One Piece: The 24 Strongest Kenbunshoku Haki Users, Ranked (2024)

Kenbunshoku Haki, one of the three Haki types in One Piece, grants the most powerful pirates unfathomable abilities. From sensing people's morality and emotions to being able to predict movements in battle, this form of Haki allows users to tap into a sixth sense that provides impressive precognitive abilities.

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Of the select few pirates, Marines, and other users who can wield Kenbunshoku Haki, there is a clear discrepancy between those who have mastery over it and those who do not. Here is a breakdown of the strongest users, ranging from those who have newly awakened it but have shown remarkable and immediate growth/promise to those who utilize advanced techniques.

Updated on August 21, 2023, by Suzail Ahmad: One Piece has entered the Final Saga, which will bring an end to Eiichiro Oda's excellent manga series. However, there is still a lot of time before the curtain drops on Luffy's epic adventure. In the final arc, Luffy will encounter many strong opponents who will pose a challenge to him. These characters will likely have powerful Devil Fruits as well as strong Haki. While Devil Fruits do a lot of heavy lifting, without Haki, it is impossible to truly become strong. Kenbunshoku Haki, also known as Observation Haki, is one of the two types of Haki that can be learned with the help of training. With enough practice, Kenbunshoku Haki can be used to see the future. Naturally, it is difficult to awaken this ability, but there are certain individuals who have managed to do so. Needless to say, they are the best Kenbunshoku Haki users in One Piece.

24 Otohime

Otohime was the queen of Fish-Man Island. She was a strong advocate for peace and was willing to go to any lengths to maintain it. Otohime wanted to broker a treaty between humans and the natives of Fish-Man Island. However, many of her subjects did not agree with her perspective because humans had mistreated them for centuries.

Regardless of their reaction, Otohime continued to work hard toward her goal. While she did not have any fighting talent, Otohime was born with Kenbunshoku Haki. She was able to dodge bullets with her eyes closed. Otohime could even sense the emotions of the people around her and often used it to get her message through to them. Despite having Kenbunshoku Haki, Otohime was shot by an assassin. But she admitted that her guard was down, which allowed the bullet to reach her.

23 Koby

Currently, Koby holds the position of a Naval Captain. At the beginning of the series, Koby was hopelessly weak, and he couldn't even stand up for himself. Since then, he has undergone rigorous training and improved his physical capabilities massively.

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Koby is a user of both Busoshoku and Kenbunshoku Haki, with his expertise in the latter being greater. Koby's Kenbunshoku Haki awakened during the Paramount War, and it allowed him to sense every life that was being extinguished. After the timeskip, it is very likely that Koby has refined his Haki even further.

22 Kuzan

Kuzan, better known by his alias Aokiji, is a former Navy Admiral who left the organization following his defeat at the hands of Akainu. He could not stand working under such an individual, so he decided to abandon his position. Sometime during the timeskip, he joined the Blackbeard Pirates and became one of the Ten Titanic Captains.

Kuzan is a talented fighter who was trained by Garp himself. He had high hopes for Kuzan, but the latter did not live up to his expectations. Kuzan can use Advanced Busoshoku Haki, as evidenced by his fight with his mentor. He has good control over Kenbunshoku Haki, which explains how he was able to dodge Whitebeard's stabbing attack in Marineford.

21 Akainu

Akainu is the current Fleet Admiral of the Marines. He earned the promotion after defeating Aokiji on Punk Hazard in a battle that lasted for several days. Akainu is obsessed with the idea of justice, and he will do anything in his power to make sure that it is carried out at all costs.

Akainu possesses the Magu Magu no Mi, a Logia-type Devil Fruit that allows him to control magma. It has an incredible amount of destructive strength, making it a dangerous Devil Fruit. Akainu is well-versed in using Busoshoku Haki, and he can use it to disperse strong attacks. Considering he holds such a high position, Akainu likely excels at using Kenbunshoku Haki. As he is one of the main antagonists in One Piece, there is a good chance that fans will get to see him in action in the final saga.

20 Marco

Marco is the former First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. As the First Division Commander, Marco was only second to Whitebeard in terms of strength. During the Summit War, Marco proved his power as he managed to take on the admirals without any problems.

In the Wano Country arc, he was able to fight against both King and Queen while using his flames to prevent the members of the alliance from dying. He used his Kenbunshoku Haki to sense that Luffy had been defeated by Kaido, and it is very impressive considering he wasn't anywhere near the rooftop. Furthermore, he was able to sense that Luffy had awakened his devil fruit.

19 Monkey D. Garp

Monkey D. Garp received the title of "Hero of the Marines" for his involvement in the God Valley Incident. He allied with the Roger Pirates to take down the Rocks Pirates. Garp is also known for being the only Marine to ever corner Gol D. Roger.

Garp does not have a Devil Fruit, so he relies on Haki to get the better of his opponents. He has already displayed incredible mastery over Busoshoku and Haoshoku Haki. He used a combination of both of them to nearly destroy the entire island of Hachinosu. Given his proficiency in the other two types, it is safe to say that Garp is among the strongest Kenbunshoku Haki users. Whether he can see the future with it remains unknown.

18 Yasopp

Yasopp is a member of the Red Hair Pirates and one of their top officers. His marksmanship was so renowned that Shanks personally set out to recruit him. Like most members of the Red Hair Pirates, Yasopp's true power remains unknown.

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According to Luffy, Yasopp has never missed a shot in his life. Yasopp has also claimed that he could shoot the antenna of an ant without harming its body. Such marksmanship not only requires a great deal of training, but also an extremely high level of Kenbunshoku Haki.

17 Blackbeard

Blackbeard is the captain of the Blackbeard Pirates and a member of the Worst Generation. With his clever planning, Blackbeard managed to gain two of the most powerful devil fruits in the entire series. In addition to having two devil fruits, Blackbeard has also been confirmed as a user of two types of Haki.

Blackbeard was first seen using Kenbunshoku Haki in the Jaya Arc when he was looking at Luffy's bounty poster and stated that the bounty was too low for a man of his power. In the Impel Down arc Blackbeard showed his prowess again as he confirmed that Luffy's Haki had improved since their last meeting.

16 Kozuki Momonosuke

Momonosuke is the son of the late Kozuki Oden and heir to the position of Shogun. After Oden was executed by Kaido, Momonosuke and some of his retainers were sent twenty years into the future by Kozuki Toki. He formed an alliance with Luffy to take down Kaido.

Momonosuke may not be a skilled fighter, but he is able to use the Voice of All Things. Momonosuke was able to use it when he was on Zou. He could hear Zunesha's voice and he was able to give it orders. With this power, Momonosuke is capable of destroying entire fleets with ease.

15 Usopp

Although relatively new at using Kenbunshoku Haki, Usopp has shown tremendous potential in the technique. During the events of Dressrosa, Usopp unlocked his Haki and used it to sense Law, Luffy, and Sugar's locations. With this, he was able to snipe Sugar from far away, demonstrating a mixture of adept Haki usage with his slingshot expertise.

Combining Usopp's already masterful sniping skills with this Haki, the potential for his widened scope for long-range attacks is vast. And while still a new user, it's undeniable that the Straw Hat demonstrated remarkable usage at the get-go, setting him up to only continue growing stronger.

14 Yamato

Yamato is the son of Kaido, and so far he has played a major role in the series. He idolizes Oden and wants to roam the seas. Yamato is one of the strongest fighters of the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance.

Yamato can use all three types of Haki, and he has honed his Haki to a very high level, which allows him also use Advanced Conqueror's Haki. Yamato managed to fight against Kaido, who was in his hybrid form, and he was strong enough to hold off his father on his own. While his proficiency with Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki is very high, his skill with Kenbunshoku Haki is unknown. But, it is very likely that it is on a different level compared to the rest.

13 Boa Hanco*ck

The Pirate Empress, Boa Hanco*ck, is the leader of the Kuja Pirates. She is a former member of the Shichibukai, but after the system's abolishment, she is once again on the wanted list of the World Government. Boa Hanco*ck possesses the Mero Mero no Mi, which is a paramecia type devil fruit, which allows her to turn any person or object to stone.

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She also possesses all three types of Haki, which makes her a part of a special group of characters. Boa Hanco*ck's Observation Haki is very refined. At Marineford, when Kizaru attacked Law's submarine, very few people knew that Luffy survived. Boa was one of the few, who were able to sense Luffy's life force.

12 ​​​​​Gol D. Roger

The man who started the Great Pirate Era, Gol D. Roger held all three types of Haki. Roger was the first man to reach Laugh Tale, which made him the Pirate King. He has the highest known bounty in the series so far.

Roger was an incredibly powerful pirate, who had very few rivals. Roger had the ability to use Voice of All Things, which allowed him to hear the voice of all the animals and even poneglyphs. This was very likely due to Roger's Advanced Observation Haki.

11 ​​​​​​Dracule Mihawk

Renowned as the Strongest Swordsman in the World, Dracule Mihawk is one of the most powerful characters in the series. Mihawk's strength made the World Government fear him, and he was offered the position of a Shichibukai. He was among the few people who came out unscathed during the Summit War.

Mihawk is known for proficiency with the sword, but he is a very good user of Kenbunshoku Haki as well. His epithet "Hawk Eyes" implies that he has the ability to foresee attacks with Kenbunshoku Haki. It is very likely that he is able to look into the future, but it remains unconfirmed for now.

10 Enel

Before Haki was formally introduced, Enel's ability to predict movements in battle was used to validate his god-like status. Now with more Haki knowledge, it's revealed he was simply an expert Kenbunshoku Haki user (which he referred to as "Mantra").

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Enel's Logia-type Devil Fruit ability, the Goro Goro no Mi, pairs well with this specific Haki, as his ability to sense electromagnetic waves broadens his range to sense others and overhear conversations in accordance with his Haki's sensing abilities -- his range impressively being all of Skypiea. As revealed in his fight against Luffy, however, his Haki was not developed well enough to predict the unpredictable or react to high-speed attacks - it can only be assumed how his Haki has developed since then.

9 Sanji

Of the Haki types, Sanji is most proficient in Kenbunshoku, which perfectly contrasts Zoro's preference for Busoshoku. Sanji developed his Haki skills during the two-year time skip, learning how to calculate the emotions, location, and power levels of those around him. He would later go on to display his mastery on numerous occasions.

Like many of the best Kenbunshoku Haki users, Sanji has an astounding sense for predicting his opponent's moves and can dodge attacks with ease. He has a strong sense for people's presence, as shown when he was able to locate his fellow Straw Hats aboard Thousand Sunny in the middle of the ocean.

8 Shanks

Shanks is one of the Yonko and the captain of the Red-Hair Pirates. He started his journey to become a pirate at a very young age. Before starting his own crew, Shanks used to be an apprentice on the ship of Gol D. Roger. With sheer hard work, Shanks managed to gather a powerful crew and claimed a position in the Yonko.

Shanks is able to use all three types of Haki, and he undoubtedly has mastery over all of them. Shanks has yet to demonstrate his full strength, but it is plausible to assume that he can use Kenbunshoku Haki to see the future.

7 Kaido

Known as the "Strongest Creature," Kaido of the Beast Pirates is another one of the rare pirates who has access to all three Haki types. In battle, he uses his Kenbunshoku Haki to skillfully dodge attacks, something impressive given his size in and out of his dragon form.

Although on occasion, Kaido has been susceptible to sneak attacks, this is perhaps due to overconfidence and not optimizing his Haki. Regardless, he has shown to be skilled enough to sense whether or not his opponents are dead, as he did after his combined attack with Big Mom against Luffy, Zoro, Law, Kid, and Killer.

6 Charlotte Linlin

As an Emperor, it's no surprise that Linlin (Big Mom) has a degree of mastery over all Haki forms. Besides her Busoshoku and Haoshoku Haki, she is also seasoned in her Kenbunshoku. As per the typical Kenbunshoku abilities, Big Mom can predict opponents' movements and intentions and locate people within a range around her.

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While she has mostly shown reliance on Busoshoku Haki as a strength-based fighter, her quick reflexes, and defensive knowledge can be attested to her Kenbunshoku Haki heightening her fighting skills. This Haki also works well with her Devil Fruit, the Soro Soro no Mi, as it requires her victims to fear her for it to work; thus, knowing whether her opponent is fearful via this Haki is a tremendous advantage.

5 Whitebeard

The late Edward Newgate was a pirate who demonstrated exceptional Kenbunshoku Haki utilization. Beyond his many abilities, which included one of the strongest non-Logia Devil Fruits, his Haki mastery allowed him a large range in detection, evident when he detected Oden's approach on Wano. Additionally, he was so attuned with his Kenbunshoku Haki that he was able to dodge multiple attacks from Ace while in his sleep.

Similar to his fellow Emperors, Whitebeard had a tendency to be overconfident with his Kenbunshoku Haki; an example of this was when he deliberately chose not to dodge an attack from Crocodile knowing that Luffy would intercept the attack for him. Nonetheless, Whitebeard's capability with the Haki were awe-inspiring and a true testament to the captain's overall strength.