Haki/Busoshoku Haki

Busoshoku Haki is a form of Haki that allows the user to use their own spiritual energy to create, in essence, an invisible armor around themself, providing incredible offensive and defensive capabilities.

Notably, this form of Haki can be used to injure Devil Fruit users that are otherwise immune to ordinary physical attacks, such as Logia users.

In Wano Country, Busoshoku is known as Ryuo (流桜), founded on the concept of inner flow.

Background
It was used by Garp for the first time against Luffy to bypass his Devil Fruit power and hurt him in Water 7.

Later, on Sabaody Archipelago, Sentomaru used a Haki-imbued attack against Luffy, which made the Straw Hats think he was a Devil Fruit user due to their lack of knowledge about the ability. Afterwards, Rayleigh used Haki to stop Kizaru and even touched his Logia body.

The first time the Kujas named this ability "Haki", they were shown wielding Haki-imbued arrows. During the Marineford War, Haki was also used many times by Marines and pirates alike.

It was shown that Haki is very common in the New World, unlike in Paradise where Haki users are fairly rare and almost nobody knows about it. It is later explained by Rayleigh once he begins training Luffy.

Usage
This type of Haki grants its user augmentation of their body via their own spiritual energy, allowing them to access to a great increase of power and endurance. Because of this, this Haki is the most used in combat. This Haki is often referred to as an “invisible armor”.

Enhancement
The most basic ability this Haki grants is an enhancment of power and endurance. It can be used in a single body part or in the user's whole body.

This type of Haki also has the ability to bypass the powers of a Devil Fruit user whose body has been altered by their fruit in any way, such as Logia intangablity or body altering Paramecia, allowing the Haki user to hit the "substantial body" beneath whatever protection the fruit provides.

Unlike Seastone, Busoshoku does not actually nullify a user's Devil Fruit powers, so it still allows the Fruit user to defend themself and continue fighting normally.

By the same effect, this Haki can also be used for a higher level of offensive power, more so than just bypassing a foe's Devil Fruit powers.

Hardening
An evolved step of the Enhancement technique. A heavy concentration of this Haki can harden the body of the user, granting the user a greater increase of power and endurance that surpasses the mere Enhancement application.

This technique is easily able to block an enemies sword attacks and even cause said sword to break if the Haki users armorment is strong enough. It was first seen used by Monkey D. Luffy, in combination with Gear Third, in order to use his "Gomu Gomu no Elephant Gun" against the Kraken. This technique is often used in conjunction with Imbuement.

It is the most distinctive and recognizable Haki, as it turns the user's body shining black in color.

When using this technique, Devil Fruit users' bodies lose the properties their respective fruit ability grants them. However, there is a way to offset this with a a more complex application.

This technique is sometimes called Busoshoku: Koka (武装色 硬化), Buso Koka (武装 硬化) or simply Buso (武装). In the Viz Manga, it is called Color of Arms Hardening and FUNimation subs, it is called Armament: Hardening.

So far Luffy, Vergo, Smoker, Z, Chinjao, Garp, Sabo, Jesus Burgess, Donquixote Doflamingo, Trafalgar Law, Bellamy, Sai, Roronoa Zoro, Pica, Kin'emon, Kanjuro, Issho, Sanji, Charlotte Cracker, Jinbe, Charlotte Linlin, Charlotte Katakuri, Silvers Rayleigh, Hyogoro, Kozuki Oden, Edward Newgate, and Gol D. Roger have been seen using it.

Z had actually earned the epithet: "Black Arm" because of his mastery of hardening.

Imbuement
Another evolved step of the Enhancement technique. By touching an object, the user can imbue it with their own Haki to greatly increase its power and endurance.

It is a great asset for weapon-based fighters, as it can be imbued into weapons; Vergo utilized it on a bamboo stick, and Smoker on his Nanashaku Jitte, with the latter indicating Busoshoku Haki can be used in conjuncture with Seastone, and Zoro on his swords. Any weapon enhanced by Busoshoku Haki hits immensely harder than it would without it, as well as allow the weapon to take greater punishment without breaking. Imbued weapons can also harm Devil Fruit users that would not be harmed through conventional means. This ability is usually used in conjunction with Hardening, turning the objects black. The Kuja's Haki-imbued arrows are capable of penetrating solid stone. Swordsmen tend to imbue their blades with Busoshoku Haki to increase their cutting power and prevent them from chipping.

It is possible for one to imbue Busoshoku onto an object without making physical contact, provided the user has some kind of connection to the object with an example being substances and objects created and/or manipulated by Devil Fruit powers.

In Wano, where Busoshoku Haki is known as Ryuo, Hyogoro stated that a master swordsman who uses this Haki onto their blades would be able to cut through even the thickest steel if desired while having the precision to not cut through the thinnest paper thus making the sword a true extension of themselves.

Through the constant application of Busoshoku Haki and Hardening, a phenomenon known as "Black Blade" (黒刀) can be triggered on certain blades, which is different from when swordsmen who use Busoshoku Haki applies "Armament: Hardening" on their blades temporarily as long as that Haki is being used, but there are rare cases where swordsmen such as Ryuma who managed to turn Shusui into a permanent black blade after many battles, which caused it to raise a rank.

Mixing
An evolved step of the Hardening technique. Only available for Devil Fruit users. Contrary to basic Hardening, when this technique is used, it allows Devil Fruit users to use both their Devil Fruit abilities and Hardening at the same time.

In these cases, the skin-blackening effect of Hardening takes on a flame-like or a spiraling pattern, similar to a Devil Fruit's swirl marks. Besides the shinning color changes from the basic grey to a new one depending on the user (for example, Luffy's changes to pinkish-red and Katakuri's to light-blue).

According to Douglas Bullet, the use of this technique cannot be maintained for long.

So far, only three cases have been shown using this application of Haki, all of them Paramecia. Luffy uses it to access his Gear Fourth technique to keep his Gomu Gomu no Mi elasticity. Katakuri uses it to perform his Zan Giri Mochi technique to keep his Mochi Mochi no Mi stickiness. When Charlotte Linlin used it on her clash against Luffy, it resulted on Luffy losing all of his strength.

Emission
With this technique, the user can project their Haki flow from their body without a medium. This method allows the user to damage the target without making contact, but most people cannot use it from a distance greater than just a few inches from them. Luffy believed that advancing to this level of Busoshoku Haki might allow him to damage the nigh-invulnerable Kaido, who shrugged off all his regular Haki-Enhanced Gear Third and Gear Fourth Strikes despite the Yonko being intoxicated.

This can also be used in conjunction with the Hardening application. Said use of Emission involves channeling excess Haki from around one's body through one's fists. This allows the repelling of an enemy without making direct contact or using brute force. Whenever users of Emission Busoshoku Haki clash, the emitted Haki clash instead of making direct physical contact with one another, giving the impression that they do not touch at all as shown by Roger and Whitebeard.

According to Hyogoro, in order to perform the emission technique, the Haki user must transfer all Haki across their body to their hands, but they must let the Haki flow to it rather than forcing it. As shown by Roger and Newgate, this Haki can be emitted from their weapons instead of themselves.

This technique was first seen when Sentomaru deflected Luffy's attacks without making direct contact, second by Marigold on Amazon Lily, and third after Rayleigh deflected the foot of an enormous elephant on Rusukaina.

So far Kuzan, Sakazuki, Borsalino, Sentomaru, Marigold, Rayleigh, Hyogoro, Kawamatsu, Luffy, Edward Newgate and Gol D. Roger have been seen doing this.

Internal Destruction


A higher grade of the Emission technique. The emitted Haki flows inside a target and destroys it from the inside-out.

Like Emission, Internal Destruction can be used in conjunction with Hardening.

This level has only been utilized by Rayleigh and Luffy, who initially used it unconsciously. Both used it to destroy collars that were designed to kill a person under certain circumstances. Luffy later learned to use this ability intentionally.

Drawbacks
When two opponents using Busoshoku Haki clash, the one with the stronger Busoshoku Haki is more likely to be victorious. This can make it difficult to overcome an opponent's Haki in a brute force battle. However, it has been shown that superior Busoshoku Haki is not an absolute defense, and can be overcome as long as the other opponent has superior physical strength. Luffy was able to damage Katakuri with Gear Fourth, despite the latter noting that his own Busoshoku Haki was superior.

Significant physical force can also overcome this defense even if it comes from someone that doesn't know how to use Busoshoku Haki; for example, Luffy, during the Amazon Lily Arc, struck Boa Marigold hard enough with Gear Second techniques that it sent her reeling.

Busoshoku Haki is subjected for depletion if used for long periods of time as it is said to be proportional to the amount of spiritual life force an individual possesses as well as their remaining stamina. After the threshold is reached, the user will be unable to use it for a certain amount of time. It appears that the more Haki is used, the faster it will deplete. The users are unable to use Haki until they regain their stamina to use it again.

Interactions with Devil Fruit Users
Devil Fruit Users are capable of using Haki themselves. Busoshoku Haki users can still utilize their Devil Fruit powers though. This is because Busoshoku Haki only allows the user to bypass defenses provided by other peoples' Devil Fruit powers. In fact, Devil Fruit users can use the two abilities together to make one or the other more effective.

This allows them to resist lesser Haki-imbued attacks, yet it is still possible to pierce through their defense if the attack is stronger. Busoshoku Haki works independently of the user's Devil Fruit if they have one, as shown through Luffy uses it to enhance his Gear Third attack underwater. This type of Haki may not be used on attacks that are not from one's body except for weapons, but can be used on anything generated by one's Devil Fruit (like Kizaru's laser beams, Marco's flames or any other attacks based on Devil Fruits). Charlotte Katakuri has shown that one does not even need to be in direct contact with said substance to imbue his Busoshoku Haki into it.

Using Busoshoku Haki attacks on the element controlled by Logia type Devil Fruit Users will allow the attack to harm the "substantial body" of the opponent since the element is essentially an extension of their body. However, this type of Haki will not harm the "substantial body" when used on elements controlled or produced by Paramecia type Devil Fruit users, since it is not actually part of their body (as demonstrated by Trebol). If the Paramecia-type Devil Fruit affects the user's body itself (Luffy, for example, is literally made of rubber), the user will also be harmed by a Busoshoku Haki imbued attack.

Haki's capability to counter Devil Fruit Users extends past Logia types and lets them defend against certain Paramecia effects. However, this is dependant on the strength of the Haki, as Law bypassed Vergo's Haki and bifurcated him easily by using his Devil Fruit technique, although it is unknown if Law used his own Haki to overcome Vergo's Haki.

While Haki can bypass the devil fruit's defense, it doesn't negate the devil fruit, like Seastone does. Instead it "forces the devil fruit user's body into solidarity".

Translation and Dub Issues
The Kōka in Busōshoku: Kōka can also translate as "vulcanization", which is the process of rubber (or similar substances) being converted into a denser material.

Trivia

 * While unconfirmed to be Busoshoku Haki, Roronoa Zoro was able to manifest a similar power during his fight against Mr. 1. Zoro was able to cut through Mr. 1's steel defense after remembering a lesson from his master, Koushirou, about a technique that allowed swordsmen to cut or not cut whatever they wished. Later, during the Wano Country Arc, Hyogoro would showcase an advanced form of Ryuo (which is how Busoshoku Haki is known in Wano Country), explaining it in a very similar way to how Koushirou did.
 * Busoshoku Haki is similar to Tekkai. The difference between them is that Tekkai depends on the user's physical strength, but Busoshoku Haki depends on the user's willpower and life force. Also, while Tekkai is more inclined to defense, with the user usually being immobile while tightening their bodies, Busoshoku Haki does not have such a drawback. On the other hand, overusing Busoshoku Haki consecutively may drain the user for a period of time, a weakness not known to Tekkai.
 * Busoshoku Haki is the most used type of Haki in the series so far, as it is the most related attack and defense power in combat.
 * Although the black skin effect of its usage is very common after the timeskip, it was not seen at all before, not even during Summit War Saga, where many pirates and Marines of the highest level, who have been confirmed to be using Haki, participated. The reason for this is currently unknown.
 * When Luffy uses Gear Fourth form, his Busoshoku Haki takes the shape of tribal flames on his body; this is the first example of Busoshoku Haki forming a recognizable pattern. Big Mom's Haki takes the same form, though it's limited to her arm. When Katakuri performs his Zan Giri-Mochi attack, his Haki also becomes flame-shaped. Also when using this, the Haki of the users gets a different shinning than regular gray (pinkish red for Luffy, light-blue for Katakuri)
 * There is an extra color tone to the black skin effect in some characters when this Haki is used at its maximum (red for Luffy in Gear Fourth and blue for Katakuri while using Zan Giri Mochi).
 * In the anime, Busoshoku Haki has more visual effects when used at its fullest than just the black skin. These effects are a green flame-like aura (in Sai's case), and a steam-like aura (black and purple for Zoro, Fujitora, and Marines; purple for Kin'emon; and pink for Kanjuro). Also, when used the cover the whole body, users' Haki gets a purple luster instead of regular gray.
 * Jinbe is the first fish-man shown to use Busoshoku Haki.
 * Pekoms is the first member of the Mink Tribe shown to use Busoshoku Haki.
 * Ryuo shares same pronunciation with the Dragon King (龍王).
 * The Meito Enma has the the ability to force its user to use Busoshoku Haki and without adequate control does so to excessive amounts.
 * Z's mastery over this Haki type earned him the nickname "Black Arm".

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