When Does Luffy Learn Haki? The One Piece Question is Finally Answered Here
⚠️ Disclaimer: For those of you who have not yet seen One Piece, you’re missing out on a lot. But that is not the point here. In case you are still getting started with the top-rated anime series, you may not want to get spoiled by learning about things prior to when you actually should. The following article contains spoilers if you are still an early bird in the One Piece world, so read at your own risk! 🥲
Okay, that was quite a disclaimer. Now let’s head over to our today’s agenda that has got many of you asking questions and that is – when does Luffy learn Haki?
I need information. When does Luffy learn to use Haki in one piece?
— gas mask vibes 😎 (@james_6434) February 9, 2023
So hold your horses if you are also wondering the same as the user in the tweet given above! Because we are going to break down every detail about Haki in this article and keep you posted with the latest details about One Piece as well.
What is Haki in One Piece?
In the popular anime show- One Piece, Haki refers to a latent ability that powers the user with various capabilities and talents.
Quoting Silvers Rayleigh’s (Luffy’s Trainer) words;
| “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! |
The respective special powers prominently include:
- Potential to sense the surrounding
- Ability to form an armor-like defense
- Exert their willpower over others
Every living being in the One Piece world can learn Haki, but the fascinating part is that attaining it is not a cup of tea for everyone, only the potent ones succeed in awakening it!
Succinctly, humans who can acknowledge their true potential and have enormous willpower can only assume Haki and become the most influential creatures in the One Piece world.
Albeit, Conqueror’s Haki or Haoshoku Haki, also known as the “color of the supreme king,” is a significantly rare Haki; only one in a million is born with this divine ability.
All Forms/Types of Haki
To keep it simple, Haki is a very special power that stays inside those who live in the One Piece world. Also known as a person’s ambition or willpower, the true essence of Haki is only understood by those who are determined. And they are the ones who can make use of its true potential.
If you are not from the One Piece fandom, we will tell you about the types of Haki, which are categorized into three types;
- Observation/Kenbunshoku Haki (見聞色の覇気)
- Armament/ Busoshoku Haki (武装色の覇気)
- Conqueror’s/Haoshoku Haki (覇王色の覇気)
And, each Haki has its own sub-forms and advanced forms, on which we will take a brief look in the forthcoming sections!
Observation Haki
“Observation Haki grants the user a sixth sense!”
Using the respective Haki, a user can sense the surroundings, counting the ability to acknowledge the people’s presence, strength, and emotions. It is also referred to as “Mantra” by the Skypiean people.
Additionally, it also powers the user with delightful capabilities such as sensing the adversaries’ intentions and calculating their actions.
Another fascinating characteristic of this mysterious Haki is the enhanced level of it that can authorize the user to look into the future for a short time span. Here are the subtypes of the Kenbunshoku Haki from the Series;
| Presence Sensing It is the basic form of Observation Haki that helps the users see and feel others around them and the ones far away too. Depending on the level of the Observation Haki, the user can even see others even at a distance. |
| Intent Sensing With the help of Intent Sensing, the user can sense and predict what their opponent’s intent is. This power helps the user in the battle to find out what their opponent’s next move will be and what intent they are fighting with during the battle. |
| Strength Sensing As its name suggests, the Strength Sensing form helps to get an idea of how much power the other person holds. They can sense and feel how much Haki they possess by their aura. |
| Emotion Sensing Similar to the subtypes discussed so far, using this technique, the user can sense the emotions of other people and how they are feeling in their hearts. |
Armament Haki
“Armament Haki enables the person to utilize their spiritual energy as armor for attack and defense.”
Users blessed with this Haki can create an armor-like defense as well as use it as a weapon simply by applying armament on a body part or over their whole body. “Hardening” is considered the most common form.
A big advantage of Busoshoku Haki is that it can bypass Logia’s intangibility and attack the users who have eaten Logia-type devil fruits. This is highly helpful in handling foes who were invincible before.
With the Armament’s advanced level, a user can effuse the Busoshoku a short distance without needing any medium.
Plus, an elevated class of advanced Armament prompts a user to circulate emitted Buroshoku into the opponent’s body and tear it down from the inside out.
Check out the techniques of Busoshoku Haki from One Piece;
| Hardening The most common and initial form of Armament Haki is Hardening. Using this technique, the user can harden the parts of their body and intensify their physical attacks. They can also use the power to fully cover their body with it as an armor-like defense. |
| Imbuement Another useful technique that comes with Armament Haki is that it can be imbued in weapons as well. As it is in the case of hardening for making physical attacks more impactful, the same is here with making the weapon attacks stronger. |
| Devil Fruit Armament/Tribal or Swirl Haki Those who have Devil Fruits can combine their Busoshoku Haki with the properties of Devil Fruits. This helps them to enhance their use of power for more dominant attacks. |
Conqueror’s Haki
“Conqueror’s Haki allows the user to channelize their willpower to outcast the willpower of others”.
As I have illustrated above, the Haoshoku/ Conqueror’s Haki is a very rare power that one-in-million people are born with the capability to use.
The respective energy can be used to control and tame savage animals.
The effect of this majestic superpower left adversaries overwhelmed by the user, and the weak-willed ones fell unconscious or faint instantly.
The blitz of the two Haki users produces outrageous shockwaves that tremendously affect the objects in near proximity, even splitting the heavens!
Here are the techniques of the Haoshoku Haki from the popular Japanese series;
| Domination In One Piece, the ability of Domination is usually used for controlling animals when the user makes use of their willpower and dominates them. |
| Incapacitation/Knocking Out In this technique, the user can knock out their opponents, who have a weak willpower, with the use of their Conqueror’s Haki. |
These Haki types are not limited to just these three and are further categorized into their Advanced types and subtypes. Let’s take a look at them and their uses.
What are Advanced Haki Types?
As we have mentioned earlier and explained, the three primary types of Haki are Observation Haki (Kenbunshuko Haki), Armament Haki (Busoshoku Haki), and Conqueror’s Haki (Haoshoku Haki).
So now that you know about them, that’s not all that’s in the store for you for the Haki types! They further get divided into their own advanced types and sub-forms. And we will now be explaining them below.
Observation Haki
The Kenbunshoku Haki is the type of Haki that has quite a variety to offer to the users for sensing and helping them understand their surroundings well. Basically, the user gets extra aware of their senses. The two techniques included are:
- Future Sight
As you may tell by its name, this power helps the user with eyesight. However, there is a pinch of added twist, and that is the ability to see the future to some period of time instead. Using this technique, the user can predict their opponent’s attacks and counter them during battles. This is certainly a useful one!
- The Voice of All Things
There are only a few people who have the ability to hear the voice of all things. This ability allows the users to hear the voices of animals and inanimate objects. As of now, the list of users includes Luffy, Roger, Momonosuke, and Oden.
Armament Haki
Just as its name suggests, this type of Haki lets users make a defense for themselves in an armor-like shape of their bodies. It can be used, not only for protecting oneself but also to counter devil-fruit attacks like Logia Intangibility. The advance techniques include:
- Emission (Ryuo)
Called Ryuo by Hyogoro in Wano, Emission is an advanced technique in Busoshoku Haki. It lets the user project their Haki from their bodies and use it as an attack that is similar to that of a shockwave. The interesting part is that the user can attack his or her opponents without even touching them.
- Internal Destruction (Advanced Ryuo)
A more advanced type of Buroshoku Haki is Internal Destruction. It lets the user do an emission of Haki to the opponent’s body, leaving them destroyed from within. Similar to Ryuo, this is an advanced version similarly, where the user does not have to touch their opponent’s body to attack them.
Conqueror’s Haki
The Haoshoku Haki, also known as The Color of the Supreme King, is a super rare Haki. Why? Only one in a million people are born with this power that enables them to intimidate their opponents. Wondering how? Let us tell you.
The user basically infuses the energy that overwhelms the energy or willpower of those around them. In fact, the ones who don’t have much energy or willpower can fall unconscious.
- Infusion
Conqueror’s coating or infusion is quite similar to Armament Haki. For a strong and powerful attack, the user can add the Haoshoku Haki to their weapons or physical attacks. However, as mentioned earlier, very few are able to successfully use this technique.
- Observation Killing
Known as the Killer of Observation Haki, only Shanks has been seen so far who can use this technique. In this advanced form, the user can basically nullify their opponent’s ability to use future sight and stop them from being able to Observation (Kenbunshoku) Haki. The technique is said to be shown more in the upcoming episodes, as it has been confirmed not long ago in a One Piece volume.
In What Episode Does Luffy Learn Haki?
Our hero – Monkey D. Luffy evoked this dormant superhuman power in;
The respective reckoning by the protagonist is titled “Time Skip.” It represents the period of two years after the great war at Marine Ford – when the Straw Hat Pirates separately went on the endeavor on different islands.
Luffy gave 2 years straight of his life dedicated solely and wholly to training on the Rusukaina island under the guidance of The Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh.
During this enduring period, Luffy procured all three Haki and learned how to utilize them accordingly.
After some time, he met various pirates and honed his skills by mastering advanced Haki as well. But out of all types of Haki, which one really gives the one on the other side a hard time? Let’s find out.
What is the Strongest Type of Haki?
As far as the fans are concerned, the one Haki that can be said to be the strongest, for now, has to be the Conqueror’s Haki. There is a reason why this Haki is called the color of the supreme king. Haoshoku Haki can’t be learned, and only one in a million people are born with it.
Those born with Conqueror’s Haki are said to have high qualities of a leader. So knocking out those who don’t stand at the level of the Haoshoku Haki users is not a big deal. All Haoshoku Haki users are extremely strong as well, as all of them have already mastered both Armament Haki and Observation Haki.
The Wano elevated the power levels in the story to a whole new level as we finally saw the advanced form of Haoshoku Haki. This game-changing power upgrade is the pinnacle of strength in One Piece. So as we are almost nearing (might not be) the end of One Piece, the other users of Haoshoku Haki will most likely be shown, and it is for sure going to be a fun adventure ride!
How Do People Unlock Haki in One Piece?
While it might get complicated for some to understand, unlocking Haki depends from person to person and on certain conditions and situations.
Basically, Haki can be awakened by intense training, as Luffy did with Rayleigh. The same was the case with Sanji and Zoro.
Even though everyone can use Haki, not all of them can manage to awaken it. In One Piece, in the first half of the grand line, too, there were only a few pirates who had it.
Another way to unlock Haki is by extreme shock, as was the case with Koby when he awakened his Observation Haki during the Summit War of Marineford. Ussop had also awakened his Haki the same way, which is also a fan favorite.
There are two people, Aisa and Otohime, who were born with awakened Kenbunshoku Haki without any training.
Is Haki Stronger than Devil Fruits?
When comparing Haki with Devil Fruits, you have to agree with the fact that Haki transcends all, even devil fruits. After growing his Haki, Trafalgar Law was able to negate the effects of the Shiku Shiki No Mi.
Kaido knew the power of Haki, despite eating one of the strongest Zoan-type devil fruits, he still focused on his Haki, and it was his Haki that allowed him to be one of the strongest pirates of his generation.
To end this debate, we can take the example of Gol D. Roger, who managed to become the pirate king with his Haki, something no one was able to do, even Whitebeard who had eaten the Strongest Paramecia-type Devil fruit.
Comparing further, we should also address how Haki users have a big advantage over Devil Fruit users, as they can swim underwater.
Luffy’s Haki Journey
A reason why Haki fits so perfectly in the story is that we all saw Luffy’s Haki journey with each episode and chapter. Following the footsteps of the main characters, we were able to understand how Haki works.
Luffy’s Haki journey can be divided into two parts, the first was him learning the basic forms of Haki and the second part was him learning its advanced forms in the New World.
During the two-year timsekip, Luffy spent time on Rusukaina island with Silvers Rayleigh. Most people don’t know, but Rayleigh was only with Luffy for one and a half years, and Luffy spent the last six months on his journey training alone.
The return to Sabody arc featured the reunion of the Straw Hats Pirates, though each straw hat had grown stronger, there was no one stronger than Luffy on the crew as he had mastered all three forms of Haki, but that was not enough to survive in the New World.
Katakuri was the first opponent who challenged Luffy to push through his limits and to grow his Haki. Luffy’s fight with Katakuri lasted for 12 hours, during which time Luffy was able to learn Advanced Observation Haki and unlocked his future sight.
Luffy’s next opponent was the world’s strongest creature, Kaido. Luffy’s current strength was not enough to even damage Kaido, luckily he was able to learn Ryuo Haki from Hyogoro of the Flower, but even that was not enough to defeat Kaido during the Onigashima raid.
After being defeated again, Luffy came up with the idea and took his Haki to the next level by coating his Conqueror’s Haki in his attacks.
How Powerful is Luffy’s Haki?
Monkey D. Luffy, the captain of Straw Hat Pirates and the main protagonist in One Piece, is one of the special bunch that has mastered all types of Haki. As he enhanced his skills through many battles and fights.
Luffy’s Haki powers are pretty evident from his fight in Fishman Island Arc, where he defeated 50k members of the Fishmen Pirates with his Conqueror’s Haki. So as of now, Luffy is one of the strongest Haki users and will hopefully add more to his arsenal in the coming time.
But it is as clear as day that Luffy is not the only one on the ship of skilled Haki users. So now let’s have a look at the list of some of the strongest Haki users in One Piece.
Top 10 Strongest Haki Users in One Piece
Now we are going to jump straight into the list of some of the strongest Haki users for its different types, forms, sub-forms, and advanced forms as well. So let’s dive right in!
1. Gol D. Roger
Devil Fruit: None Haki Type: Conqueror, Armament, Observation Bounty:  5,564,800,000 |
Gol D. Roger, also known as Gold Roger, is the man who started the Golden Age of Piracy.
Gol D. Roger is the one who found the ‘One Piece’ treasure without any devil fruit powers. With his ultimate Haki powers, he rose up to the top. When it comes to Haki users, there may not be any that will be better than Gol D. Roger.
Though we didn’t know much about Roger, a big part of Wano was set in a flashback where we saw Gol D. Roger perform two goldy feats where he defeated Kozuki Oden in a single move. And then managed to battle Whitebeard for three days straight.
2. Monkey D. Garp
| Devil Fruit: None Haki Type: Conqueror, Armament, Observation |
Known as the hero of the Marines, Monkey D. Garp is the man who managed to corner the pirate king on multiple occasions, and the best part about him is that he is still pretty powerful despite his old age.
He is regarded as the hero of the Marines and doesn’t actually have any devil fruit power or weapon. He got the title of Garp the Fist as he was able to beat all of his enemies with his fists alone. Garp is a master of armament Haki and can use observation Haki as well. Those who have caught up with the manga know that Garp can also use Conqueror’s Haki, so it is pretty evident that he still has more to do with the story.
3. Shanks
| Devil Fruit: None Haki Type: Conqueror, Armament, Observation Bounty: 4,048,900,000 |
‘Red Haired Shanks’ is the pirate who inspired Monkey D. Luffy to go on his own pirate journey. Akagami Shanks is one of the Four Emperors that rule over the New World.
Shanks is one of the few people that can use all three types of Haki. His Haoshoku Haki is twice the powerful as Luffy, Shanks is regarded to be a master of Conqueror’s Haki. One of his best feats of his was when he paralyzed Greenbul when he was miles away from him.
Though Shanks has been absent from the story ever since it started, he has begun to make his move and is now hoping to claim the one piece.
4. Whitebeard
| Devil Fruit: Gura Gura no Mi Haki Type: Conqueror, Armament, Observation Bounty: 5,046,000,000 |
Edward Newgate, aka Whitebeard, is the strongest man who ever lived, and he is the only one to ever match Roger in combat. In One Piece, he was known and spoken about as the ‘Strongest Man in the World’.
He ate one of the most powerful paramecia-type devil fruits, and was one of the four emperors of the sea. He used all three types of Haki, along with advanced forms of some. Whitebeard also used Busoshoku Haki efficiently and, interestingly, could even use Observation Haki while asleep.
5. Kaido
| Devil Fruit: Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu Haki Type: Conqueror, Armament, Observation Bounty: 4,611,100,000 |
Just like Whitebeard, Kaido is the strongest creature in the world.
Kaido was able to defeat Luffy in his gear 4 form with just one hit.
He is so strong that Luffy was only able to hurt him after learning advanced Armament Haki.
He is an emperor of the sea who possesses great natural strength. Kaido can use the infusion technique of Conqueror’s Haki and Busoshoku Haki by imbuing Haki into his weapon. He used Kenbunshoku Haki in his battle with Luffy and is a proficient Haki user.
6. Silvers Rayleigh
| Devil Fruit: None Haki Type: Conqueror, Armament, Observation Bounty: N/A |
Silvers Rayleigh was the vice-captain of Roger pirates, and also the man who trained Luffy for 2 years and helped him learn different types and forms of Haki.
Known as the ‘Dark King’, he was the right-hand man of Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King. Rayleigh is skilled in using the Conqueror’s Haki to concentrate it on anyone. He uses advanced Armament Haki skills and applies infusion in an advanced Haoshoku Haki technique. While teaching Luffy, he showed him his Observation Haki’s skills as well.
7. Monkey D. Luffy
| Devil Fruit: Gomu Gomu no Mi Haki Type: Conqueror, Armament, Observation Bounty: 3,000,000,000 |
Monkey D. Luffy, also known as ‘Straw Hat Luffy’ and ‘Straw Hat’ is the captain and founder of Straw Hat Pirates. He wishes to become the Pirate King and find the treasure left behind by Gol D. Roger.
In his pirate journey, he learned and trained all the types of Haki and became stronger. He also practiced advanced forms of Haki and infusion techniques. Luffy was able to learn the advanced forms of observation and Conqueror’s Haki during his fight with Katakuri and Kaido. As of now, Luffy is one of the strongest pirates to ever exist in the world of One Piece, and a big reason for that is how he uses his Haki with his devil fruit powers.
8. Kozuki Oden
| Devil Fruit: None Haki Type: Conqueror, Armament, Observation Bounty: N/A |
Kozuki Oden was a member of the Kozuki family and the leader of the group known as Nine Red Scabbards. He served Whitebeard Pirates as a second division commander and later joined Roger Pirates as a member.
Though we only saw him for a short period of time, he still had some impressive feats like giving a scar to Kaido or taiming Enma.
9. Sengoku
| Devil Fruit: Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Daibutsu Haki Type: Conqueror, Armament, Observation |
Sengoku the Buddha is a former fleet admiral, who is said to be equal to Garp. He retired in the Summit War of Marineford from the leadership position, and Whitebeard put him in his top 3.
10. Dracule Mihawk
| Devil Fruit: None Haki Type: Armament and Observation Bounty: 3,590,000,000 |
Dracule “Hawk Eyes” Mihawk is known as the ‘Strongest Swordsman in the world’ and uses the highest-grade sword, which is a black blade. He has even defeated the fan-favorite Zoro, and he is the main rival of Shanks. He uses Observation and Busoshoku Haki.
Due to his excellent eyesight, he got the title ‘Hawk Eyes’. He uses them for Observation Haki and combines Armament Haki with this swordsmanship for the ‘Black Blade Yoru’ technique.
Closing Thoughts
Well, now that you have an idea about Haki in One Piece and its different types, we hope you will like watching it in action as well, if and when you plan on starting this popular anime series. Even though we have tried to cover most of the important parts in the article about Haki, to have more details about the storyline and its concept, you will have to watch One Piece yourself. Because opinions can always differ from person to person! 😁
Technology & Internet Expert
- What is Haki in One Piece?
- All Forms/Types of Haki
- What are Advanced Haki Types?
- In What Episode Does Luffy Learn Haki?
- What is the Strongest Type of Haki?
- How Do People Unlock Haki in One Piece?
- Is Haki Stronger than Devil Fruits?
- Luffy’s Haki Journey
- How Powerful is Luffy’s Haki?
- Top 10 Strongest Haki Users in One Piece
- Closing Thoughts
