One Piece is undoubtedly a series that features its fair share of strong and powerful characters. Due to the powers and abilities of these characters, there are more than enough characters we can use for our comparisons. The protagonists of this comparison will be Zoro, a member of Luffy's crew, and Shanks, one of the Yonko, both among the best swordsmen in the world of One Piece. In this article, we will analyze both, as we will pit Zoro against Shanks to finally determine who is the strongest and best swordsman.

There's no denying that Shanks is much stronger than Zoro, and he's also, at this point, a better swordsman than him. Shanks is one of the most powerful characters in the entire franchise, while Zoro could become his best swordsman, but even with that title, Shanks would have a much more diverse set of powers with which to defeat Zoro.

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

Physical abilities

Shanks's true abilities remain unknown, as he has yet to be seen 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 pirates in the world. Shanks did not even fear Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world, and even had enough strength to stand up to him, while some pirate captains trembled at the mere mention of his name.

Zoro is one of the physically strongest characters in the series. He demonstrates his strength when fighting Daz Bones, easily lifting a building despite his injuries. He is seen training on the Thousand Sunny with one-ton dumbbells. His strength is likely equal to or greater than that of a giant, as he was able to parry a direct blow from Oars with his swords. After the time skip, Zoro's strength has increased considerably.

There's only one thing to consider here: we know absolutely nothing about Shanks's true powers and abilities, and yet he's one of the most feared pirates in the world. Zoro doesn't stand a chance here.

Points: Shanks 1, Zoro 0

Devil Fruit

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.

Roronoa Zoro is a very powerful character. He is known as one of the most powerful characters in the series and one of the best swordsmen in the series; he will likely, by all means, surpass even Mihawk in the future. Now, Zoro's powers and exploits certainly warrant the conclusion that he consumed a Devil Fruit, but is that really true? It isn't—Roronoa Zoro has never eaten a Devil Fruit.

This makes Zoro one of the very few characters (the other most notable being Mihawk) who is extremely powerful, but has not actually consumed a Devil Fruit; most other powerful characters have their Devil Fruits to thank for their individual reputations.

As we've done before in such situations, we won't award any points to anyone. The result will be the same, but the difference from our usual approach is that we won't share the points, but rather not award them at all. Since neither of them has Devil Fruit powers, they don't deserve any points here.

Points: Shanks 1, Zoro 0

Spy x Family Figure

Come see

RIGHT

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.

During the Battle of Marineford, he imbued his sword with Armament Haki to block a Logia-type attack from Akainu. Shanks can use Observation Haki, and at a fairly strong level, as he spots a strange presence among the inhabitants of Wano Country. Shanks can also use Royal Haki, an ability that only one in a million people can use.

After saving Luffy from a sea monster, he scared the monster off with a furious glare using his Haki. Later, as Shanks boards Whitebeard's ship, many of Whitebeard's men (experienced men who survived in the New World) were knocked unconscious by his overpowered Royal Haki, and the ship itself even began to take physical damage from Shanks' mere presence, indicating that he is emanating great power.

Oda mentioned in an SBS that Shanks was able to eliminate all 100,000 pirates and fishmen opposing the Straw Hats during the Fish-Man Island Arc with his Royal Haki, while Luffy managed to eliminate "only" 50,000 of them.

Zoro is one of the few people to possess all three forms of Haki. Zoro possesses Royal Haki, the rarest form of Haki, whose users possess the qualities of a king. He is first mentioned as possessing this power by Kaido after Zoro's nine-sword attack. During his fight with King, he uses Royal Haki to coat his swords, a highly advanced form, and at the same time, members of the Beasts crew faint.

He didn't use Haki offensively against Monet, but he still managed to defeat her because she thought he was going to use Haki and that she would die. Monet's fear at that moment completely destabilizes her. He has learned to imbue his swords with Haki to make them more effective against Haki or Devil Fruit users.

He also used Armament Haki on Pica to slice him, meaning his Haki is more advanced than Pica's. Using Haki also allows him to counter Devil Fruit powers, as he did to temporarily stop the Birdcage.

He first uses Observation in his fight against Nuru, a Fishman capable of blinding his opponents thanks to the lantern on his forehead, even telling him that he only used his eyes to see and that was why he was weak; he used it again to find Caribou in the palace. He also uses it during the Dressrosa Arc, to find the whereabouts of the one who stole his saber but also to find Pica during his fight against him.

Okay, both of them can use all three types of Haki, which puts us in a bit of a bind, but only for a second. Namely, Shanks's mastery of Haki is at such a level that Zoro can't even properly compare, which is why the Yonko wins this point.

Points: Shanks 2, Zoro 0

Weapons

Shanks is generally described as a great swordsman. Ten years ago, he knew how to swim, so it was assumed he had no fruit, and to this day, there is no evidence that he has consumed any. Before losing his arm, his fights against Mihawk were famous, even reaching the ears of Whitebeard himself. Although he has not been seen fighting with his sword long enough to know its techniques until now, he has been seen in situations where he needed to show his true strength, such as when he faced Whitebeard, appearing practically on his level, even though he only has one arm.

Given that Mihawk is ranked as the best swordsman in the world and Shanks is his former rival, it can be assumed that he is a very skilled swordsman. It is believed that the redhead preferred his left arm before losing it, as he is always seen holding his sword in his left hand during flashbacks, though there is also speculation that he used dual swords, which would explain Mihawk's disinterest in fighting him after losing his arm and would match the dual swords of the redhead's Jolly Roger.

At the beginning of his pirate journey, Zoro only mastered Santoryu, his conventional fighting style; but over time, he began to master techniques from other schools, such as Nitoryu, Ittoryu, and Mutouryu. Currently, Zoro and the rest of the crew have improved their abilities to face the New World.

Zoro is known to be able to cut a Pacifista of the caliber of those found in the Sabaody Archipelago, so it follows that Zoro can relatively easily cut materials even harder than steel without using Shishi Sonson-type moves, most likely because he has learned to use busoshoku haki.

And while we still think Shanks is a better swordsman than Zoro at this point, we decided to split the points to give Luffy's swordsman some credit, as he's really trying his best to become the best.

Points: Shanks 3, Zoro 1

Shanks vs. Zoro: Who Wins?

And now, let's move on to the most important and interesting section of our article: the analysis. Here, we'll take what we've discovered about these two characters and analyze how all these facts would help them (or not) in their fight against each other. Let's continue.

Now, this comparison was relatively simple because the difference between our two choices was really obvious. Sure, Zoro is a formidable fighter, he's a master swordsman with enormous physical strength, which makes him one of the toughest opponents you could face in the franchise, but we have Shanks on the other hand. Red-haired Shanks, the guy who stopped a sea monster with his Haki, and the guy who seems to know absolutely everything that goes on in the pirate world.

And while we still know relatively little about Shanks's true powers, the fact that he was granted an audience with the Five Elders and managed to stop the Marineford War simply by appearing there speaks volumes. The Five Elders would never let a weakling get to them, and a weak character wouldn't be able to stop a war either. On top of that, even the cunning Blackbeard is clearly aware that he shouldn't confront Shanks, knowing he would lose.

We could list Shanks's exploits until next month, but it wouldn't really change anything. Zoro is good, but Shanks is simply better. It's possible that Zoro surpasses Shanks in terms of swordsmanship, but Shanks is—at this moment—also a better swordsman.