Haki One Piece: Its Types, Comparison & Power Explained (2024)
The pirate adventure animanga One Piece is notorious for its amazing plot, captivating story, immersing worldbuilding and its devil fruits.
Throughout the series, you’ll see all kinds of Devil Fruits, ranging from a fruit that grants the ability to cause earthquakes to a fruit that allows its user to become a jacket.
But, there exists another power in the world of One Piece that can rival all kinds of Devil Fruit powers, and this ability is known as Haki.
As if Devil Fruits weren’t confusing enough, the concept of Haki is even harder to understand, but don’t worry. This article will work as your guide for Haki in One Piece. If you’re curious and want to know when does Luffy learn Haki, make sure to read till the end as we will answer many more questions like that.
What is Haki in One Piece?
In the world of One Piece, Haki lies dormant in every being. It is a mysterious power that grants the user many abilities. Haki can be used for attacking, defending, sensing and even imposing will onto others.
At its strongest Haki can even transcend devil fruit powers. The great thing about Haki is that anyone can use it, but only a few are able to awaken it and fewer can fully master it.
Haki is one of the most impressive and detailed power systems in all the animanga culture. When it comes to complexity, it can even match other power systems like Chakra (Naruto), Nen (Hunter X Hunter), & Cursed Energy (Jujutsu Kaisen).
Understanding Haki can be a difficult task and a series as big as One Piece surely makes it even more difficult, to make the task easier we have explained the types of Haki below. Going through the next section, you will have a better understanding of Haki in One Piece.
What are the Types of Haki?
Haki in one piece, can be divided into three separate categories, Armament (Busoshoku), Observation (Kenbunshoku), and Conquerors (Haoshoku). Each type of Haki has its subtypes that cover the ability it grants to the user. There are also advanced Haki types, which we will discuss later on, but before that, you should see what each Haki type grants to its user.
Armament Haki (Busoshoku Haki)
Also known as the color of arms, Armament Haki is the one you should understand first.
Users of the color of arms can coat their Haki around their bodies for both defense and offense. Apart from the increased attack potency and defense, the biggest advantage of Armament Haki is the ability to make contact with Logia Devil Fruit users and hurt them. Next, we have given the subtypes of Armament Haki.
Hardening
Hardening is the most basic form of this Haki. With hardening, the user can coat their Armament Haki on their body parts and use it for attack and defense. Doing this increases the amount of damage the user can do to their opponent and also increases how much damage they can take.
Another way to use this ability is by completely coating one’s body with Haki. This is known as full-body Haki. So far, only Vergo, Pica, and Jimbe have used this. A downside of using full-body Haki is that Haki will deplete faster because of the increased use.
Imbuement
With Imbuement, users can coat their weapons with Armament Haki and increase the damage they can do with it. A benefit of imbuing weapons like swords with Haki is that it won’t get damaged and will last longer.
During his fight with Pica, Zoro uses Armament Haki on all three of his swords and was able to defeat Pica, who was then more than 1500 m big.
Tribal Haki (Devil Fruit Armament)
This is a rare type of Haki that is seen when a user combines their Devil Fruit powers with their Haki. Tribal Haki was first seen when Luffy activated Gear 4 against Doflamingo.
Tribal Haki is manifested in tribal flame patterns when activated. So far, only Luffy, Katakuri, and Big Mom have been seen to use Tribal Haki. As one piece comes close to its climax, other users can showcase their tribal Haki.
Observation Haki (Kenbunshoku Haki)
Users of observation Haki gain a sixth sense that allows them to sense what is going on around them. Observation Haki is highly useful in battle, as the user can predict the actions around them and protect themselves from any harm.
Observation Haki is versatile in use and has many benefits, and it is best used when the user is in a calm state. Below, we have given the subtypes of Kenbunshoku Haki:-
Presence Sensing
This is the most basic form of Observation Haki. With presence sensing, the user can feel the presence of their surroundings and the people around them. This ability was originally introduced as Mantra in the Skypiea arc.
This ability is highly beneficial in the new world, where everyone needs to be aware of their surroundings. After unlocking his observation of Haki, Usopp was able to sense Luffy, law, and Sugar from miles away and was able to protect both Law and Luffy from Sugar. Another example of this is the marine admiral Fujitora, who, despite being blind,d is able to completely sense his surroundings and still be one of the strongest characters in one piece.
Intent Sensing
Intent sensing allows the user to perceive the intent of their opponents. When it comes to battles in one piece, intent sensing can help in knowing what the opponent will do next as it keeps a close eye on what their intent is at the moment.
Strength Sensing
With strength sensing, the user can perceive how powerful another person is, by detecting their aura. This ability was first shown when Blackbeard first met with Luffy and didn’t believe that Luffy deserved a bounty worth 30 million. The next time they met, Blackbeard commented that Luffy’s Haki had grown.
This type of Haki is highly useful in knowing how powerful an opponent is and evading danger.
Users can also use this ability to sense the strength of cursed weapons. This was first shown in the Loguetown arc when Zoro sensed the curse within Sandai Kitetsu and knew how dangerous the sword was.
Emotion Sensing
As everyone in One Piece is fueled by their dreams, emotion plays a big part in the piece. With this ability, pirates and marines alike are able to sense the emotions of people around them and understand their actions. Our protagonist, Luffy, is well versed in using this ability, and it is the reason why he is so good with people.
Queen Otohime was born with this ability, and she was able to sense what everyone had in their hearts. It is the reason why she wanted to bridge the gap between fishermen and humans. Though this ability is beneficial, it can still get countered by people who can control their emotions and fool even the most proficient users of this technique.
A downside of this ability is that the user can sometimes be affected by their surroundings. Experiencing negative emotions can be a traumatizing experience for many people; this was the case when Koby awakened his Observation Haki during the Marineford War and when Aisa sensed people dying in Skypiea.
Conqueror’s Haki (Haoshoku Haki)
Conqueror’s Haki is a rare type of Haki that is present in only one in a million people. The users of this Haki can exert their willpower over others. So far, there have been only 18 confirmed users of Haoshoku Haki, and whoever possesses this Haki is considered a big threat by the world government and other pirates.
The people who possess this Haki are said to have the qualities of kings and are known to be great leaders. There is no way to unlock this Haki, and only people born with this can make use of it. Apart from the advanced forms, there are a total of 3 subtypes of this Haki.
Domination
With domination, the user can exert their willpower over others and dominate them. This ability mostly affects animals in one piece. Domination can be used for taming/controlling animals and making use of them.
This ability was first seen when Shanks scared a sea king away.
Incapacitation (Knocking Out)
Incapacitation is, by far, the most iconic ability in one piece. With this, the user can instantly knock out everyone with weak willpower. This ability was first shown during the meeting between Shanks and Whitebeard when the intensity of Shanks’ Haki knocked out multiple members of the Whitebeard pirates.
Whether a person gets knocked out depends completely on their strength and how powerful the conqueror Haki user is. After completing his training, Luffy was able to knock out half of the New Fish-Man Pirates members.
After the Wano arc, shanks channeled his conqueror Haki and attacked Greenbull directly from miles away, so it is pretty evident that we have yet to learn fully about this ability.
Pressure (Damage)
Though Conqueror’s Haki affects the will of others, it is also capable of affecting the physical environment; this was first seen when Shank’s Haki ended up damaging Whitebeard’s ship.
Haoshoku Haki is an extremely powerful force in the world of one piece; whenever two Conqueror’s Haki users fight, they end up releasing shockwaves that will affect the nearby surroundings.
Splitting the heavens is a phenomenon that happens when two extremely powerful Haoshoku Haki users fight; it results in the clouds above the users splitting up.
Also Read: 22 Free Online Movie Sites Without Sign Up: Ultimate Guide for 2024
What are Advance Haki Types?
Now that you know about all three types of Haki and their subtypes, we can tell you about the advanced Haki types. Unlocking Haki is only the first step in the world of one piece, as everyone can push their spirit to the next level and unlock advanced Haki forms.
Advanced Haki techniques are harder to attain, but they deliver great results. Unlocking Haki is only the first step in the world of one piece; through training, any user can hone their skills to the next level. While training Luffy, Rayleigh made it quite clear to him that two years is not enough for mastering Haki, and that there is still more to learn.
Next, we have mentioned the advanced forms of each Haki type.
Armament Haki
There are two advanced forms of Armament Haki:-
Emission (Ryuo)
When trained properly, users can emit their Haki from their bodies and hit their opponents without touching them. This was first seen during Luffy’s fight with Sentomaru. Witnessing the power of Emission Haki was enough for Luffy to think about retreating. The technique was again introduced in the Wano country, and the next part covers the advanced version of this technique.
Internal destruction (Advanced Ryuo)
This takes Armament Haki to the highest level and can greatly damage even beasts like Kaido. With internal destruction, the user can channel their Haki into the opponent’s body and destroy it from within.
Internal destruction can also be used on objects.
Observation Haki
Though Future Sight is the only advanced form of Observation Haki, The Voice of All Things is also considered to be an advanced form; read below to know more about it.
Future Sight
Future Sight was the first advance Haki showed to the users, and it took the whole fandom by storm. Future sight allows the users to see a few seconds in the future.
While this ability is great to have around, it is almost impossible to get future sight as it requires the user to be completely calm and focused, something which not a lot of people can do.
As of now there are only 4 confirmed users of this ability and these are Katakuri, Luffy, Kaido and Shanks.
The voice of all things
The voice of all things is a mysterious and rare ability that allows the user to hear the voice of inanimate objects and animals. So far, only four people are able to hear the voice of all things, and they are Gol D. Roger, Luffy, Momonosuke, and Kozuki Oden.
Until now, we haven’t seen much of this ability, but it seems like this will play a big role in the climax of the story, so make sure to keep an eye out for the voice of all things in one piece.
Conqueror’s Haki
Both of the advanced forms of Conqueror’s Haki have just been introduced, & these are Infusion and Observation Killing. Hopefully, this is not the end of Haki as we can still see more techniques.
Infusion
With infusing, users can coat their Conqueror’s Haki on their bodies and weapons and use it against their opponents. It was stated by Kaido that only a handful of people are able to do this feat.
Achieving Haoshoku Haki infusion is by far the biggest power increase in the story. After coating his attacks with his Conqueror’s Haki, Luffy was able to fight on par with the strongest creature in the world.
Ever since finding out about this power in the last arc, we have seen more and more people using Conqueror’s Haki infusion. This has raised the bar for what the fight will be like in the future of one piece.
Observation killing
This is another unique type of Haki that we have only heard of and have yet to see, even in the manga. With observation killing, the user can prevent their opponent from using their future sight and seeing into the future.
Shanks is the only confirmed user of the Observation Killing Haki, this makes him one of the most dangerous characters in the One Piece world, but it is pretty evident that more characters will be using this power in the fights that have yet to come.
Also Read: A Comprehensive Guide to PrimeWire: Safety, Streaming, and Alternatives
When Does Luffy Learn Haki?
Luffy learned Haki during the two-year time skip and learned the advanced forms during the Whole cake island and Wano arc. Even before his amazing showcase of Conqueror’s Haki in the Fishman Island Arc, Luffy was able to use Haoshoku Haki burst during the Marineford Arc and during his fight on Amazon Lilly, but the first time he used Haki was in episode 389 when he scared Motobalo and said: “You don’t stand a chance against me”.
Though Luffy has learned all the advanced forms of Haki, his journey is still not finished, he still has to fight Shanks someday, and he can still learn more forms and techniques.
How Strong is Luffy’s Haki?
Being someone who can use all three types of Haki puts Luffy in a small bracket of people, meaning that he is one of the strongest people in the One Piece verse, but that was the scene a while ago. Since then, Luffy has become even stronger as he was able to learn the advanced forms of Haki.
As of now, Luffy is an emperor of the sea, and he is someone who holds massive power. If that isn’t enough, then consider the fact that he survived a fight against Kaido who is considered to be the strongest creature.
Was Haki in Pre-Timeskip One Piece?
Haki has always been a part of the world of One Piece. The only reason we didn’t see much of it was that we were following the story of Monkey D. Luffy, who also didn’t know much about Haki. As the series progresses, we see more reason and more of Haki and what Haki can do to other people.
You’ll be surprised to know that Haki was used in the first chapter of the manga (4th episode of the anime), and pretty frequently before it was fully explained.
Here are all the times when Haki was Used in Pre TimeSkip One Piece:-
- Shanks scares away the sea king with a stare and tells him to get lost.
- Using “Mantra,” Satori was able to predict the moves from Sanji, Luffy, and Usopp.
- When entering Whitebeard’s ship, Shanks was able to knock out all the weak members of the Whitebeard Pirates with his Haki.
- During the Marineford Arc, Luffy releases a burst of his Haki and knocks out multiple marines.
- Using her Haki, Boa Hancock was able to kick Smoker despite him eating a Logia Devil Fruit.
Is Haki Stronger Than Devil Fruits?
If we’re talking about Haki vs. Devil Fruits, it can be said that Haki is better than Devil Fruits. If the choice is between a top-tier Devil Fruit or a top-tier Haki, you’re better off with Haki.
While a good Devil Fruit is all anyone needs to be strong, there are still limits as to what the user can do. First of all, there are no disadvantages to having Haki, while this is not the same for Devil Fruit users, as they won’t be able to swim, and they will be helpless when thrown in water.
Those that are having trouble deciding between Devil Fruit vs Haki should get to the Wano arc, as during the Onigashima raid, Kaido said that a Devil Fruit is not enough to rule the seas and Haki is a must. Kaido also praised Gol D. Roger and said how he reached the top of the pirate world with his Haki alone.
Another advantage Haki has over Devil Fruits is that a strong Haki can negate the effects of a Devil Fruit’s power. An example of this is when Trafalgar Law wasn’t able to use his Shambles or Takt on Kaido and Big Mom.
How Many People Can Use Haki in One Piece?
While i was rewatching One Piece, I was shocked to see how there are almost no Haki users in the east blue saga or even in the Alabasta arc. It led me to question how many people can even use Haki in One Piece.
Well, the answer to this is very few. Though everyone is capable of using Haki, almost no one does. The world of One Piece is vast and is filled with different kinds of people, and most of them are not able to use Haki.
It can be said that the four seas in One Piece don’t have many people who can use Haki; even on the Grand Line, there aren’t many in the first half. The New World is where the 4 Yonkou rule the seas and where the Marines have to work the hardest, so it is pretty self-explanatory that the new world is filled with Haki users while the rest of the world does not.
How Does One Unlock Haki?
Haki lies dormant in every human being, but unlocking it is not easy, let alone using it. Haki is mostly unlocked through intense training; in rare cases, some characters were able to awaken their Haki through extreme shock (Coby and Usopp).
It was stated that Haki is quite difficult to master while training Luffy, Rayleigh stated that two years is not enough to master Haki and that Luffy has to keep pushing himself to make his Haki stronger.
Growing Haki requires a person to push through their limits, since Haki is connected to a person’s willpower, it can be said that the person has to go through difficult battles and keep pushing themselves. An example of this is Trafalgar Law, whose power grew to such an extent after his fight with Doflamingo that he was able to fight Kaido and Big Mom during the Onigashima Raid.
How Many Strawhats Can Use Haki?
Luffy having a strong Haki is not enough, as he still needs the support of his Nakama. Luckily, Luffy’s crew has some of the strongest people on the grand line. Despite their small size, the crew is pretty balanced and has garnered a total bounty of 8,816,001,000 Berries.
The Straw Hats Pirates are a versatile crew, with each member showing expertise in a certain area. As of now, a total of 5 Strawhats are capable of using Haki, and these are Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Jinbe, and Usopp. Out of these 5, Luffy and Zoro can use all three types of Haki, and Sanji and Jinbe can use both Armament and observation Haki. Usopp was able to awaken his Observation Haki during the Dressrosa arc, and he has a long way to go to attain his dream of being a brave warrior of the sea, just like his father.
While the remaining Strawhats (Nami, Chopper, Nico Robin, Franky, and Brook) have not shown their Haki, it is speculated that these characters will gain the ability to use Haki and grow more powerful.
What is the Strongest Type of Haki?
Conqueror’s Haki is by far the strongest type of Haki that anyone can get. It is the rarest type of Haki, and it cannot be learned, and the people who use it are said to have the high qualities of a king.
Those with Haoshoku Haki can exert their willpower over others and instantly knock out opponents that aren’t worth fighting. In terms of attack power, the Advanced Conqueror’s Coating is the biggest power-up we have seen in the story. After learning to coat his Conqueror’s Haki, Luffy was able to fight on par with Kaido in his base form, while at first, Luffy was struggling through the whole fight.
As mentioned above, there are only 18 confirmed users of Conqueror’s Haki, and 4 of them have died. As the series draws near to its conclusion, more Haoshoku Haki users are expected to be shown, and whoever gains this ability will surely play a big part in the story.
Who is the Strongest Haki User in One Piece?
Knowing what Haki is and what people capable of using it can do, you must be wondering who is the strongest Haki user. Well, the answer to this is no other than the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. As Kaido has mentioned, Roger was able to conquer the seas with his Haki alone, and by far, he is the strongest character we have seen in the series, but sadly, he is no more.
If you look at the strongest Haki user in the current generation, there is no better user than Shanks. Also, being someone who solely relies on his Haki, Shanks followed in the footsteps of his former captain and became one of the strongest pirates on the seas. As his reunion with Luffy draws near, he is destined to fight him as well; that is probably the time when we will see him go all out and see what he can do.
Suggested Post: The God of High School Season 2 Release Date, Cast, Plot, and More
FAQs
Ans: Armament, Observation and Conquerors Haki are the 3 main types of Haki in One Piece. All three of these Haki types have their own subtypes and advanced types.
Ans: No Haki is not visible; all the Armament Haki you see is just a visual effect so that viewers know when Haki is being used.
Ans: Yes, Zoro can use Conqueror’s Haki, making him one of the few people who can use all three types of Haki in One Piece.
Ans: Luffy uses Armament Haki with Gear 3 in the 525th episode of One Piece.
Ans: Currently, it is not known how to make a Black Blade; so far, we have only seen two Black Blades, one belonged to Dracule Mihawk, and the second was Shusui.
Ans: Yes, Fist of Love is nothing more than a Haki punch.
Also Read:
