In the One Piece universe, there are several secrets, mysteries and powers of which Haki is one. The latter was used for the first time at the beginning of the manga when Shanks saved Luffy from the clutches of the sea monster. And it is Marshall D. Teach , aka Blackbeard , who mentions this term for the first time when he speaks to Jaya about the capture bonus awarded to Luffy. In this article, we invite you to review in detail the different types of Haki, including their abilities, their strengths as well as their respective weaknesses.
What is Haki?
Translated by the word Ambition, Haki or Fluid 🌊 refers to a mysterious spiritual force used by certain characters in the manga. Everyone has this ability within them, yet few pirates know of its existence and only a few manage to awaken it to a high level. Additionally, a small number of hackers are able to use it without training. It should be noted that to awaken it requires long training.
This ability allows its user to either intimidate their enemies, anticipate attacks or defend themselves by protecting their body through invisible armor 🛡️. It also gives him the possibility of attacking his opponents still with this invisible armor after having increased its density. Thus, thanks to this Fluid, the user is able to directly attack an opponent who has eaten a Devil Fruit. Discover the secrets hidden around devil fruits in our article!
There are three types of Haki , the main ones being Observation and Armament . The third category which is much rarer is the so-called Haki of Kings .
Haki of Observation
The most used Haki in One Piece is Kenbunshoku no Haki or Observation Haki . It is also known under the names Sensitive Fluid or Perceptual Fluid. In the 🏝️ Celestial Islands, it is called Mantra and its use varies depending on the person using it.
Benefits of Observation Haki
This ability first and foremost allows its user to sense everything around them, whether individuals or the environment. This detection of presence is the most common use of Observation Haki. According to Silvers Rayleigh , the one who masters this Haki can even detect the presence of his opponent at any time whether it is hidden or not visible to the naked eye. On the other hand, he is not able to see the details, such as the physical characteristics of the individual. He only sees a kind of aura on a black background.
Another advantage of this Haki is that it makes its user able to predict the movements of his enemy just before the latter makes them. It is thus able to predict attacks and avoid them more easily. This prediction turns out to be a quick image or premonition. It even reveals the damage that the attack could cause. And the more the opponent intends to kill, ⚰️ the easier it is to predict his movements.
Another use of Observation Haki is to sense and assess the power of one's opponents. This is what Rayleigh did to reveal to Luffy that there were 500 people stronger than him on the island of Ruskaina. Likewise, Sanji and Capone Bege were able to sense the power of King 👑 Nekomamushi even though he was behind Bege. This was also the case for Marine Captain Koby when he met the gladiator Kyros.
This Haki also allows certain users like Luffy to sense the emotions and nature of others. We thus perceive negative emotions, pain and suffering as well as aggressive natures or, on the contrary, non-animosity. Unfortunately, this ability can have an important consequence on the person who uses it, namely that of sharing the emotions of the other to the point of being traumatized.
Disadvantages of Observation Haki
The major flaw of Observation Haki is that it can be circumvented in different ways. First, the opponent can use random attacks to prevent the Haki user from guessing their moves. So, Luffy bounced his punches off a wall to launch random attacks against Enel. Likewise, this Haki does not give its user more speed. So, even if the user manages to guess their opponent's next move, their ability to avoid it depends on their speed and not on Haki. It therefore happens that a Haki user cannot dodge an attack even if he was able to foresee it.
Another disadvantage of the Perceptual Fluid is that its user can only perceive the energy signature of people. Also, it is impossible for it to detect the presence of an individual inside an animal for example. This was the case of Enel who was unable to detect the presence of Luffy who was inside the belly of the giant anaconda, Nola. Note also that if the user loses concentration, his Haki weakens. It even happens that he loses control as was the case for Prelate Satori when Luffy suddenly turned his weapon against him.
Evolutions of Observation Haki.
Through intensive training, a fighter can have more developed Observation Haki. There are two types of evolutions of this Haki.
- Vision of the future
It is about prediction or momentary projection into the future. The user can thus see into the near future for a few moments and modify its progress. Monkey D. Luffy and Charlotte Katakuri are the characters in the series who have been seen 👁️ using this ability. Katakuri notably used these visions in his fight against the underworld member Jigra to prevent him from killing Bege's men. Unfortunately, the user does not have control over the sequence of events when calling on this power. The result may turn out to be worse than in its initial vision.
- Voice of All Things
This is also a very rare form of Haki in the One Piece manga and only a few people have the ability to awaken it. The Voice of Everything allows its user to hear the voices of humans as well as animals or even objects. For example, Kozuki Momonosuke and Monkey D. Luffy used this ability to hear the voice 🗣️ of the elephant Zunesha. As for the former Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, he used it to hear the Poneglyphs.
Weaponry Haki
The second form of Haki known in One Piece is Weaponry Haki or Busoshoku no Haki or Combat Fluid . In the Land of the Wano, he is called Ryou. Just like the previous one, this Haki comes in different variations depending on the user.
Benefits of Weaponry Haki
As its name suggests, Armament Haki allows its user to use their mind as a defensive or offensive weapon. He thus has the possibility of creating an aura around him like invisible armor allowing him to deal more powerful blows to his opponents or to block their attacks. Luffy notably used this technique in order to bring down a Pacifista on the Sabaody Archipelago . The Combat Fluid also offers the opportunity to bypass the abilities of Devil Fruit users and directly touch their real bodies.
Others also use this Haki to make their blows or weapons more powerful, whether swords or arrows. 🏹 This is how the kujas, the powerful warriors of the island of Amazon Lily , manage to break stones with their arrows. Furthermore, thanks to high concentration, the user is able to harden certain desired areas of their body or also objects. This hardening appears as a black layer that coats the body part in question or the weapon used. The user can also use this Haki on objects even if they are not in contact with him. While the majority of protagonists in the New World are capable of using this technique, each person's skills and strength differ. On the other hand, intensive training makes it possible to strengthen this weaponry.
Disadvantages of Weaponry Haki
First of all, despite its power and the fact that it can directly touch the real body of an opponent who has consumed a Devil Fruit, this Haki is not able to cancel their powers. The enemy can therefore continue the fight 👊🏼 and defend himself. Additionally, Sea Granite can incapacitate any Devil Fruit user and make them weak. He will therefore no longer be able to use Weaponry Haki. Even if this is not strictly speaking a disadvantage, you should also know that the one who is the strongest in Armament Haki is capable of beating another with a weaker Combat Fluid.
Also note that Weaponry Haki has a limit. It is not possible to use this Haki continuously . Additionally, Armament Haki is not infallible, it can be defeated by significant force. Indeed, according to Charlotte Katakuri, there are things even more powerful than this Fluid. Luffy also made the Gorgon sister Boa Marigold stagger by hitting her very hard with a simple Gear Second. The strength of Armament Haki is dependent on the strength of its user.
Evolutions of Weaponry Haki
Apart from the skills already mentioned previously, there are also other levels of evolution of this Haki:
- Busoshoku: Bogyo
Translated as Weaponry: Defense, this level of Weaponry Haki allows the user to imbue not only an area but also their entire body. The latter therefore becomes immune to any attack and its musculature 💪🏼 as well as its size are increased. It is also possible to coat several objects with Haki at once. According to Navy Rear Admiral Scrap D. Kidd , there are only about a hundred individuals in One Piece who are capable of mastering Weaponry Haki to this level. In addition, this mastery requires 5 years of training, or even less through effort and sustained dedication to training.
- Ryuuou
This spiritual ability is considered a level of near perfect mastery of Weaponry Haki. There would only be around twenty people able to master it in the One Piece universe. This is a technique for launching kinds of waves 🌊 of energy.
- Advanced Ryuuou
Much rarer still, it is an advanced level of Ryuuou. The shock wave projected onto the opponent does not destroy him from the outside but infiltrates his body to damage him from the inside. To date, only Rayleigh is an expert in it, but Luffy has also successfully used it in the Wano Kuni Arc.
- Tribal Haki
We saw this level of Weaponry Haki with Luffy when he switched to Gear Fourth. Indeed, at that moment, his Haki deploys tribal 🔥 flames on his body. Although not much is known about this technique, it appears that it allows its user to combine their Combat Fluid with their Devil Fruit powers . Luffy was notably seen with his powers coming from Gomu Gomu no Mi although he was using his Haki. At the moment, Katakuri, Big Mom and Luffy are the only ones who have shown the ability to call upon this level of Haki.
Haki of Kings
Kings Haki is the rarest form of Haki of the three. It is said that this power is wielded only by one in a million people and is innate. It is therefore impossible to achieve it by training, but it is possible to improve it through intensive work on the mind 👻 and willpower. This Haki is also called Haoshoku no Haki, Color of the Conqueror and Royal Fluid .
Benefits of Kings Haki
Thanks to the Royal Fluid, its user is able to dominate the will of others and impose their own on them. To date, this Haki is currently capable of rendering characters with weak willpower unconscious. Thus, the targeted people fall into unconsciousness just by the presence of the user. Thus, the stronger the user's willpower, the more devastating the effects of Haki will be. In addition, if the user has perfect control, he is able to target 🎯 only certain people without touching others who are in the same area. It has also happened that the user can use this Fluid while unconscious, as Luffy did to several members of the Hundred Beast Pirates while he was unconscious.
Disadvantages of Kings Haki
The Haki of Kings has a limit, that of not being effective against opponents with a strong will. They can resist its effect and even ignore it. This fluid also presents another disadvantage for its user. If the latter does not have perfect control, it risks hitting and rendering unconscious people who are not targeted but who are in the surrounding area.
Evolutions of Haki of Kings
Another more advanced level of this Haki is that the user can also impact the environment. He can thus destroy objects. This is what Red Shanks did when he broke part of Whitebeard's boat. This is also the case for Big Mom who, because of strong emotions, overturned and destroyed everything that was around her (furniture, decor, etc.). She even destroyed the castle 🏰 Whole Cake because her Haki of Kings is so powerful.
Differences between Anime and Manga Haki
Between the anime and manga versions of the One Piece series, there are some differences regarding Haki. First of all, regarding Armament Haki, we saw in the anime that the invisible armor is shown as a rapid pulse forming a light beam of blue color and resembling lightning. On the other hand, in the manga, it is presented as an amplified impact. Likewise, when Armament Haki and Kings Haki are used at the same time in the anime, it creates shockwaves or ripples like when someone uses the Trembling Fruit 🍇 (Gura Gura no Mi ) . On the other hand, in the manga, this type of effect does not exist.
Regarding the Haki of Kings, we see a kind of foam coming out of the mouths of people who fall unconscious in the manga. But in the anime, its people just fall into unconsciousness. In addition, the Royal Fluid causes a dark blue tint to appear in the affected area, but these are only effects for the anime.
Develop the Haki that lies dormant within you too
As we have seen, these three forms of Haki are very powerful powers used by only a few characters. Note that only 4 protagonists have so far proven their ability to use these 3 Hakis, namely Silvers Raleigh, Edward Newgate aka Whitebeard, 🎅🏼 Charlotte Katakuri and of course Monkey D. Luffy. The latter has trained a lot to awaken and improve his Haki, which shows that anything is possible with effort.
You too have the possibility of awakening and developing the Haki buried within you. You can even have them all and master them if you want. Train intensively and equip yourself with articles dedicated to One Piece available on our online store.
