One Piece fans have been unsure about Shanks for several years now, with many wondering if he's really as good and selfless as he seems. While there's plenty of debate, many are curious to know if Shanks is evil and if he has a dark side that fans aren't fully aware of.

Shanks is caring but mysterious, often making questionable and shady moves in One Piece. While many of his actions could mean that Shanks is evil and manipulating Luffy, it's more likely that Shanks has darker secrets, knows much more through his Observation Haki, and uses it to influence fate.

While there's no solid evidence to suggest that Shanks is truly evil, he's certainly not completely good and pure like Luffy, and he likely has a darker side that he prefers to hide. Stick around to learn more about Shanks, what we know about his alliances, why fans think he might be evil, and Shanks' potential dark side.

Is Shanks bad in One Piece?

Shanks is probably one of the most beloved characters in One Piece, but he has also been one of the most mysterious characters One Piece has to offer for the majority of One Piece's story. Although the new One Piece: Film Red has revealed more information about Shanks, we still know very little about Shanks' background, ancestry, and even his alignment. Furthermore, he has sometimes made questionable actions and decisions.

Many of his moves have led many One Piece fans to believe that he might not be as good as they think, as well as the fact that he can appear out of nowhere when it doesn't really make sense. Some fans believe that Shanks might be guiding Luffy for his own dark intentions, believing that Shanks is truly evil and has been plotting against Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates this whole time.

It is believed that Shanks initially stole the Gomu Gomu no Mi from the Who's Who ship, possibly with the intention of eating it to get closer to finding One Piece. However, Luffy ate the fruit, and some fans believe that this is when Shanks began using Luffy as a tool—solely to protect and guide him in getting his hands on One Piece.

Much of Shanks's evil theory stems from his interactions with the powerful and evil Gorosei, which we'll cover in more detail later. But one specific Shanks scene gives us a truly dark and perplexing view of his potential intentions, shared below thanks to a One Piece fan on Twitter.

This scene suggests that Shanks has been using Luffy all along to retrieve One Piece, while also aiming to claim it for himself. Recent events have also raised even more questions surrounding Shanks and his motives, such as Shanks officially joining the Laugh Tale race, as well as his intriguing departure from Wano.

Does Shanks have a dark side?

One Piece fans have been questioning Shanks' true allegiance since the Reverie, as it was quite surprising that he made an appearance. According to Shonen Daily, a few points in this scene could indicate that Shanks is actually a secret government agent, providing information that could potentially harm Luffy and the crew.

Unlike the other powerful pirates in One Piece, he is respected by the highest-ranking members of the World Government, and the Gorosei also state that they only take the time to talk because it's Shanks and not someone else. All of this gives the impression that Shanks is working for them or, at the very least, has some sort of unspoken agreement with them.

That being said, after Shanks meets them, they are still trying to figure out Luffy's Devil Fruit, even after it was revealed to the main characters of One Piece. This would suggest that Shanks was talking about another pirate or that he was talking about Luffy but actually chose to withhold information about Luffy's powers.

Shanks is also a very powerful pirate, but he isn't always ready to fight, choosing to fight only when necessary, and he often commits selfless acts for others. He may or may not be evil, but he's definitely suspicious. Check out the video below posted by Zhoniin for more details on why fans think Shanks is evil in One Piece.

All the minor details can lead theories in many directions, but it seems that Shanks isn't actually a secret government agent. However, Shanks could very well be working with the Gorosei to maintain the balance of power—after all, Shanks is committed to maintaining or creating peace and believes that power should always be balanced.

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Will Shanks betray Luffy?

That being said, Shanks has shown a ton of evidence suggesting that he's good at heart, even if his motives may still be shrouded in mystery. He also bets on Luffy's success, showing that he truly has faith in the aspiring Pirate King.

It's more likely that Shanks plays an important role in maintaining balance and peace in the One Piece universe, which may require some difficult choices to understand. This would be appreciated by the Gorosei, considering that balance is the only thing preventing Imu from conducting another Great Cleanse.

Additionally, it has recently been shown that Shanks may be a descendant of the Celestial Dragons, which could be why Shanks receives special treatment and privileges from his superiors. However, how the Gorosei may be influenced by Shanks may also depend on the role he plays.

Given all of his questionable actions and strange behavior in certain scenes, it's understandable that One Piece fans would think he's evil, has a dark side, or is at least hiding something. A big factor here is the fact that Shanks is supposedly able to see quite far into the future—much further than many fans might have thought, as shown below in a video posted by Shisui The Ten Power Holder.

Shanks has hinted at this ability several times, such as when he meets Whitebeard and speaks as if he knows Ace will lose, and when he tells Coby that his bravery in the Marinford War changed the fate of the world. If Shanks can truly see that far into the future, then many of his actions could be justified later on—even if they may seem strange, evil, or treacherous at the time.

This could indicate that Shanks is secretive and aware of events that haven't yet occurred in real time in One Piece's timeline, and it could make him much darker than expected. But that doesn't necessarily make him evil—however, only time will tell if fans will ever discover what Shanks is truly up to.

While Shanks betraying Luffy and the crew could lead to an incredible plot twist, serve as the final test for the hero, and lead to an epic showdown between Luffy and Shanks's evil side, Shanks could simply be taking questionable actions to influence the future. Since he uses Observation Haki, it's possible that his actions and decisions are pulling the strings of fate—hopefully in the right direction.