This article contains spoilers for the One Piece series.
Gol D. Roger was a legendary figure in the One Piece world. Known to achieve the impossible, Roger was the man who completed the circumnavigation of the entire world and became the Pirate King. Although he had a lot of potential and could’ve gone on to achieve more, his life was cut short by a deadly disease. Eventually, Gol D. Roger handed himself over to the Navy and started the Great Age of Pirates, and now, his successor has risen.
One Piece’s new Gol D. Roger is not actually Luffy, like many expected, but Shanks. Shanks was trained by Roger, and all the crew believed he would be the one to earn the title of Pirate King after Roger. Luffy, meanwhile, is more like Joy Boy, despite sharing many similarities with Roger as well.
Shanks Is The Next Gol D. Roger Of One Piece
- He Is Roger’s Own Protégé
- He Was Considered To Be The Next Pirate King By The Roger Pirates
Gol D. Roger is the only man in modern One Piece history who was able to become the Pirate King. He and his crew conquered the Grand Line, and reached the Final Island, Laugh Tale. There, he found the legendary treasure, the One Piece, figured out what the Will of D. was, what the Ancient Weapons were for, and the true history of the world. Beyond all of that, Roger was also the man to kickstart the Golden Age of Piracy. Roger has, in many ways, fundamentally changed the One Piece world and left his imprint on it.
Roger’s legacy isn’t dead, however. Many believed the next Roger would’ve been Ace, his own son, but sadly, he died in the events of Marineford. Others believe it’s Luffy. After all, Luffy’s goal has always been to become the Pirate King. The truth is, Shanks is the next Gol D. Roger.
Shanks was trained by Roger himself after being adopted by the crew. By observing him, Shanks learnt to fight just like Roger, and the two share the same techniques, such as Divine Departure. More than that, they share an insane Haki mastery, but Shanks might actually surpass Roger in this skill.
On top of that, Roger himself was the one to pass on his hat to Shanks, and Roger’s crew believed that Shanks would be the future Pirate King after Roger, as confirmed by Buggy. If there’s one character that imprints on Roger in the current era, it’s definitely Red Haired Shanks.
Luffy Will Be The Next Joy Boy
Luffy’s Ceiling is Higher Than Roger’s
Shanks is Roger’s successor, but Luffy and Roger also have a lot of similarities in One Piece. Luffy’s goal is to become the Pirate King. Meanwhile, Shanks didn’t care much for the title. Luffy and Roger definitely have the same sense of adventure, and their crews are structured similarly. However, Luffy’s ceiling is much higher than that of Roger’s.
Luffy’s end will be even beyond that of just Pirate King, as his real dream goes even beyond that. Luffy will save the entire world from Imu and become the new Joy Boy by liberating everyone. In that sense, Luffy will carry on the Will of Joy Boy, and the will of the original Nika even before him.
Shanks, on the other hand, stands proud as the strongest of the current era, as far as pirates are concerned. He is carrying Roger’s will and he bears a big burden, which is to ensure the return of Nika and the liberation of the world.
- Release Date
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October 20, 1999
- Network
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Fuji TV
- Directors
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Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
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Mayumi Tanaka
Monkey D. Luffy (voice)
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Kazuya Nakai
Roronoa Zoro (voice)
