One Piece: Shank's mysterious siblings, explained

This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Elbaf Arc.

Summary

• Shanks was born before the God Valley Incident – significant plot detail.
• Shanks is not an only child, has mysterious siblings.
• Shank's siblings' whereabouts remain unknown, potential connection to God's Knights.

Shanks is one of the most mysterious One Piece characters, despite being introduced fairly early in the series. This is largely due to the fact that the author has saved him for the final saga and intends to use him in this particular section of the story. While fans know quite a bit about Shanks now, which is to be expected after about 1130 plus chapters in the story, fans still don't know much about his past, his origins, and at the same time, his family.

In fact, Shank's family was recently introduced into the story as a major plot point, and it will now become more important than ever before in the Final Saga. It has essentially been confirmed that Shanks is not an only child and that he does in fact have siblings as well. Although these individuals have not properly appeared in One Piece so far, they will continue to make an impact soon enough and fans absolutely can't wait to see it.

Shank's birth and the mystery of his siblings

• Shanks was born before the God Valley incident
• Shanks is not a single child

Fans know that Shanks was born 39 years ago in One Piece world. Until recently, fans knew nothing about Shanks' past beyond that. But under One Piece Film Red, Shanks was attached to the Figarland Family, which is a Celestial Dragon family in the One Piece world. This left fans wondering if Shanks had ulterior motives, or if he was somehow abandoned by the celestial dragons. Eventually, Kuma's flashback gave fans additional context and it was finally revealed that Shanks was present during the God Valley Incident. At this point, Shanks would have been almost 1 year old, meaning he was still a baby. The God Valley Incident was shown in detail during the flashback, although the fighting that took place on the island that day remains dark.

Watch carefully, children! – Saint Garling Figarland

Regardless, fans found out a lot of interesting information here. Saint Garling Figarland, who Shanks was linked to in Film Red, turned out to be exactly like Shanks in appearance, just with a different hairstyle. Garling, as fans know, served as a member of the God's Knights, and he fought the pirates that day. This is where he earned the title of Champion of God Valley, which makes quite a bit of sense given his high level of strength and stature.

Garling's performance may not be that important in the grand scheme of things, but what stood out here is that he was talking to his own children. In a special panel in The God Valley Incident, Garling spoke to his children and asked them to observe him closely. Of course, if Garling had only one child, then he would use the appropriate word. But he specifically referred to several children and ordered them to observe him in battle carefully. This essentially gave birth to the idea that Shanks was not an only child and that he likely has some older siblings or, potentially, even a twin.

Of course, as fans know, the God Valley Incident was completely chaotic and in the midst of all this chaos, Roger Pirates found Shanks here. After carrying loot to their ship after the end of the war, they had a young red haired child on their hands and decided to raise him on Oro Jackson. That's exactly how Shanks went from a baby celestial dragon to a member of the Roger Pirates and the inheritor of Roger's will. However, the same cannot be said of the other Saint Garling Figarland children, who remain unknown to this day.

Where are Shank's siblings right now?

The whereabouts of Shanks' siblings are unknown

The fate of Shanks' siblings is still unknown in One Piece so far. All fans know that Shanks managed to find Roger and that he grew up away from the Celestial Dragons completely from that day forward. As for his siblings, fans don't know much.

It is unclear how many siblings Shanks has, and it is also unclear if they are still related to the Figarland family. It's possible Shanks was the only one separated that day, and the others are still working for the World Government. At the same time, it is also possible that the other children were also separated and they are in different places in the world of One Piece right now. Fans can't be sure where they are, but what they do know is that these characters will be involved in the story in one way or another.

I want to talk about a certain pirate. – Shanks Lookalike

A clue that fans received fairly recently concerned the members of the God's Knights. As fans know, these powerful fighters are within the ranks of the Celestial Dragons who take control of the defense of Marijoa, while also handling the justice system. One of the members of the God's Knights, who appears to be their leader, resembles Shanks in silhouette. Even the sword this individual wields looks very similar to Shanks. Maybe this person is Shank's brother and will be important in One Piece later.

More recently, i One Piece chapter 1124, Oda gave fans a glimpse of a certain silhouette individual who looked just like Shanks and also carried a saber like his. Fans don't know who this character is and what role he has to play in the grand scheme of things, but it's safe to say that he's similar to Shanks and will be very important.

Why Shank's siblings have an important role to play

Shank's family secrets will finally begin to be revealed

In the Final Saga of One Piece, Shanks will be a major player, as will his family. Saint Garling Figarland has been specifically introduced by Oda in the Final Saga. The characters similar to Shanks have also been introduced by Oda on purpose here. Shanks will be greatly expanded in this part of the story, so it makes sense that all members of his family are also important. Fans will definitely get to see more of Shanks and his lost family members, and readers absolutely can't wait to see what Oda has planned next for the redheaded emperor.

Fans know that the island of Elbaf is very much connected to Shanks, which could indicate to them that this is where Oda intends to reveal important information about Shanks while also delivering exciting information about Garling Figarland and his other children as well. All fans have to do is sit back patiently and wait for Oda to draw these incredible mysteries One Piece world.

One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by fans officially and for free in the Shonen Jump and Manga Plus apps. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1134, is set for December 22, 2024.