Haki (覇気,Haki? literally meaning "Ambition") is a mysterious force that is found in every living being in the One Piece world. It is not that different from the normal senses. However, most people do not notice it or fail in awakening it. Broadly, there are two types of Haki common to everyone, given the proper training; however, there is a third type that only a certain group of "chosen ones" are said to possess.
'Haki' is a power that lies dormant in all the world's creatures... 'Presence', 'fighting spirit' and 'intimidation'... It is not different from the things that humans can naturally sense such as these... 'The act of not doubting'. That is strength!
”
— Silvers Rayleigh explaining Haki to Luffy at the start of his training
Haki, unnamed at the time, was first seen when Shanks used it against the Lord of the Coast to save Luffy when he was a child from the wrath of the Sea King. The term "Haki" was first coined and used much later when Blackbeard was commenting on Luffy's bounty in Jaya, and was hinted at during Shanks' visit with Whitebeard. The underlying concepts of Haki were introduced during the Sabaody Archipelago and Amazon Lily Arcs. The concept was clearly explained by Rayleigh to Luffy at the start of the latter's training on Rusukaina Island. Haki is dormant in every living person, but it's rare for most people to ever awaken that ability. Intense training can awaken it, as can extreme shock, such as with Coby during the battle of Marineford or Aisa who seems to have developed it naturally under Eneru's stern rule.
Known Users
So far the characters who have clearly shown the use of Haki are:
Coby
All Mantra users
Edward Newgate
Jozu
Kuja tribe
Monkey D. Luffy
Monkey D. Garp
Marco
Marines with Vice Admiral rank and above
Portgas D. Ace
Silvers Rayleigh
Sentoumaru
Shanks
Vista
Types of Haki
Haki is separated into three categories: Kenbunshoku Haki, which grants users a sixth sense of the world around them and limited precognitive abilities; Busōshoku Haki, which allows the user to use their spirit as armor to defend against attacks or to make their own attacks more potent; and Haōshoku Haki, a rare type of Haki only one in a million can use which grants the user the ability to overpower the will of others. Most people who can use Haki tend to have a type they're better at and as a result focus on that type. However, a person can improve their abilities with all the types of haki, it just requires more work.
Kenbunshoku Haki
Boa Sandersonia uses Kenbunshoku Haki to predict Luffy's movements.
Kenbunshoku Haki (見聞色,Kenbunshoku Haki? literally meaning "Color of Observation"), also known as Mantra (心綱 (マントラ),Mantora?, kanji means "Mind Rope") in Skypiea) is a form of Haki that allows the user to sense the presence of others, even if they are concealed from view or too far to see naturally. When using this type of Haki, one can predict an opponent's moves shortly before they make them, thereby making the attack that much easier to evade. This prediction appears to the user as an image or brief "premonition" of what the opponent will do in the user's mind's eye, and the damage the user will take if the attack "hits" for real. It appears that the more killer intent the enemy has the easier they are to predict, though more skilled users can predict future moves regardless of whether there are ambient murderous intents or not. It was first introduced under the name Mantra when Satori used it to fight Sanji, Luffy, and Usopp as they went through the Ordeal of Balls. Aisa is the only known Shandian who has this ability. It served as a plot point when she helped Luffy locate Enel. It varied in strength between users, with Enel's being the strongest. With his Devil Fruit, the Goro Goro no Mi, Enel could pick up electromagnetic waves, allowing him to overhear conversations and everything around him; this extended the range of his Mantra to cover roughly all of Skypiea. By comparison, most of the other priests could only keep track of people nearby. The first time it was seen being used and referred to as Haki was during Luffy's battle on Amazon Lily with the Boa Sisters. Later, Rayleigh explained Haki to Luffy and confirmed that "Mantra" is the Skypiean name for the ability. The stress of the Marineford War awakened Coby's Kenbunshoku Haki, allowing him to hear the voices of the dying Marines disappearing; Aisa's Mantra worked in much the same fashion, as shown during Enel's Survival Game. Luffy demonstrated a similar precognitive sense during his battle with Dracule Mihawk, stopping himself mid-strike after realizing that Mihawk would cut his hands off. After the timeskip, Luffy dodged a bullet at point-blank range, and a beam shot from a Pacifista's arm with Luffy claiming it to be "slow", hinting that he has enough control over the ability to react at speeds surpassing lasers, and then proved it when he noticed Rayleigh sitting and watching on a far away Sabaody Grove root. Though the technique allows the user to predict most attacks, it can be circumvented by various means. It cannot predict inherently random attacks; for example, Luffy managed to bypass Enel's Mantra by bouncing his fists off a nearby wall, to prevent himself and thus Enel from knowing where they would land. Tying in with the inability to detect random attacks, Kenbunshoku Haki seems to be linked to the target's own awareness of themselves and their surroundings. Enel failed to discern the presence of Luffy inside the giant snake Nola, only detecting him after he escaped. It also doesn't make the user any faster than normal, so the user's ability to dodge is dependent on their speed; Enel was unable to avoid Luffy's finishing move because it was moving too fast. Likewise, Luffy's Gear Second was able to outpace Boa Sandersonia, despite her ability to read his moves. It also seems to falter if the user loses their concentration. Satori lost the control of his Mantra when Luffy unexpectedly brought the string of exploding balls right to him, enabling Luffy to grab him from behind when the smoke cleared, and Gedatsu lost to Chopper because he lost his concentration and his Mantra faltered.
Known Kenbunshoku Haki Users
So far, these are the only people confirmed to be able to use this type of Haki.
Aisa
Boa Sandersonia
Coby
Edward Newgate
Enel
Gedatsu
Monkey D. Luffy
Ohm
Satori
Shura
Silvers Rayleigh
Busōshoku Haki
Rayleigh making use of Busōshoku Haki against Kizaru's Logia ability.
Busōshoku Haki (武装色,Busōshoku Haki? literally meaning "Color of Armaments") allows the user to create a force similar to an invisible armor around themselves. Similar to Tekkai, this allows the user to defend against attacks that would otherwise cause them harm. Only significant physical force can overcome this defense; for example, Luffy striking Boa Marigold hard enough with Gear Second moves to send her reeling. The invisible armor can take on many forms such as Luffy hardening his fist to the point where it changed color. With training, it can be further honed into a weapon with which to strike others. It can be used to augment the user's physical attacks, projected ahead of the user as pure sheer force, or imbued in weapons to increase their effectiveness. Any attack enhanced by Haki hits immensely harder than it would normally. The Kuja's Haki-imbued arrows, for example, are capable of penetrating solid stone. This type of Haki also has the ability to bypass the powers of a Devil Fruit user, striking the "substantial body" beneath whatever protection the fruit provides, even in the case of body-altering Devil Fruits such as Logia users. Busōshoku Haki works independently of the user's Devil Fruit, as shown when Luffy uses it to enhance his Gear Third attack underwater.
Techniques
Busōshoku: Kōka (武装色 硬化,Busōshoku: Kōka? literally meaning: Color of Armaments: Hardening): The user implants Busōshoku Haki in his body (or parts of it) to harden it. It was first seen used by Monkey D. Luffy, to harden his giant arm to the point of being completely black and shiny, in order to use his Gomu Gomu no Elephant Gun.
Known Busōshoku Haki Users
So far, these are the only people confirmed to be able to use this type of Haki.
Akainu
Aokiji
Boa Hancock
Boa Marigold
Boa Sandersonia
Benn Beckman
Edward Newgate
Jozu
Kizaru
Marco
Monkey D. Garp
Monkey D. Luffy
Sentoumaru
Shanks
Silvers Rayleigh
Vista
Haōshoku Haki
Luffy's Haōshoku Haki, unleashed unknowingly.
Haōshoku Haki (覇王色,Haōshoku Haki? literally meaning "Color of the Conquering King") is a rare form of Haki that cannot be attained through training and only one in a million people carry it. It was first demonstrated by Shanks, when he used it to scare off a Sea King. Later on, during a meeting with Whitebeard, he used it to knock out most of the crew and cause physical damage to the Moby Dick, which the few still standing attributed to his superior Haki. Luffy first displayed the effects of this type of Haki against Duval's bull, Motobaro, much to everyone's confusion. He displayed it again on Amazon Lily while battling the Boa sisters, knocking out a large portion of the audience observing the match, despite all of them being accustomed to regular Haki usage. This is also the first time it is referred to by name. Luffy's exhibition of it during the Marineford War was enough for the Marine Admirals to be wary of him that they prioritized his elimination after that This type of Haki grants the user the ability to overpower the wills of others. The most common usage in the series so far is knocking those with weak wills unconscious. Whilst inexperienced users are restricted to merely overpowering the will of one individual or blindly knocking out weak-willed people around them, those with more expertise can pick out weak-willed individuals in a large group and knock them out without affecting those around them. However, those with stronger wills can resist or even ignore the effects of Haōshoku Haki. According to Rayleigh, while this type of Haki cannot be attained through training, it can be improved through training, as it grows as the users spirit grows. It seems that upon recovery, victims of Haōshoku Haki experience the sensation of chills running through their body, though it presumably wears off after a short period.
Known Haōshoku Haki Users
So far, these are the only people confirmed to possess this type of Haki:
Boa Hancock
Edward Newgate
Monkey D. Luffy
Shanks
Silvers Rayleigh
Portgas D. Ace
Anime and Manga Differences
In the manga, those hit with Haōshoku Haki foam at the mouth after losing consciousness, while in the anime they simply faint.
In the anime, use of Haōshoku and Busōshoku Haki creates a rippling or shock wave-like effect, similar to the Gura Gura no Mi, while in the manga, it is completely invisible.
Translation and Dub Issues
The term "Haki" is a word that has multiple meanings when translated into English. It can mean "ambition", "will power", "drive" and "aspiration" to name a few. In the 4kids dub of the game One Piece: Pirates Carnival and edited FUNimation TV episodes, Mantra is known as Mantora. In the uncut versions of the Funi episodes, it is called Mantra. Though Haōshoku is translatable to "king", it refers to a "warring king" or "conqueror", one who rules by power and conquest. The term "Overlord" has been used by some translators. In the recent simulcast episodes by FUNimation, they have chosen to use the term "Haki energy" despite official FUNimation translators wanting to use the term "ambition". This was apparently Toei's decision perhaps based on what the Viz Manga has decided to use. In the video game, One Piece: Unlimited Adventure, which was dubbed by Funimation, "Haki" was translated as "Ambition". It is not clear what term will be used in the Funimation DVD releases, or if it will even contain this term, but "Haki energy" appears to be what they are currently using in the simulcast.
Trivia
Haki appears to be similar in principle to common types of Qi (Chi) found in various other anime and manga series.
Haki users can still utilize their Devil Fruit powers, despite Haki being able to affect Devil Fruit abilities. This is because Haki only allows the user to bypass defenses provided by other peoples Devil Fruit powers.
Not only is it a Japanese term, but Haki was also the name of a Scandinavian Sea-King (a name given for powerful pirates) in Norse mythology.
The concept of Kenbunshoku Haki, known to Skypieans as Mantra, is loosely based on the style of thinking in Hinduism, which goes by the same name.
