Although devil fruits are the primary power system in One Piece, especially in the first few hundred episodes and chapters, Eichiro Oda was always alluding to an even greater power that became more prevalent as Luffy and the Straw Hats became stronger and more famous.

What Is Haki?

A mysterious vital force that few people can harness.

Haki is present in every person, but few know of its existence, much less wield it. It is derived from one’s spiritual energy, and the only way to use this power is through intense and long training, but it can sometimes be used when in emotional distress or in a life-or-death situation. This is where it is usually awakened, but for most, the process is not so sudden. Haki has many uses, but it is primarily used in combat. From sensing danger, strengthening the body or even seeing a few seconds into the future, Haki has made people without devil fruits much stronger than those with, like Oden Kozuki and Shanks.

The word “Haki” literally translates as “ambition”, and this is perhaps the biggest clue that the series has given about the origins of this power. People with strong ambitions or unbreakable dreams are shown to have the strongest Haki, and the best explanation about this power was the one given by Silvers Rayleigh when he was training Luffy:

There are three types of Haki, and among them, Conqueror’s Haki is only possessed by one in a million people, who are all destined to leave a mark on the world. Despite its rarity, the one that appeared the first in the series was the Conqueror’s Haki, when Shanks used it in chapter #1 of One Piece when he saved Luffy from the Sea King, but unfortunately lost his arm in the process. It is almost impossible to survive in the New World without Haki, no matter how unique and powerful your devil fruit is, which is why the main fighters among the Straw Hats had to master it during the time skip.

Armament Haki

The essential Haki for battle.

This type of Haki is the most used when fighting, as it allows a user to coat their body in Haki, giving them heightened defensive and offensive power. A blow by Armament Haki is deadly, and the only way to counter it is to coat your body with Haki as well. Often referred to as an invisible armor, it was never visible to viewers pre-time skip but Armament Haki was shown to give the body a black color when in use after the time skip. It can be used to harden certain parts of the body or even sometimes all of it. When a lot of Haki is concentrated on a body part, flames may emerge, such as Luffy’s Red Roc in episode #1015 and chapter #1000.

Weapons can also be coated with Armament Haki.

It is presumed that Garp was the first to use it when he punched Luffy in the Water 7 arc, but it was clarified by Oda that Garp didn’t use Armament Haki. Instead, Sentomaru was the first to use it when he fought Luffy in the Sabaody Archipelago. There are many people who can use it, and it is the most prevalent type of Haki. The strongest people in One Piece utilize it and the most famous users are Luffy, Kaido, Gol D. Roger, Doflamingo, the Admirals and Vice-Admirals, and many more. Since Haki is drawn from spiritual energy, it can be exhausted and has a time limit. It can be especially devastating when so much Haki is used that the user cannot move, like when Luffy uses his Gear 4.

Observation Haki

A rare and versatile power that, if honed to the extreme, can see the future.

This type of Haki is extremely useful as it allows a user to sense the presence, emotions, and power of an opponent. Observation Haki is like a sixth sense and works independently of the other senses. This is exactly how Fujitora managed to become an admiral and one of the strongest despite being blind. This Haki can be used to gauge an opponent’s strength, intent, and emotions. Many users of Armament Haki also use this type of Haki to assist in combat, most notably Yamato, Whitebeard, Blackbeard, Zoro, Sanji, and others.

In very rare cases, it can be used to predict the attacks of others by very briefly looking into the future, but it is an incredibly rare kind of power known as Future Sight. The most expert in this variation of Observation Haki is Shanks, who is capable of seeing up to a full ten seconds in the future, and he uses this foresight in conjunction to his massive Conqueror’s Haki to devastating effect in battle.

Conqueror’s Haki

The mark of the people who will carve their name in history.

By far the most rare type of Haki, all its users are the most powerful people in the world and have the qualities of a King. Shanks was the first to use it, but Luffy subconsciously used it many times when he was in distress or danger, with the most famous example being when Ace was about to be executed. This power has two main applications. The first one works by overpowering others using willpower, with people with weaker wills being knocked out when they sense Conqueror’s Haki. A variation of it was used by Shanks when he used his Conqueror’s Haki to paralyze Ryokugyu from a great distance.

The most important application, however, is when Conqueror’s Haki is used in conjunction with Armament Haki to imbue a weapon or body part with it, greatly increasing its power as compared to using Armament Haki alone. This is almost the only way to damage the most resilient characters who appeared in the series, such as Kaido and Big Mom.

Every user of Conqueror’s Haki has a significant position in the world, and this power is only blessed to those with great ambitions. They are known as Supreme Rulers, and the only confirmed users are Luffy, Shanks, Roger, Katakuri, Zoro, Yamato, Garp, Hancock, Doflamingo, Sengoku, Kaido, Whitebeard, Ace, Big Mom, Blackbeard, Rayleigh, Kid, Oden, and Chinjao. Interestingly, only 2 Marines have been confirmed to use Conqueror’s Haki, namely Garp and Sengoku, at least until now.

Haki Is Still A Mystery, Despite Being So Important

The source of this power remains purposefully vague.

There is still quite a bit unknown about Haki but since the series is nearing its end, a lot of questions will be answered sooner than later. It is not a stretch to say that Haki is superior to devil fruits, as Kaido famously believed. Indeed, Whitebeard, who had one of the strongest devil fruit, was always considered second to Roger, who only relied on Haki. Shanks has been teased as the strongest of the Emperors, and he also only relies on Haki, just as Mihawk, the strongest swordman in the world. Haki’s simplicity, along with its mysterious origins, means it has endless potential, cementing it as one of the best power systems in anime and manga.