Warning: Contains spoilers for One Piece chapter #1134.Recent developments in One Piece have started casting doubt on just how heroic a figure Shanks is. Not only has he somehow been allowed to meet with the Five Elders, but Figarland Garling, the leader of the Holy Knights and the newest Elder, is heavily implied to be Shanks’ father, which further hints at something suspicious going on with him as One Piece continues through its final saga.

There’s a lot of evidence to suggest that Shanks might be less heroic than he lets on, but another theory suggests otherwise. While it makes sense to view recent events as alluding to Shanks having some sort of secret agenda, thanks to a few small, yet noteworthy details, One Piece might have secretly revealed a major plot twist to completely change how people should look at Shanks. There’s a lot to go into that theory, and hopefully, it won’t be long until everything is fully explained.

Why One Piece Fans Are Saying That Shanks Has An Evil Twin

The One Piece Theory Of Shanks Having An Evil Twin Explained

One of the biggest moments in the Levely arc was when Shanks somehow entered Mary Geoise to speak with the Five Elders, but fans noted how odd it was for Shanks to be allowed to enter Mary Geoise and how neither the anime nor the manga showed his scar, instead only showing the right side of his face in profile. Because of that, One Piece fans developed a theory that Shanks has an evil twin working for the World Government, a theory that became more pronounced after One Piece Film: Red implied that Shaks might secretly be a Celestial Dragon.

Much of the reasoning behind Shanks having an evil twin was, and still is, largely circumstantial, but One Piece chapter #1134 adds a lot to the theory. At the end of chapter #1134, the same magic circle the Five Elders used to teleport to Egghead summoned Shanks to Elbaph, and curiously, Shanks was depicted in profile the same way he was during the Levely arc. It shouldn’t be a coincidence that One Piece would keep deliberately hiding Shanks’ scar, and as such, the ending to One Piece chapter #1134 seemingly confirms the theory that Shanks has an evil twin.

The Biggest Theories Behind Shanks’ “Evil Twin” In One Piece Explained

Shanks having an evil twin seems more likely than ever, and there are plenty of possible explanations for his existence and the role he might play. For starters, while it would be easy to assume that Garling kept one child and abandoned the other, cloning exists in One Piece, so Shanks’ “evil twin” could be a clone of him created to be a soldier for the World Government. The fact that Garling inherited Saturn’s position of Godhead of Science & Defense suggests a scientific background to the Figarland family, and that could easily the idea of an evil clone.

Going off of that, something that needs to be considered is the role Shanks’ “evil twin” might play. Shanks’ alleged twin appears to have major authority within the World Government if he can casually meet with the Five Elders and use powers similar to theirs, and since Garling, who’s heavily implied to be Shanks’ father, is both the leader of the Holy Knights and the newest Elder, Shanks’ “evil twin” is most likely one of the Holy Knights, the strongest soldiers of the World Government.

Another possibility ties Shanks’ “evil twin” to another enigmatic character, the Man with the Burn Scar. A popular theory about the Man with the Burn Scar is that he works for the World Government, as they would have a lot to gain from stealing a Road Poneglyph, and since Shanks’ “evil twin” has to have some connection to the World Government on a major scale, Shanks’ “evil twin” could secretly be One Piece’s Man with the Burn Scar, with his face always in profile to hide that he has a burn on his face instead of Shanks’ signature three-clawed scar.

Beyond all of that, there’s one more possibility worth considering. Vegapunk’s message ended with a collage of characters set to be major players in the final saga, and one notable character was a mysterious swordsman depicted entirely in silhouette. Shanks’ “evil twin”, no matter the specific role he plays, will undoubtedly be a major player in the final saga, especially with his appearance on Elbaph, so Shanks’ “evil twin” could be the mysterious figure in silhouette from the end of Vegapunk’s message, something that would be a perfect way of emphasizing how big a deal he’s supposed to be.

Would Shanks Having An Evil Twin Ruin His Character In One Piece?

While the idea would do a lot to flesh out Shanks’ backstory, at the same time, the idea of Shanks being some morally gray figure had the potential to add a lot of depth to his character, especially when so little has been seen of him for over 20 years. The theory that Shanks has an evil twin in One Piece can potentially absolve him of any depth he would have had from associating with the World Government, and to some extent, that would be disappointing.

That being said, Shanks doesn’t necessarily need to work with the World Government to gain extra depth to his character, as shown in his recent interactions with Kid and Bartolomeo, and with how entertaining his character already was, Shanks having an evil twin in One Piece wouldn’t automatically prevent him from having further development in the final saga. Whatever the case, Shanks, in one way or another, is on the verge of getting a lot of attention in One Piece, and whatever’s done with that will be great to see.