When Does Luffy Learn Haki?
One Piece is one of the most intricately designed worlds in all manga. The variety of places, characters, stories, magic systems, and mysteries is outstanding. Creator Eiichiro Oda has a wonderful imagination, and he has kept it going strong for more than a quarter of a century. Among those incredible details and elements that enrich the world of One Piece is Haki, a mysterious ability that is used by the most powerful characters in the story. Does Luffy, the main character of One Piece, manage to get it? When did he learn it?
As one of the most powerful characters in the world of One Piece, Luffy already has Haki, apparently from his birth, and he uses it here and there on an unconscious level. It isn’t until he meets up with the former King of the Pirates’ First Officer, Silvers Rayleigh, that Luffy begins his training to learn to use Haki.
This generates so many other questions, like how do you learn Haki? Why does Luffy already have it? Where does Haki come from? We will try to answer this and many more in the following paragraphs that, of course, contain spoilers for all the manga and the anime. So, read under your own caution. Let’s go.
What Is Haki?
Haki can be defined in the One Piece Universe as a sort of spiritual energy that can be focused in such a way that it gives a number of different abilities to anyone capable of using it. Haki is used by some of the most powerful characters in the story. If a character is able to use Haki, then it is clear that that character is on another level of power.
Of course, just having the ability to use Haki isn’t enough. Most users end up specializing in a variety of Haki. Focusing on one aspect of Haki might sound like a waste of time, but doing it allows that person to really increase their strength in that aspect, even if the others are being left out.
So far in the story, there are three types of Haki, and there are several characters that focus on one over the other. These types are:
Observation Haki, Armament Haki, and Supreme Ruler Haki.
Observation Haki is a type of Haki that gives the user the ability to sense the presence, strength, and will of others. It is very much in the same style as Ki is used in the Dragon Ball series. Further training allows this ability to become stronger, and it develops into the ability to see the future for a fraction of a second. For those that develop this upper level of Observation Haki, it becomes a powerful tool in battle, as they are basically able to predict the opponent’s movements with accuracy.
Observation Haki is on full display during the battle between Katakuri and Luffy during the Whole Cake Island Arc.
Armament Haki, on the other hand, is one of the most common Haki types. This type of Haki covers the user’s body with a layer of spiritual energy that can be used as protection, as a sort of armor, or to enhance the damage output of attacks. Like its name says, Armament Haki is often used in battle and the most powerful characters use it all the time in the story, especially the characters that inhabit the second half of the Grand Line, The New World.
The last but not least important of the Kaki types is that of the Supreme Ruler Haki, also known as Conqueror Haki. Unlike the previous two types, the Conqueror’s Haki is only seen in a very small number of individuals throughout the story. Anyone who has this type of Haki has the ability to impose their will on others.
The first time we see Conqueror’s on display is when Shanks meets with Whitebeard for the first time. Shank uses Conqueror’s Haki, and the weakest people around him just faint. We see other examples of this throughout the show. The Conqueror’s Haki is tied with one of the central mysteries of the story. We will know more in the future.
Why Does Luffy Learn Haki?
As we have already discussed, Haki is an essential ability for those trying to survive in the new world. So, Luffy, as a pretender to the throne of the King of the Pirates, needs to get stronger and stronger in order to overcome the multiple obstacles and contenders on his way.
This path to the throne came to a tragic stop when Luffy and his crew arrived at the Saboady Archipelago. There, Luffy meets a number of contenders for the title of Pirate King, and he also faces the power of an Admiral of the Marines, Kizaru. For all intents and purposes, the Straw Hat crew is defeated in that battle. And in the following events, it is made clear to Luffy that there are people much stronger than him out there in the world, so he needs to improve himself.
Silvers Rayleigh, also known as the Dark King, was the First Officer of the Pirate King, Gold Roger. Rayleigh gets fond of Luffy and trains the young pirate in the art of Haki for two whole years. The story skips this training, and the next time we see Luffy, he is older and stronger than ever before. He’s finally ready to face the New World and all the dangers it holds.
One Piece is reaching its end, but there are still a lot of things to be discovered. So don’t be surprised if we get new and interesting developments when it comes to Haki as we get closer and closer to the end of this fantastic adventure.