This article contains only the strongest Haki-only fighters, so many notable and popular characters may be missing from it.
It's no secret that Devil Fruits are the primary power system of the One Piece story, but even though that's the case, and some of the most legendary characters in history owe their strength to them, they aren't the greatest power in the world. That title belongs to Haki, which can most easily be defined as the exertion of one's will externally, though there are quite a few nuances with all the different types to take into consideration.
In Luffy's battle against Kaido, the King of the Beasts stated that Haki is the only way of conquering the Grand Line, and this can be seen with some of One Piece's most powerful characters. There are a few notable powerhouses in the series that owe all of their strength to Haki, so in this article, let's go over the strongest of them to see why they are remembered today in such high regards.
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While there are many powerful Devil Fruits throughout the series, there is only one that is considered the perfect counter to all others!
Zoro Has Reached Over A Billion Berries Through Haki And Sword Skills
Epithet: Pirate Hunter, King of Hell
|
First Appearance |
One Piece, Chapter 3, "Introducing Pirate Hunter Zoro" |
|---|---|
|
Story Arc |
Romance Dawn |
- Zoro plans to become the world's strongest swordsman.
I'll become stronger for her! Until my name reaches Heaven itself... I'll become stronger! I'll become the strongest swordsman in the world!
Many fans believe that Sanji and Zoro are equal within the Straw Hats, and while that will very likely be true by the end of the series, Zoro currently stands above his rival. Throughout the story, Zoro has always prioritized strength and honing his swordsmanship above all else, and after the time skip occurred, he was stated to be the best user of Armament Haki in his crew. Since then, he has only gotten stronger and has even unlocked Conqueror's Haki to add to his already incredible arsenal, although he has a long way to go before mastering it.
Kozuki Oden Almost Killed Kaido In A Single Hit, Showing His Power
Epithet: Idiot Lord
|
First Appearance |
One Piece, Chapter 920, "I Love Oden" |
|---|---|
|
Story Arc |
Wano |
- Oden was a masterful user of one of the world's deadliest swords.
I am Oden! And I was born to boil!
There are a few characters whose fate was as tragic as Kozuki Oden. Despite that, he is remembered today as one of the strongest characters of the old era, especially since he defeated Kaido in a single hit and would have finished him off for good if he hadn't gotten distracted. Oden is one of the few characters in One Piece who could use Conqueror's Haki, and is even implied to have used its mastered forms. Plus, he was the only man capable of fully wielding Enma before Zoro, which is quite a feat since it saps away at a user's Haki on its own.
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The greatest villain in the entire story has always been thought to be Imu, but this mysterious pirate may be One Piece's biggest threat!
Silvers Rayleigh And Scopper Gaban Were The Wings Of The Pirate King
Epithets: Dark King, Mountain Eater
|
First Appearance of Both |
One Piece, Chapter 19, "Devil Fruit" |
|---|---|
|
Story Arc |
Orange Town |
- The Wings of the Pirate King.
A legendary figure who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Roger and Rayleigh!
Few characters in the story have gained as much notoriety throughout the world as Rayleigh and Scopper, who go down as some of the strongest and most legendary figures of the previous age. Both are revered Haki users who were so close in strength that, even to this day, there is a discrepancy about who the stronger of the two is, as was seen in the Elbaf arc when Scopper corrected the person saying that Rayleigh was the second strongest. Both have been shown to use Advanced Conqueror's Haki, so they are in a special category even here.
King Harald Was Able To Clash Equally With Rocks When They First Met
Epithet: Greatest King of Elbaf
|
First Appearance |
One Piece, Chapter 1136, "The Land That Awaits The Sun" |
|---|---|
|
Story Arc |
Elbaf |
- The greatest monarch of Elbaf.
That's a portrait of King Harald! The man who tried to form peaceful bonds with the outside world! Said to be Elbaf's strongest King.
Although he was famous around the world as a peacemaker and someone who wanted Elbaf to move on from its warlike image, Harald was one of the strongest fighters in history. Though brief, this was shown when he confronted Rocks during the close of the Reverie all those decades ago. Both legends used their Conqueror's Haki to clash, creating a massive shockwave said to be 5km in size and sending out bolts of black Conqueror's Haki everywhere. This proves that Harald was on the same level as Rocks and the other top tiers.
Mihawk Became The World's Strongest Swordsman Because Of His Haki
Epithet: Hawk Eyes
|
First Appearance |
One Piece, Chapter 49, "Storm" |
|---|---|
|
Story Arc |
Baratie |
- Mihawk was Shanks' rival.
I'm not the kind of fool who hunts rabbits with a cannon. You may have a reputation, but you're still just a bunny.
Shanks is known as arguably the strongest of all the current Yonko, so it's truly a testament to Mihawk's strength to be considered his equal. It truly takes otherworldly power to gain the title of World's Strongest Swordsman, and pure sword skills can only take someone so far, which is where Mihawk's Haki mastery comes into play, especially considering how he managed to make Yoru a Black Blade, which is only possible when a weapon is imbued with a lot of Haki over time. Mihawk's strength is legendary, making him the perfect final test for Zoro.
One Piece: 39 Strongest Characters In The Series
These are the strongest characters to sail the seas of the One Piece world.
Shanks Has Displayed The Greatest Haki Feat Of The Modern Era
Epithet: Red Hair
|
First Appearance |
One Piece, Chapter 1, "Romance Dawn - The Dawn of Adventure" |
|---|---|
|
Story Arc |
Romance Dawn |
- Shanks is a master of Haki.
Knowing both victory and defeat... That's how you become a real man.
Of all the modern-day pirates, it can be argued that Shanks has the greatest Haki mastery. Not only is his Conqueror's Haki some of the greatest ever seen, but he seems to have mastered the Advanced Forms of Observation and Armament Haki as well, and he even learned Roger's signature 'Divine Departure' technique at the age of 15, just by observing it. This, along with his Conqueror's Haki subduing a Navy Admiral from miles away, makes Shanks the strongest and most proficient Haki-only fighter in all of modern One Piece.
Monkey D. Garp Was The Rival Of The Pirate King And The Strongest Marine
Epithet: Hero of the Marines
|
First Appearance |
One Piece, Chapter 92, "Happiness" |
|---|---|
|
Story Arc |
Arlong Park |
- Garp's Haki is said to be some of the strongest ever.
A promotion just means less freedom to do what I like!
Within the Navy, there is only one person to achieve a relative level of fame within their organization as the Pirate King, and that is Garp. Not only were he and Roger rivals who were always stated to be equal to one another, but they are also remembered today as some of the strongest figures in history. Garp is one of the two characters who is said to have defeated Rocks D. Xebec on God Valley, and even in the modern day, he was able to take on the entirety of the Blackbeard Pirates by himself despite being way past his prime.
Gol D. Roger Was The King Of The Pirates Due To His Legendary Strength
Epithet: King of the Pirates
|
First Appearance |
One Piece, Chapter 1, "Romance Dawn - The Dawn of Adventure" |
|---|---|
|
Story Arc |
Romance Dawn |
- The greatest pirate of them all.
You can die anytime, but living takes true courage.
Throughout the story, there is no character more influential or more important to the overall story than Gol D. Roger; the only man to find the One Piece treasure and become known as the Pirate King. Of course, such a title could never be attained if Roger wasn't as strong as he was, since he is remembered to have conquered the seas of the world without a Devil Fruit, which meant that all of his power came from Haki. He was strong enough to blow away Oden with a single attack and was Garp's rival, who reluctantly teamed up with him to defeat Rocks.
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The One Piece world is large and complex, but Oda just revealed the truth about the Blue Planet.
Rocks D. Xebec Was the Strongest Pirate The World Had Ever Seen Since Joyboy
Epithet: Unknown
|
First Appearance |
One Piece, Chapter 957, "Ultimate" |
|---|---|
|
Story Arc |
Wano |
- The quintessential pirate.
This kind of misfortune is just the way the world is!
Although he has largely been forgotten about in the context of history, it's known that Rocks D. Xebec was the strongest figure of the old era, even beating out powerhouses like Roger, Garp, and Whitebeard. While it's heavily speculated that Rocks may have had a Devil Fruit at one point, we know that even before he did, he was still one of the most powerful characters in the world, as he managed to break into Marijoa and kill a Navy Admiral as a rookie and his Haki made his swordsmanship feel like cannon fire. At the end of the day, it took the combined might of Roger and Garp to take him down, cementing him as the strongest pirate of his age.
One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
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One Piece
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
