Highlights

• Haki is a special power in the One Piece world that can be harnessed through rigorous training to strengthen oneself.
• There are three main types of Haki: Observation Haki, Armament Haki, and Conqueror's Haki, each with its own subtypes and unique abilities.
• Observation Haki grants heightened senses and the ability to sense emotions, intentions, and even see into the future, but it requires a calm state of mind to work effectively. Armament Haki allows the user to manifest their spirit as a defense and bypass the defenses of a Devil Fruit. Conqueror's Haki is the rarest type and allows the user to impose their willpower on others, dominate spirits, and even infuse their attacks with Haki for greater power.

Haki is an extremely special power that dwells within all those who live in the One Piece world. However, very few are able to make use of its true potential. To put it simply, Haki is a person's willpower or ambition. Through rigorous training, anyone can utilize this power to strengthen themselves.

Haki is mainly divided into two types: Color of Arms Haki, also known as Armament Haki; and Color of Observation Haki, or simply Observation Haki. A rare third type of Haki, called Conqueror's Haki, also exists in very few characters in One Piece. Each of these main types has subtypes as well — here's everything fans need to know about these types of power.

Updated on December 30, 2023, by Rei Penber: Haki is one of the biggest powers in the One Piece world, and it has certainly gained more importance the deeper the Straw Hat Pirates head in the story. With time, One Piece has introduced many forms of Haki and, of course, the understanding that fans now have of it is deeper than ever before. While this list already goes over the many types of Haki that fans have seen in One Piece, it has now been updated with the many weaknesses of each individual Haki type. As such, this list has now been updated.

Observation Haki

Observation Haki is known to be the most basic form of Haki. It grants heightened senses akin to a sixth sense, and even grants the power of precognition to a certain extent. This power appeared on several occasions in the story, before being finally explained by Silvers Rayleigh before the timeskip.

On Skypiea, Observation Haki is known as Mantra. Observation Haki appears to be the most layered form of Haki, and it has the widest range of applications among the various types.

Sub-Type 1: Presence, Emotion, Intent Sensing

Observation Haki grants a sixth sense to a person, and thus allows them to sense someone's presence without even actually seeing them. At the same time, it also allows people to sense the emotions of others. For example, Sanji could hear the tears of a woman falling from a mile away on Punk Hazard.

What's more, with the right mastery, Observation Haki also lets people sense other people's intentions. When Luffy and Yamato met, for example, Luffy was immediately able to tell that Yamato wouldn't hurt him because he sensed no malice.

Sub-Type 2: Strength Gauging

Observation Haki can also allow the user to gauge the strength of other people. Using Observation Haki, one can make an estimate of the difference in strength between themselves and a potential opponent.

Fans saw an example of this on Zou, where Luffy was able to tell that Inuarashi was very powerful without even fighting him or seeing him in combat. Evidently, Luffy used his Observation Haki to gauge Inuarashi's strength and was surprised to hear that Jack was able to defeat him.

Sub-Type 3: Future Sight

Quite possibly the most advanced form of Observation Haki is the Future Sight. A person myst train their Haki to the extreme in order to attain this power. Eventually, it allows them to see some seconds ahead into the future itself, making it an incredibly powerful ability.

Charlotte Katakuri of the Big Mom Pirates was the first person seen to use this ability, and used it to thoroughly study Luffy in their fight. Consequently, Luffy managed to learn how to see the future as well.

Best Observation Haki Users

Being a very layered power, Observation Haki has different users who excel at different subtypes of this power. When it comes to sensing emotions, Sanji of the Straw Hat Pirates is one of the very best users of the ability, as seen on various occasions across Punk Hazard, Dressrosa, Whole Cake Island, and even Wano.

Along with him, the Navy Admiral Fujitora is also considered to be among the very best users of this type of Haki. When it comes to Future Sight, Charlotte Katakuri is quite easily the best user of the power, having had complete mastery over it for years. In fact, before his fight against Luffy, Katakuri hadn't been hit for years. Luffy, the Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, excels at both sensing emotions and seeing the future at the same time.

Observation Haki Weaknesses

The biggest weakness of Observation Haki is the fact that one needs to be absolutely calm for it to work perfectly. If one’s calm state of mind is disturbed, Observation Haki will not work at all. This is evident in the story on many occasions, such as when Luffy fought against Katakuri and the latter had his peace of mind disturbed.

Even though Katakuri could see the future, once he was disturbed, he couldn't even predict Luffy's basic attacks or dodge them. As long as the user of Observation Haki is calm, they can utilize this ability to the very best. This is precisely why Observation Haki users are especially calm and composed in combat and do not panic in the face of danger. They need to be composed and confident to be able to use this ability to the very fullest.

Another weakness of observation Haki is the fact that it cannot contend against high speed. While Observation Haki can allow a user to perceive an attack or, in some cases, even see the future, if their body isn't fast enough to react to what they are seeing, they will still be hit by the incoming attack. This means that the user absolutely needs to train their body to keep up with their perception of danger, otherwise, having this ability doesn't grant as much of an advantage in battle.

Armament Haki

Armament Haki is arguably the most useful form of Haki in One Piece, as it allows the user to manifest their spirit invisibly. They can then use it in both offensive and defensive ways by coating their bodies with it.

The biggest advantage of Armament Haki is that it lets the user bypass whatever protection that a Devil Fruit offers, such as the rubbery nature of Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Mi or the flame body offered by the Mera Mera no Mi. Armament Haki is often shown to harden, although whether this strengthens the Haki is up for debate.

Sub-Type 1: Ryou Emission

Ryou is an advanced usage of Armament Haki which is commonly used by the people of Wano. Although Ryou emission simply means Haki to them, its usage is very different. It allows the user to let Haki flow through their body calmly and emit it from one point, allowing them to break through even the toughest of defenses.

This form of Haki is, thus, better when compared to regular Armament Haki.

Sub-Type 2: Internal Destruction

Internal Destruction is a very advanced form of Armament Haki that is available to only a handful of people in the One Piece world. This form of Haki works the same as Ryou. The only difference is that it destroys the target from within, dealing internal damage without having to pierce the exterior.

As such, this form of Haki is much more powerful. It's strong enough to destroy even the explosive collars of the Celestial Dragons.

Best Armament Haki Users

Armament Haki isn't nearly as layered as Observation Haki and, usually, grows is considered to be strong in all the elites. However, there are some characters whose Haki is known to be extremely powerful. According to Trafalgar Law, Yonko Kaido and Big Mom have tremendous Haki and he cannot move them with his Ope Ope no Mi powers.

At the same time, both Kaido and Big Mom are users of Ryuo, an advanced form of Haki. Rayleigh is an exceptionally good user of Internal Destruction Haki, as is Luffy, who managed to pick this technique up in Wano Country. Kozuki Oden was one of the very best users of this type of Haki and his Ryuo was feared even by the likes of Yonko Kaido. Some other exceptional users of this power are Gol D. Roger, Whitebeard, Garp, and even the Admirals of the Navy.

Armament Haki Weaknesses

Armament Haki can be labeled the most used type of Haki in One Piece and while it certainly does aid a user greatly in combat, it has many weaknesses as well. The biggest weakness of this type of Haki is that it is actively used in combat at all times, which means that it can deplete much faster than other Haki types.

As the user's stamina depletes, their usage of Armament Haki fades away as well. Furthermore, when it comes to the defense offered by Armament Haki, it isn't that the stronger Haki always wins. This is a wide misconception among the fans. In fact, Armament Haki can actually be overcome with a significantly greater force as well. This has been proven in the story on multiple occasions. For instance, Luffy did not have any Haki during the Amazon Lily arc, yet he was able to break through Marigold's Armament Haki with the power of Gear Second. Similarly, Luffy, despite openly admitting that his Armament Haki was weaker than that of Katakuri, was able to overcome his Haki by the sheer force produced by the compression of Gear 4. Another massive weakness of Armament Haki is the fact that it only protects the user's surface. The insides of the user are vulnerable to damage and this means any attack that deals internal damage, such as Law's Devil Fruit techniques, or another user of Internal destruction Haki can deal severe damage to any Haki user in One Piece.

Conqueror's Haki

Also known as The Supreme King Haki, Conqueror's Haki is a special power that only a handful of people are born with. It is believed that one in a million people possess this power, making it extremely fearsome.

On a basic level, Conqueror's Haki allows the user to show off their willpower by imposing it on others. Those with weaker will pass out immediately without even being touched. Although not as layered as Observation Haki, Conqueror's Haki has many applications.

Sub-Type 1: Domination And Pressure

In addition to knocking people out as mentioned above, Conqueror's Haki also lets the person dominate the spirit of others and tame them, mostly seen with animals. With it, Luffy was able to tame Uucy in Dressrosa, and even Surume on the way to Fishman Island.

Another application of Conqueror's Haki is the ability to generate pressure, which can be seen when two Conqueror's Haki users clash. The pressure generated usually damages the environment around them. Shanks was able to damage Whitebeard's ship without even touching it. What's more, when two elite users of Conqueror's Haki clash, the pressure generated results in the heavens splitting apart.

Sub-Type 2: Infusion

Conqueror's Haki can also be infused into the attacks of the user, making them incredibly powerful. This was explained in the Wano Country arc when Luffy fought Kaido. According to Kaido, only the very strongest people can manage to do this and even fewer can do it with skill.

Kaido infuses Conqueror's Haki in almost all his techniques, such as Thunder Bagua or Ragnaraku. After watching him use this power, Luffy also managed to learn its usage, however, his version was much cruder. In addition to those two, Yamato, Roger, Whitebeard, and Big Mom have been seen using Conqueror's Haki infusion.

Sub-Type 3: Observation Killing

Observation Killing is an incredible application of Conqueror's Haki that only Shanks is known to be capable of using. Essentially, Shanks can use his aura to somehow falter his opponents and prevent them from seeing into the future or, possibly, entirely using Observation Haki at all. This makes it an incredibly dangerous subtype of Conqueror's Haki that can be a defining factor in combat.

Right now, much about this power remains unclear, however, as the character of Shanks gets explored further, fans will likely find out more about him and all the powers that he possesses.

Sub-Type 4: Long-range Haki

Another subtype of Conqueror's Haki is the long-range Haki that fans have seen Shanks utilize in the story once. This ability is unique to Shanks and no other user of Conqueror's Haki has displayed this level of control over this power. Essentially, Shanks can send bolts of Conqueror's Haki from miles away directly to his target. These bolts of Conqueror's Haki aren't just for intimidation as they can paralyze someone as strong as a Marine Admiral within the blink of an eye.

In fact, Shanks can even somehow communicate from miles away using his Conqueror's Haki. This was indicated by the fact that Greenbull could clearly hear him through his Haki. Furthermore, this type of Haki also forced Green Bull out of his Woods Man form and that just goes to show how dangerous a power this is.

Best Conqueror's Haki Users

Conqueror's Haki is the rarest of all types of Haki in One Piece and only a few people possess it in the New World, implying that there are even fewer people who have a full mastery of this power. So far, Kaido appears to be a great user of advanced Conqueror's Haki, as evident from his usage of techniques such as Thunder Bagua and Ragnaraku. Big Mom, another Yonko, is just as good a user of Conqueror's Haki, however, she doesn't seem to use it as often.

Other notable users of Conqueror's Haki include Monkey D. Luffy, Yamato, and Roronoa Zoro. While Shanks hasn't shown his true power to the fans just yet, he is presumed to be an extremely powerful user of Conqueror's Haki - perhaps the strongest of them all. In the past, Gol D. Roger and Whitebeard also displayed tremendous skill with the usage of Conqueror's Haki.

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