This article contains spoilers for One Piece’s Elbaf Arc.
Summary
- The “Shanks is a rat” meme in the One Piece community has been debunked by the introduction of a new character named Shamrock.
- Shamrock’s resemblance to Shanks has led fans to believe Shanks was innocent all along, clearing his name from the meme.
- Despite being cleared of past accusations, Shanks still has connections to the World Government that may need further explanation in upcoming chapters.
With the release of the newest One Piece chapters, a long-standing meme in the community has finally been put to rest. Although memes come and go throughout the One Piece community frequently, this meme has always been incredibly popular, being around for years at this point. Although this One Piece meme was incredibly funny while it lasted, it may be time for a new meme surrounding Shanks to grace the community as a whole.
This meme, the “Shanks is a rat” meme, has been one of the most popular and frequently reiterated memes in the One Piece community. While it isn’t entirely accurate to the Emperor’s character, it introduces a fun way to poke fun at the figure’s supposed dark side. However, with another figure emerging that may prove Shanks’s innocence, calling Shanks the day of the World Government may no longer be accurate.
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One Piece Fans Made Shanks Into A Rat After Talking To The World Government
In the story of One Piece, despite being a pirate Emperor, Shanks has always had an interesting relationship with the World Government. Throughout the story, the audience sees Shanks engage in mysterious conversations with One Piece’s Five Elders, discussing a certain pirate they want to keep an eye on. From here, many fans naturally assumed that the Red Hair Pirate was related to the World Government in some way, and secretly their ally. From here, the “Shanks is a rat” meme was born, highlighting the fact that the Emperor may be a double agent.
I’d hoped we could have settled this much more cleanly… – Shamrock
However, at the same time, a theory circulated throughout the community suggesting that Shanks may not have been the figure who was performing these shady actions. This idea, though controversial, may have finally been proven true in the latest One Piece chapter, which showed a figure, named Shamrock, who looks identical to Shanks, minus his scars and missing arm. From here, many fans have assumed that the figure discussing plans with the World Government of One Piece was Shamrock and not Shanks.
Shamrock’s Arrival Has Cleared Shanks’s Name
Sadly This Has Killed The Shanks Rat Meme
- Shanks Is Innocent Of The Fanbases Past Accusations
- The Character Is No Longer Officially A Rat
From here, since Shanks was not actually who was communicating with One Piece’s World Government, many fans in the community have decided that it’s no longer fair to refer to Shanks as a rat. Many fans now believe that any dark or shady thing Shanks has done in the past was most likely Shamrock instead. From here, many fans have assumed that rather than Shanks being a morally gray character playing both sides, he is a wholly good pirate with an evil twin brother. These revelations, of course, have squashed the One Piece meme entirely.
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However, this doesn’t mean that Shanks, as a strong One Piece character, isn’t completely innocent of all wrongdoing. Being the theorized brother of a Holy Knight and son of a member of the Five Elders, Shanks does have some explaining to do before he’s cleared of all suspicion. Within the next few chapters of the Elbaf Arc, it wouldn’t be too surprising if fans were to receive Shanks’s long-awaited backstory, officially detailing his connection to the World Government.
New Memes Are Already Taking The Place Of Shanks Being A Rat
Fans Are Already Joking About Shamrock’s Name
Until then, other memes have come to replace the “Shanks is a rat” meme, mainly surrounding the new One Piece character Shamrock. While fans feel the name is interesting, many fan theories in the past have given this figure hilarious names, including Stabs and Shonks. However, with the reveal of his official name, these theoretical names are coming back in full force in the form of memes and references.
Are you willing to risk your life? – Shanks
In the end, while Shanks has been cleared of most of his wrong-doings, he still hasn’t been completely absolved of all crimes. Despite this, however, it still seems that the longstanding One Piece meme, “Shanks is a rat” may finally be coming to an end. Although this is a bit disappointing, since the joke was hilarious, there’s bound to be plenty of new memes surrounding One Piece’s Shanks and Shamrock to take its place.
