Oda Hints At A Major Detail About Shanks’s Mother

Shanks is the center of attention in One Piece at the moment, and much of that is down to the ongoing events in the Elbaf Arc. As fans know, the Elbaf arc recently showcased its villain, and this person is none other than a Shanks look alike, who is most certainly his twin brother. Of course, fans also know that there is another very important character who was introduced in the Final Saga related to Shanks, and that person is none other than Saint Garling Figarland.

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As is clear, the Final Saga of One Piece is going to focus on the Figarland family and its dynamics greatly, which leads one to wonder as to who Shanks’s mother truly is. While Shanks might have inherited his strength from a very mighty individual, there is something else that he could have inherited from his mother.

Shanks’s Connection To The Figarland Family

• Shanks Is A Lost Figarland Family Child
• Shanks Was Separated From The Figarland Family On The Day Of The God Valley Incident

Shanks is a member of the Figarland family, although he doesn’t actively carry this name. This was first hinted at in One Piece Film Red, where, upon Uta being revealed to be Shanks’s daughter, the Gorosei were seen wondering whether she is a Figarland as well. This was clearly an indication of the fact that Shanks was a member of the Figarland family. This small detail was left at that in One Piece Film Red, but was later touched upon once again in the One Piece manga. In the Final Saga, readers got a proper look at Saint Garling Figarland, a very high-ranking Celestial dragon who was revealed as the Supreme Commander of the God’s Knights. Upon seeing Garling Figarland, fans finally got confirmation of the fact that Shanks is from Celestial Dragon lineage.

More recently, in the God Valley flashback of the Egghead Arc, Oda revealed a younger version of Saint Garling Figarland to the fans. This version of Garling looked exactly like Shanks, with the only difference being his hair, which was shaped like a crescent, and his clothes, which were those of royalty. At this point, it was confirmed to the fans that Garling was Shanks’s father.

More than that, it was revealed during this flashback that Garling actually had more than one child. Garling spoke to his children directly in the flashback and asked them to observe him carefully. The number of children Garling has has not been confirmed in this story as of yet, but, at the very least, he has two, and potentially even three or more.

While Shanks was mistakenly taken to the Oro Jackson with loot during the God Valley Incident, the other kids likely remained with Garling and were raised within the ranks of the Holy Knights of the Celestial Dragons. This is why Shanks’s twin brother is a member of the Holy Knights, while Shanks himself is a pirate who wants nothing to do with the Celestial Dragons.

Why Shanks Inherited The Red Hair From His Mother

Garling Figarland Does Not Have Red Hair At All

One of the most defining traits of Shanks is his red hair. In fact, right from the very beginning of the series, fans knew Shanks was described by his red hair. His moniker itself is “Red Haired” Shanks, and his pirate crew is called the Red Hair Pirates. This might just be a nickname, or, it could have a lot more importance attached to it. When one thinks of Shanks and his deepest secrets, the Figarland family undoubtedly comes up. Curiously enough, Saint Garling Figarland might not have red hair at all. In fact, when the older version of St Garling Figarland was revealed to the fans, it was quite clear to see that he actually has pale blonde hair.

Garling is not a redhead like Shanks, and this is even more apparent in the manga. While the anime could have mistakenly gotten the colors wrong, or Garling could simply have changed hair color based on the fact that he is quite old now, in the manga, Shanks’ red hair is always shaded gray. Garling, on the other hand, has completely white hair in the manga, which suggests that he has a different hair color. Shanks’s twin, on the other hand, also has the gray shade, which, as fans know, implies that he has red hair as well – something that fans have seen being confirmed in the story already. This red hair does not come from Garling Figarland. Even in Garling’s younger days, in the manga, he is clearly drawn without the red hair shading, which means the Garling’s actual hair color is blonde, and not red.

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Of course, then, one comes to the conclusion that Shanks and his brother got their red hair from none other than their mother. As to who their mother is, fans do not know at this point in time, but, given that they likely inherited the red hair from her, she is going to be very important later down the line. It is certainly possible that Shanks’s mother was a Celestial Dragon as well. However, it is increasingly common among the Celestial Dragons to have commoner “wives.” The idea that Shanks’s mother was a commoner is, as such, very strong.

Was Shanks’s Mother A Commoner?

Shanks’s Mother Could’ve Been A Slave

It is entirely possible that Shanks’s mother was a commoner. Celestial Dragons are known to take as many wives as they want and capture people without any repercussions. Fans recently saw something similar happening to Ginny, and at the end of this, she ended up dying a tragic death. Something similar could have been the case with Shanks’s mom as well. Shanks’s mother being a Celestial Dragon would certainly be a boring idea, but, Shanks inheriting his hair, and with that, a heart of gold, from a commoner mother would certainly take the story to the next level. It would also add more meaning to the fact that Shanks takes pride in being known as Red Hair, and has even named his crew the Red Hair Pirates, and his ship the Red Force, especially if his mother was a commoner and the one who passed on the red hair to him.

This would be, in Shanks’s way, rejecting anything to do with the Celestial Dragons and the Figarland family, which is quite clear from the fact that he has not taken the last name of his father. Instead, Shanks has only Red Hair attached to him, which could just be his way of accepting only his mother as family—something similar to what Ace did with Rouge.

Of course, it could still be possible that Shanks’s mother was a Celestial Dragon as well, but that is just one of many possibilities. Hopefully, the Elbaf farc will go on to explore Shanks and his family in the fullest, and if that happens, then fans will surely find out all there is to know about this mysterious person and his entire past.

One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus apps. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1135, is set to be January 3, 2024.

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Release Date

October 20, 1999

Creator

Eiichiro Oda

Number of Episodes

1122