Shanks is a tall, muscular man, with an extremely imposing figure, although his stature is relatively akin to a normal human (at least compared to the other past Emperors, most of whom stand over twenty feet tall). He has neck length, tanned skin, and black eyes. The most striking feature about Shanks is the color of his red hair, of which his nickname 'Red Haired Shanks' stems from. He also has three scars across his left eye, which were given to him by Marshall D. Teach more than 12 years ago.