I always figured the community would lean toward the red-haired pirate we actually see fight, but our community of 6 rankers went the other way. Imu currently edges out Shanks for the absolute top spot on our [Strongest One Piece Characters](https://ranklist.io/list/strongest-one-piece-characters) list. It is a bold call, especially considering how little we actually know about the mysterious ruler of the Empty Throne.
Putting Imu at the very peak makes a lot of narrative sense. Eiichiro Oda has been building up this final boss energy for years, and whoever sits at the top of the World Government has to possess some world-shattering power. When we saw Imu casually wipe Lulusia Kingdom off the map, it became hard to argue against that sheer scale of destruction. That level of ancient weapon control, or whatever personal power they wield, easily puts Imu comfortably ahead of almost anyone else in the series. It is pure hype and narrative positioning, but in a shonen manga, that usually translates directly to combat strength.
Still, Shanks is sitting right there in the second spot, and he narrowly misses the throne. Unlike Imu, we have actually seen Shanks move. He stopped the Paramount War just by showing up, split the sky with Whitebeard, and recently deleted Eustass Kid with a single Divine Departure. Shanks has the most ridiculous Conqueror's Haki we have seen in action so far. He is the benchmark for active top-tier power. Honestly, I expected fans to favor the guy with the actual on-screen feats over the silhouette in the castle, but the community chose to trust the narrative trajectory instead.
I think the community got this one right, even if it feels highly speculative. Shanks is the ultimate pirate, but Imu represents the final, corrupt wall that Luffy has to tear down. In the grand scheme of One Piece, the final villain has to be the strongest obstacle. Imu holding the top spot over Shanks feels correct for where the story is heading.
Do you think the mystery hype is overrated, or does Shanks deserve the crown? If you disagree with how the [Strongest One Piece Characters](https://ranklist.io/list/strongest-one-piece-characters) stack up, go rank it yourself.