Haki/Haoshoku Haki

Haoshoku Haki is a rare form of Haki that allows the user to exert their own willpower over others. This type of Haki cannot be attained through training and only one in several million people are born with this ability.

It is said that whoever possesses this type of Haki has the qualities of a king, and are known as Hao (覇王).

Haoshoku Haki is considered an extremely dangerous threat and a highly valuable asset by powerful groups such as the Marine Admirals and the Four Emperors.

Background
It was first demonstrated by Shanks, when he used it to scare off a Sea King, though it was not fully explained and revealed. Later on, during a meeting with Whitebeard, he used it to knock out most of the crew, 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 Sandersonia and Marigold, knocking out a large portion of the audience observing the match. This is also the first time it is referred to by name. Luffy also used it to knock out the wolves attacking him and Bentham in Impel Down, although he was poisoned badly by Magellan at the time and still had no control over it. Luffy exhibiting it during the Marineford War was enough for the Marine admirals to become wary enough of him that they prioritized his elimination afterward.

After the timeskip, Luffy is proficient enough to tame monsters, as well as knock out a selected group of individuals without affecting any of the bystanders using Haoshoku Haki, displaying his new-found proficiency in the skill. Luffy was even able to use it while unconscious.

It has been implied a number of times that this Haki is based on lineage. It is noted by Doberman, for example, that Luffy possessing Haoshoku Haki made sense since he is the son of the Monkey D. Dragon, the Leader of the Revolutionary Army. It is later shown that Portgas D. Ace, the son of former Pirate King Gol D. Roger, also had this Haki like his father. Charlotte Katakuri, the second son of Big Mom, is also shown to possess this Haki type just like his mother does.



It has been shown that when two users of this Haki clash, it causes a rippling or shockwave effect, cracking the air similar to the Gura Gura no Mi. This is simply referred to as a Haoshoku Clash (覇王色の衝突). The shock waves from the Haoshoku Haki clash between Luffy and Chinjao were strong enough to blast people out of the coliseum arena into the water below. The Haoshoku Haki clash between Luffy and Doflamingo produced shockwaves that pushed Trebol and Law's incapacitated body away from them.

During a battle between Gol D. Roger and Edward Newgate, the Haoshoku Haki clash between these two legendary pirates resulted in a massive shockwave that spread across the island and nearly capsized the enormous ship, Moby Dick.

Usage
This type of Haki grants the user the ability to dominate the wills of others. Unlike the other types of Haki, Haoshoku cannot be learned. One can only learn to control it after discovering that they have it. Only one in several million people are born with this Haki.

Those with stronger wills can resist or even ignore the effects of Haoshoku Haki. The ability to affect someone depends on the Haki user having greater strength of will than the person the Haki is being used against. The greater the power gap, the more easily the victim will succumb.

According to Rayleigh, while this type of Haki cannot be attained through training, it can be improved through strengthening the will of the user.

It seems that upon recovery, victims of Haoshoku Haki experience the sensation of chills running through their bodies. However, it presumably wears off after a short period.

Domination
Haoshoku Haki can be used to temporarily dominate the psyche of others, intimidating them to point where they are frozen with fear and/or forcing them to obey the users commands for a short time. Depending on the will of the victim(s), they could even suffer a panic attack.

This technique is very useful for taming wild animals. Luffy is a great user of this ability, as he used it several times to tame extremely dangerous animals, such as a Kraken, a Fighting Bull, and even the whole of the fauna on Rusukaina, while turning them into powerful allies.​​​ If the animals are tamed by a masterful user, they can even feel affection for their tamer.

This was first seen when Shanks intimidated a Sea King that tried to eat Luffy, who fled immediately. It was seen again much later when Luffy stopped Motobaro in his tracks, and once more when Luffy stopped Boa Marigold and Boa Sandersonia from breaking the petrified amazons. At Fish-Man Island, Luffy used this Haki to stop a Sea Squirrel from attacking him.

Overwhelming
An ability that allows the user to release their own will in the form of a strong burst, that instead of just intimidating or subjugating others, these bursts of Haki are so powerful, they can overwhelm others. The effects of this Haki on others depends on the gap of willpower between the user and the affected ones. If the gap is big enough those with a weak will are rendered unconscious, while victims with greater willpower will simply feel very uncomfortable and could stumble if they try to move. Thus, the smaller the gap, the lesser the effects.

While inexperienced users are restricted to merely overpowering the will of one individual or blindly knocking out all weak-willed people around them, regardless of which side their on, those with more expertise can pick out weak-willed individuals in a large group and knock them out without affecting the others. Experienced users can also control the power of the burst.

One of the main advantages of this form of Haki is that it can be used to knock weak-willed people out without physically harming them, such as when Luffy used it to knock out the Fish-Man Island civilians who mistakenly believed he had kidnapped Princess Shirahoshi. It also allows the user to avoid having to fight with people weaker than themselves by ending a fight before it starts, such as when Luffy used it to knock out Demaro Black and the Fake Straw Hat Crew. As shown with Luffy's use of it on the New Fish-Man Pirates, this form of Haki can also be used to reduce an enemy's manpower.

This ability can still be used even when the user is unconscious, as shown when Luffy managed to knock down a few Beasts Pirates after his fight with Kaido, despite being in an unresponsive state.

Pressure


Users with an extremely high level of mastery over Haoshoku Haki can use it to exert their will over objects, resulting in said objects breaking. This use of Haoshoku was seen when Shanks was able to crack the wood of Whitebeard's ship, a ship that withstood the unbelievably harsh sailing conditions of the New World since the era of Roger, over 25 years before the present day.

When two incredibly strong users of this Haki clash, the pressure generated is so powerful, it can split the sky above them in two. This was displayed on only two occasions so far; the first time was during the clash between Shanks and Whitebeard, and again during the clash between Big Mom and Kaido. Something similar occurred when Katakuri and Luffy's Haki clashed in the Mirro-World, producing a shockwave splitting their surroundings.

The Qualities of a King
It is proof of one who has the qualities of a king!According to Trebol, Haoshoku Haki is proof of an individual who possesses the qualities of a king, a candidate chosen by heaven. Indeed, most of the people who have been shown to possess Haoshoku Haki (aside from the non-canon Naguri and Douglas Bullet) share a royal position or epithet or attained some highly respected status, which indicates their dominating role:
 * Shanks is one of the Four Emperors and captain of the Red Hair Pirates. He also served as an apprentice under the late Pirate King and inherited Roger's Straw Hat which he later gave to Luffy.
 * Silvers Rayleigh has the epithet of "Dark King". He was also the right-hand of the late Pirate King.
 * Boa Hancock, also known as the Pirate Empress, is Amazon Lily's ruler, a former Warlord of the Sea and captain of the Kuja Pirates.
 * Monkey D. Luffy is the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates and leader of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, as well as the sworn brothers of Sabo and the late Portgas D. Ace, the grandson of Vice-Admiral Monkey D. Garp who has the epithet "Hero of the Marines", and the son of the Revolutionary Army leader, Monkey D. Dragon. Also, he has made notable friends with many royal people, such as Nefertari Vivi, Shirahoshi, and Rebecca, as well of having former royals of his crew and fleet, Sanji and Cavendish, respectively, and is the current possessor of the straw hat that once belonged to the late Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, which was later given to Shanks and later given to Luffy. He has also been recognized as the Fifth Emperor of the Sea. He is also part of the Worst Generation.
 * Edward Newgate was one of the Four Emperors and captain of the Whitebeard Pirates. He was one of only two men strong enough to rival the Pirate King and was also known as the one closest to the One Piece before his demise.
 * Portgas D. Ace, being the son of the Pirate King, can metaphorically be considered a prince, and was also mistakingly thought by the world at large to be the intended successor to Whitebeard himself. He was also captain of the Spade Pirates earlier, and later became commander of the second division of the Whitebeard Pirates.
 * Donquixote Doflamingo is the former king of Dressrosa, a former Warlord of the Sea and captain of the Donquixote Pirates, as well as a former World Noble and the most influential person in the Underworld.
 * Chinjao was a Don before passing the title to Sai. He is the leader of the Chinjao family and former 12th Admiral of the Happo Navy.
 * Charlotte Linlin is Totto Land's queen, one of the Four Emperors, and captain of the Big Mom Pirates. She is also the matriarch of the Charlotte Family.
 * Charlotte Katakuri is one of the Sweet Commanders of the Big Mom Pirates (noted to be the strongest one), the minister of Komugi Island and the second son of the queen of Totto Land.
 * Kozuki Oden was the former Daimyo of Kuri and the son of Kozuki Sukiyaki, the Shogun of Wano Country. He was also a commander of the second division of the Whitebeard Pirates.
 * Eustass Kid is the captain of the Kid Pirates and an active participant in the Underworld. He is also part of the Worst Generation.
 * Sengoku is a former Fleet Admiral, the highest-ranking Marine Commissioned Officer. He possesses the power of the mystical Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Daibutsu, giving him the appearance of a giant representation of the Buddhism figure of highest enlightenment, which in turn earned him the epithet of "Sengoku the Buddha".
 * Kaido is the Governor-General of the Beasts Pirates, one of the Four Emperors, and has the epithet of "King of the Beasts".
 * Gol D. Roger was known as the Pirate King and the captain of the Roger Pirates. He gave Shanks his straw hat, which he later gave to Luffy. He was Ace's father and Newgate's rival. His demise started the Golden Age of Piracy.

While this is shown to be a very rare gift among the world as a whole, it is noted by Don Chinjao that the New World is filled with numerous others who possess the ability to use this Haki. He explains that Luffy will most certainly encounter them and fight them for the title of Pirate King.

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 recent episodes, the use of Haoshoku Haki causes the affected area, excluding the user, to be highlighted in 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. In the anime, the user of Haoshoku Haki has a dark purple aura around him. This can be seen only in Episode 723. In Episode 893 however, Haoshoku Haki has a gold sparkling effect visually similar to the Pika Pika no Mi.

Translation and Dub Issues
Though the "Haō" in "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.

Trivia

 * Sengoku is currently the only Marine capable of using Haoshoku Haki while all other users are Pirates.
 * Caesar Clown's attack Karakuni was mistaken for Haoshoku Haki by one of the Marines of G-5.
 * Haoshoku is currently the only type of Haki not confirmed to have an advanced application.
 * Kenbunshoku allowing one to see a short period into the future.
 * Busoshoku allowing one to emit the armament a short distance without a medium.
 * Haoshoku is currently the only type of Haki that is not known by an alternate name in a certain country.
 * Kenbunshoku is called Mantra in Skypiea.
 * Busoshoku is called Ryuo in Wano Country.

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