Eiichiro Oda has successfully crafted a narrative so enthralling in One Piecethat it could be its own undoing at the hands of observant fans. Creating a world with so many engaging supporting characters is impressive, but it can be a headache when they’re suddenly under intense scrutiny. For the past year, said character is none other than Red-haired Shanks.
Shanks is Luffy’s earliest role model in the series, goading him into becoming a gutsy pirate while losing an arm protecting the boy. Yet, his influence stretches far past that, especially as one of the Four Emperors. But as a consequence of the reveal of Kenjiro Tsuda as his twin brother, Shamrock, one debunked theory has resurfaced.
One Piece’s Shanks Rat Meme Lives On
The latest reveal of Shamrock’s voice actor shouldn’t normally be considered so consequential to long-standing One Piece anime and manga lore, but it prompted a revisit of the Reverie Arc. The moment in question was in the anime’s episode #887 in which a hooded figure, believed initially to be Shanks, meeting with the Five Elders to discuss a “certain pirate.”
This is where the rumors of Shanks’ duplicitous “rat” suspicions arose, as a double agent in One Piece for the highest agents of the government.
The moment is played up as “the unexpected” in the anime, with the manga showing that same moment while never directly following up. This is where the rumors of Shanks’ duplicitous “rat” suspicions arose, as a double agent in One Piece for the highest agents of the government. However, the Shamrock voice reveal hints it was Shanks who spoke here.
Fans quickly reexamined the episode’s contents, noting the voice credit for Shanks and his cloak and collared shirt being typical of him as opposed to Shamrock’s more gilded attire. Validity of these observations aside, the Tsuda voice reveal complicates things and, in the eyes of the viewers, this confirms Shanks met with the Five Elders secretly in chapter #907.
Does This Mean Shanks Conspired With the World Government?
For now, there’s no solid proof that it was indeed Shanks who met with the World Government. The Five Elders greeted him with the same arrogant dismissal of his authority as a political authority as they did for Celestial Dragons like Garling in chapter #1125 before he joined their ranks. It’s intentionally kept a secret with no explicit reveal yet.
However, Tsuda’s reveal as the official Shamrock voice actor could also be a simple retcon. Oda, much like many long-running authors, has written himself into a corner many times as documented across the decades. He didn’t plan for Vivi to be a princess, Shanks to be at Marineford for the Paramount War, or for Ace to be an important character.
For now, it remains an interesting possibility that Shanks indeed could have conspired with the World Government in One Piece. It complicates his image and motivations with how he observes Luffy’s progress. How this affects One Piece remains to be seen, and Shamrock’s reveal initially dispelled that, with this moment reminding fans that there’s no explicit confirmation yet either way.
