'One Piece': What You Need To Know About Haki

One Piece has some of the most memorable places, characters, and events, and although the series [...]

By Nick Valdez - February 27, 2018 10:32 pm EST

One Piece has some of the most memorable places, characters, and events, and although the series has introduced superpowers in the form of its Devil Fruit transformative abilities, there's something else interesting in the midst of all of that.

In the latter half of the series, the power system has changed to give certain characters a leg up on others with the introduction of Haki, a spiritual energy that resides in all living things. There are two types of Haki in every living being, but there's a special third one accessible to only certain beings.

Haki is an ability to sense spiritual energy (Kenbunshoku, or Observation), use life force (Busoshoku, or Armament) and even overpower enemies (Haoshoku, or Conqueror). Only those warriors with the ability to use the three Haki rise to the cream of the crop in One Piece.

Read on to find out everything you need to know about Haki in One Piece.

Armament Haki - Complementary

The Armament Haki can be used in three different ways. The first is the most common which can be seen in most of the upper level fights in One Piece. Its complimentary trait enhances a user's attacks. It is more effective against a non-Haki user, or a fighter with a weaker Haki, but is often just seen in many of the series' fights.

It's not as impactful as fighting auras found in other Shonen stories like Dragon Ball or Naruto, but the fights in One Piece are usually more about highlighting the quirky nature of the Devil Fruit powers and become more about staging the fights in ways that highlight the weird abilities the most.

Armament Haki - Circumvention

Circumvention is the second type of Armament Haki, and is less common than the Complementary type. This type of Haki is most effective in bypassing the offensive and defensive abilities of certain Devil Fruit users.

Luffy is often seen using this Haki, and along with the boosted impact of his contracting rubber band punches, allows Luffy to damage even the most steeled of character defenses. This is why, before he even the time jump, his punches were able to strike foes covered in metal or at least heavily armored.

But the fact this was a type of Haki wasn't explicitly stated as being used until later in the series.

Armament Haki - Concentration

The post-time jump half of the series saw the rise of the third type of Armament Haki, Concentration. Which turns the usually invisible nature of the armor into a thicker, more impenetrable arm around one's body. This is called the Koka Technique, and it hardens parts of the body (considered to be stronger) and was first used by Luffy when he fired off the first Red Hawk attack.

This is even more evident in his fight with Doflamingo in which Luffy used the Gear Fourth, Boundman, to enhance his arms and legs to fight against the hardened limbs of Doflamingo. These techniques all have a drawback in the fight that the more it's used, the more it drains a user's Haki.

Observation Haki - Perception

The second type of Haki is Observation, and became more prevalent in the series after the time skip and the Straw Hat Pirates headed into the New World. First introduced by Rayleigh when he began training Luffy after the events of the Marineford arc, the first type of Observation Haki allows its users to perceive the energy of other living things and pinpoint their location.

It's essentially One Piece's way of having a character sense the energy of another one, much like the idea of sensing ki or chakra is used in Dragon Ball and Naruto. This is more used to give off the aura of strength, as characters can reference how strong another character is just by feel, and it's a good way of introducing the idea of Luffy just being more in tune with the world.

Observation Haki - Prediction

When a character improves their Observation Haki, it can allow them to reach the second characteristic of this type and give users the ability to perceive movements and dodge in real time. The ability to predict an opponent's attack moments before they strike and thus make them easier to dodge is the essential next use of the Observation Haki.

This Haki doesn't have a visible representation in the anime series, as Luffy's effective use of this Haki in this series allows him to quickly dodge attacks with ease. There is a weakness in this ability that does not allow it to predict all attacks, as Luffy defeated Enel in this way by randomizing the direction of his punches to avoid detection.

Observation Haki - Precognition

Though, as most recently demonstrated by Charlotte Katakuri in the manga, if a user trains their use of the Observation Haki enough they gain access to the third trait, Precognition, the ability to see a brief moment into the future.

Rather than just correctly predicting attacks, this technique allows the user to predict an entire future. Katakuri uses this in the battle against Luffy, in which he can see a few seconds into the future. This catches Luffy by surprise as Katakuri counters Luffy's moves before they are even made, and Luffy in that fight is beginning to master his use the Observation Haki as well.

This is the most trouble of the Haki traits to reach, especially as he says that the best use of it comes when he has a calm mind (which would be impossible to keep in a tough fight).

Conqueror's Haki - Domestication

The Conqueror's Haki is the most rare in the series, with only one in several million people reaching this ability. It was first used early on in the series, as Shanks scared off a Sea King, but it wasn't explained until much later in the series. The Conqueror's Haki is most seen in the strongest of warriors, and he first trait allows its user to domesticate beasts and animals.

Along with the example of Shanks and the Sea King, Luffy has tamed animals after the time skip. But before the timeskip, Luffy used it in the fight against Duval's bull Motobaro and it confused everyone at the time because this was before the Conqueror's Haki was referred to by name.

Conqueror's Haki - Destruction

The second trait of the Conqueror's Haki likens it to the other energy systems of other shonen series, like Bleach's spirit pressure, Dragon Ball's ki, and Naruto's chakra. When a user expresses the Conqueror's Haki in this fashion, it causes the destruction of the area around the user. This visual is akin to the kind you'd find in Dragon Ball when Goku or Vegeta goes Super Saiyan.

This was most common with Edward Newgate, or Whitebeard, who has often seen both dominating and crushing the environment beneath his presence. Along with his Devil Fruit power shaking the Earth, his Haki was leading to the destruction of the world around him.

Conquerer's Haki - Domination

When the Conqueror's Haki is referred to by name, the final more common trait is used, Domination. This is the trait that allows a user to exert their will over others. Luffy first used this in the fight with Sandersonia and Marigold when he knocked the crowd watching their fight unconscious. He later used this during the Marineford arc and got the more focused attention of the Marines in the process.

But this Conqueror's Haki trait has seen the most instances in the series overall, with the anime's depiction of it both knocking people unconscious and making them foam at the mouth. This trait is also why it gets the "Conqueror's" nickname, since it is the Haki bestowed to those with the qualities closest to a king.