Eiichiro Oda’s editor suggested one of the biggest changes with Shanks’ character in One Piece.

SUMMARY

Red-Haired Shanks, the last remaining Emperor of the Sea from the previous era of One Piece, is one of the series’ most powerful characters.

Shanks is incredibly powerful even with one hand, as he has demonstrated on numerous occasions.
However, Eiichiro Oda revealed that Shanks losing his arm was not a coincidence.

The only Emperor of the Sea left from the previous era of One Piece, Red-Haired Shanks has been a mystery for One Piece fans for a long time. Even with one hand, Shanks has maintained his image as one of the strongest characters in the entire series, and he even proved it when he defeated the entire pirate crew of Eustass Kid in just a few moments.
Shanks vs Eustass Kid
However, Shanks losing his arm was not a coincidence. It was revealed in an interview that Eiichiro Oda’s editor suggested that Shanks was too strong for One Piece and it would make the story too boring, which is why Oda decided to cut his arm off when he saved Luffy from Sea King.

Initially, it did not affect the story much. Shanks still went on to become the Emperor of the Sea and retained his title as one of the strongest characters of One Piece. However, Shanks losing his arm resulted in a major change in the overall narrative of One Piece.

Eiichiro Oda Cut Off Shanks’ Arm to Make The Story Interesting

One Piece’s editor’s interview in Jump 2010 revealed that Eiichiro Oda deliberately decided to slice off Shank’s arm. According to the editor, the story of One Piece was getting boring, which is why he asked Oda to introduce some interesting plot points in the story. Hence, Oda cut off one of Shanks’s arms while he was saving Luffy. It added a new twist to the narrative.

When Shanks was asked by Whitebeard about his arm, Shanks pointed out that he risked it for the future. Shanks cared for Luffy a lot and he knew Luffy would be a big deal one day which is why he decided to save him from the Sea King. However, many fans believe that Shanks could have easily saved Luffy without losing his arm.
Shanks Losing his Arm in One Piece
Irrespective of all these assumptions, Shanks became an even bigger inspiration in the eyes of Luffy. That is when Luffy decided that he would form his own crew and go on an adventure to find the One Piece treasure.

Shanks Losing His Arm Changed The One Piece Narrative

Shanks losing his arm not only saved Luffy but also changed the plotline of One Piece in a major way. It was later revealed that Shanks’ rival, Dracule Mihawk, decided to not have any more battles against the Yonko as losing his arm led to a major decrease in his overall strength as a swordsman and a pirate.
Shanks has never been defeated in One Piece
If Mihawk and Shanks would still have been rivals, the storyline of One Piece would have many new and interesting aspects. Shanks is already one of the most powerful characters of One Piece. If he had both of his arms, his strength would have been unimaginable and he would have easily earned the title of the Strongest character in One Piece.

There are many mysteries surrounding Shanks’s character, and as the story approaches the conclusion, all these mysteries will soon be revealed to the One Piece fans who are waiting for the strongest Emperor of the Sea to make a move.