One Piece Has A Major Haki Problem

Key Takeaways

• There’s a dilution of Conqueror’s Haki due to its widespread use, which diminishes its impact in One Piece.
• Everyone seems to have Conqueror’s Haki now, reducing its rarity and original significance.
• There are problems with Observation and Armament Haki due to unique abilities and diminishing need.

The power system of One Piece is one of the best in all of anime. Initially, Devil Fruits were the main aspect of this system, giving various characters strange and quirky abilities that ranged from extremely powerful to some that were outright goofy. To combat the supremacy of Devil Fruit users on the sea, Haki was eventually introduced as a new addition to the power structure, but the seeds for it had been planted since the very first chapter.

Since then, Haki has become a staple in the series and a way for people without Devil Fruit powers to reach the pinnacles of strength in One Piece. However, as time went on and the stakes of the series increased drastically, Haki eventually began to have a lot of plot convenience and its overall impact has greatly diminished compared to before, so let’s take a look at why One Piece may have a Haki problem.

Dilution Of Conqueror’s Haki

Everyone Seems To Have It

Conqueror’s Haki had been built up as the greatest power on the planet. Also called “Haki of the Supreme King“, this is a way to exert the user’s will onto others by physically manifesting in the world either as a shockwave or black lightning around them. Anyone of a weaker will or insufficient strength is immediately knocked out cold upon contact with someone’s Conqueror’s Haki.

Typically, anyone who doesn’t have this kind of Haki in their repertoire is considered to be weaker than those who do. This ends up creating a problem. As the series goes on and the general power level of the world increases by a significant margin, the characters also have to get stronger to compensate for this, which usually means that they have Conqueror’s Haki, which shouldn’t make sense due to the in-universe rarity of the power. By relying on this power as being the ultimate one but having more and more people using it to keep up in terms of strength greatly dilutes the impact of the ability.

This is the power to overwhelm – the Color of the Supreme King! Most people who’ve made a name for themselves in this world possess this power.

This seems to be a rare oversight by Oda because it shows that the only people able to keep up with Luffy now are those who can use Conqueror’s Haki. If that’s the case, then every villain that he fights from now on can only fight him if they can use this power, which lessens what Conqueror’s Haki is supposed to be and why it’s so strong in the first place.

It is stated that one out of every million people has the ability to use this power. Now, notable characters such as Roger, the 4 Emperors, Luffy, and Shanks having this power makes a ton of sense, simply due to how powerful they are and the influence they hold in the world. After all, the main definition of this power states that anyone with great ambition can wield it. However, any character who can possibly play a substantial combat role going into the Final Saga needs to have Conqueror’s Haki too.

This is especially apparent in the Navy, where before, Sengoku was the only Marine confirmed to have this power in the organization, with Garp unofficially confirmed to have it as well. Now, though, Koby is speculated to get it later if he hopes to be any kind of force of opposition to Luffy, as well as the Admirals also seeming to have it despite it not making much sense. Though they’re undoubtedly strong enough to have this power, the point of the users of Conqueror’s Haki having great ambition doesn’t work with the current information about the Admirals.

Although most characters don’t have Conqueror’s Haki, it is far more common than it truly should be. Instead, there should be a way that prevents it from being the end-all-be-all crutch that it has become, which would also give room for some without the ability to remain a threat to those with it. Alternatively, it can be retconned into being a great power but one that isn’t as rare as once thought, although the former is a far better option.

Problems With Observation And Armament Haki

The Other Haki Forms Aren’t Perfect Either

Observation Haki’s most advanced form is called Future Sight, which allows the user to gaze a little into the future to see the outcome of an action or, in a combat situation, to see their opponent’s next move. While this is incredibly interesting and makes fights more engaging, there’s a new concept of ‘Observation Killing’ that is unique to Shanks. His Conqueror’s Haki is so potent that he can effectively deny all Future Sight used against him, practically making Observation Haki useless.

It’s okay to cry, but you have to move on!

As for Armament Haki, it essentially makes Devil Fruit powers useless. This is a bad thing for characters like Blackbeard, who worked tirelessly to obtain the Darkness Fruit to negate other Devil Fruit abilities, while he could have just learned Armament Haki to get the same result with far less effort. Moreover, the concept of using one’s Conqueror’s Haki to coat their attacks has greatly diminished the need for regular Armament Haki at all, since it all falls back into the issues that Conqueror’s Haki faces, effectively turning every unique battle into a fight to see who has stronger Haki.

One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll.