Haki

Haki is a mysterious power that allows the user to utilize their own spiritual energy for various purposes.

It can be used to sense people's spiritual energy and predict their actions, give the user a protective coating of spiritual energy, and, for a certain group of "chosen ones", overpower the willpower of others.

All living beings in the world are capable of learning Haki; however, most people do not notice it or fail to awaken it.

Overview
"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!

Haki, unnamed at the time, was first seen when Shanks used it to scare off 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 later on by Rayleigh to Luffy at the start of the latter's training on Rusukaina Island.

Haki is dormant in every living person, but for most people, it's rare to ever awaken the ability. Intense training can awaken it, as can extreme shock, such as with Koby during the Summit War of Marineford. Two known people (Aisa and Otohime) were born with awakened Kenbunshoku Haki, with no known training.

Haki is apparently quite difficult to master, as Rayleigh stated that two years was not enough time to learn the basics, though several characters managed to master it within the timeskip, including Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Tashigi, Smoker, Koby, Bellamy. Haki can also become stronger, especially when a Haki user pushes themselves; and their Haki to the limit and beyond in battles against far stronger opponents.

Due to the fact that Haki originates from an individual's spirit and not their physical body, users are still capable of using it even if their spirit is transferred into another body. It is also possible to maintain and use Haki while unconscious, as seen when Newgate used Kenbunshoku Haki in his sleep to defend himself from Ace; when Chinjao was defeated, and he still maintained Busoshoku Haki on his head after he fainted; and when Luffy released a burst of Haoshoku Haki after being knocked unconscious by Kaidou.

According to Kaidou, Haki is the true defining factor that determines whether or not someone can conquer the sea, because only Haki transcends all, unlike Devil Fruit powers, no matter how powerful they may be. A clear example being Gol D. Roger, who, despite not having a Devil Fruit, conquered the Grand Line and matched Edward Newgate in his prime, who possessed the power of the "Strongest Paramecia" which could destroy the world.

Haki has also the unique capability to reverse the effects of Devil Fruit powers, which can nullify their effects. However, the Haki required for this must be powerful enough to counter Devil Fruit effects.

Despite its great capabilities, Haki is not limitless as it can be depleted from overuse, rendering the user unable to use it for a set period while it regenerates.

Types of Haki
Haki is separated into three categories, or "types" (色). The three types of Haki are:


 * Kenbunshoku Haki (見聞色の覇気), which gives the user a sixth sense of the world around them, allowing them to sense the presence, strength, and emotions of other people. It also grants limited precognitive abilities, allowing the user to sense their opponents' intentions and predict their actions and attacks before they happen.
 * An advanced level of Kenbunshoku allows the user to actually foresee a short period into the future.
 * Busoshoku Haki (武装色の覇気), which allows the user to use their own spiritual energy as armor to defend against attacks, as well as make their own attacks more potent. It can also be used to bypass Devil Fruit defenses, such as Logia intangibility. A person can apply the armament to a section of their body, over their entire body, and even imbue it onto their weapons.
 * An advanced level of Busoshoku allows the user to emit the armament a short distance without a medium.
 * A higher grade of advanced Busoshoku allows the user to make the emitted armament flow into a target's body and destroy it from the inside out.
 * Haoshoku Haki (覇王色の覇気), which grants the user the ability to unleash their own willpower to overpower the will of others. This results in victims being mentally overwhelmed by the user, with particularly weak-willed foes instantly losing consciousness. Haoshoku is a rare form of Haki that only one in several million people are born with the ability to use.
 * An advanced level of Haoshoku allows the user to infuse their conquering spirit into their weapons and physical attacks, greatly augmenting their power. Only a small handful of the most powerful Haoshoku users are able to achieve this.
 * Another advanced level of Haoshoku allows for the ability to manipulate one's aura or presence, which negates an opponent's ability to sense the user with Kenbunshoku Haki.

Most people who can use Haki tend to have one type that they are better at, and, as a result, focus on training and fighting with that type primarily. However, a person can improve their abilities with all the types of Haki, it just requires more work.

Each type of Haki has levels of usage, so even two proficient users might not be of equal strength. Furthermore, it is possible to use at least two types of Haki simultaneously.

Haki Users
It was mentioned that all Marines with the rank of vice admiral and above, are capable of using Haki. So far the characters who have clearly shown the use of Haki or have been stated to be able to use it are:

Anime and Manga Differences

 * In the manga, those hit with Haoshoku Haki foam at the mouth after or while losing consciousness, whereas, in the anime, they simply faint.
 * In the anime, the use of Haoshoku and Busoshoku Haki creates a rippling or shockwave-like effect, similar to the Gura Gura no Mi, while in the manga, it is completely invisible. Also, in recent episodes, the use of Haoshoku Haki causes the affected area, excluding the user, to gain a dark blue tint. However, this could just be for dramatic effect. In the One Piece Film: Z, the Haoshoku Haki's use creates a circular purple wave. Also, using advanced Busoshoku Haki produces petal-like particles, likely to emphasize it's alternate name of "Ryuo".
 * In the anime, some Haki users are shown surrounded by different color auras, (such as red for Luffy, purple for Doflamingo or pink for Big Mom) even if they are not using Haki at that moment.

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", "spirit", "vigor" and "aspiration" to name a few. The term itself, however, literally translates to "Supreme Qi".
 * In the simulcast episodes by FUNimation, the subs provided have chosen to use the term "Haki".
 * Regarding the video games of One Piece: One Piece: Unlimited Adventure and One Piece: Unlimited Cruise, which was localized by Namco-Bandai, "Haki" was translated as "Ambition". But beginning with One Piece: Pirate Warriors, also localized by Namco-Bandai, it was left as "Haki".

Trivia

 * Haki appears to be similar in principle to common types of Qi (Chi) found in various other anime and manga series; which is based on the concept of "qi" (or "life-force") in Chinese philosophy.
 * Coincidentally, the kanji for the "ki" in Haki is the same as the same character/hanzi used for qi/chi (気). By this proxy, the pinyin reading of Haki would be Baqi ("bah-chee").
 * Not only is it a Japanese term but Haki was also the name of a Scandinavian Sea-King (a name given to powerful pirates) in Norse mythology.
 * In the anime, some animals seem to be able to learn to competently use Haki (particularly Busoshoku Haki). This has so far happened twice:
 * Alpacacino, a member of the Neo Marines, was shown using Busoshoku Haki to damage Luffy
 * The Kung-Fu Dugong captain of the Sea Animal Pirates

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