he is definitely a formidable fighter whose abilities cannot be underestimated, Shanks is simply too powerful; this is also confirmed by the fact that Shanks and his crew are responsible for the loss of Kid's arm and his scars, which also confirms our conclusions in this particular case.