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Armament Haki, also known as Busoshoku, allows One Piece characters to amp their body and weapons through an armor of spiritual energy. Although not as much as the all-powerful Advanced Conqueror’s Haki, the Color of Armament is highly effective in direct combat. Naturally, the strength of one’s Busoshoku varies depending on the fighter.
Every One Piece character can potentially learn Armament Haki, but only a few can maximize the basic technique and employ its advanced versions. With Busoshoku Hardening, users can greatly increase both their attack power and the toughness of their defense.
Using Armament Haki it's possible to harm a Logia owner's real body. Certain fighters can let their Busoshoku flow, emitting it from their body or weapon to strike without the need for physical contact. The best users can even release the Color of Armament through a target, damaging it from the inside out.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1103.
The best Busoshoku Haki users, ranked as of One Piece chapter 1103
25) Sentomaru
Sentomaru can emit Armament Haki to create defensive barriers strong enough to block an attack from Admiral Kizaru, although it was a warning shot. Performing his Ashigara Dokkoi technique, Sentomaru can hurt his foes without physically touching them, as he propels his Busoshoku via sumo-style open-palm thrusts.
24) Jinbe
Toughening himself with Armament Haki, Jinbe withstood the Ancient Zoan and Armament Haki-amped Rokushiki moves performed by Who’s Who. The Flying Six member even injured himself when he tried to strike Jinbe's Busoshoku-clad body, which only emphasizes the latter's expertise.
Combining his natural fish-man toughness with Armament Haki Hardening, Jinbe was even able to block Big Mom’s Cognac, although temporarily. He ultimately was overpowered by her superior might but ended up undamaged.
23) Charlotte Katakuri
Katakuri’s mightiest move, the Zan Giri Mochi, blends his Devil Fruit with high-quality Color of Armament. During the Whole Cake Island Arc, his Armament Haki was much stronger than Luffy's. When the two clashed their respective Busoshoku-infused attacks, Katakuri completely overpowered Luffy, which is no small feat.
22) King
The Lunarian survivor Alber, better known as King, showed himself to be a powerful Busoshoku user. With his sword coated in Armament Haki Hardening, he was able to clash with Roronoa Zoro’s own Armament Haki-enhanced sword.
Zoro’s Busoshoku techniques were strong enough to cut through Kaido’s notably durable body and damage the Yonko. Even then, King matched Zoro blow for blow, even getting the upper hand on him. King was only overpowered when Zoro unleashed his Conqueror’s Haki.
21) Yamato
Yamato is a mighty Armament Haki user. She was able to take on Ace, injuring the latter’s body despite his Logia-class powers. Another testament to Yamato’s advanced level of proficiency, with a single swing of her kanabo club she can project her Busoshoku far away.
20) Sabo
As of now, there is no official confirmation, but, based on his showings and fighting style, it seems safe to assume that Sabo is a very skilled Color of Armament user. He might be even able to use the advanced versions of this type of Haki.
19) Koby
Koby blocked the Kuja Tribe’s Armament Haki-enhanced arrows with his bare hands, which tells of his prowess. His strongest move, the Honesty Impact, is a ravaging punch amped with an advanced form of Busoshoku. The attack emits Armament Haki all around, generating a shockwave powerful enough to destroy Avalo Pizarro’s gigantic stone hand.
18) Rob Lucci
In Egghead, Lucci demonstrated Armament Haki that was as good as that of the newly-appointed Yonko Luffy, as the two clashed their Busoshoku-imbued fists exactly on par. With a combo of Armament Haki Hardening and Tekkai, Lucci can strengthen his leg enough to block a strike from Zoro’s Busoshoku-enhanced swords.
Imbuing his claws in Busoshoku, Lucci smashed through Sentomaru’s masterful Armament Haki barrier. It’s not yet confirmed, but it’s quite possible that Lucci’s Rokuogan technique, which damages the target from the inside, is based on the highest form of Armament Haki.
17) Marshall D. Teach “Blackbeard”
Teach mostly relies on his Devil Fruit abilities, but can use Armament Haki with great proficiency nevertheless. He successfully defended himself from S-Hawk’s slash, which is no small feat, considering that the concerned attack split Amazon Lily’s island-sized mountain in half.
16) Borsalino “Kizaru”
Kizaru can use an advanced form of Armament Haki. Emitting his Busoshoku and combining it with that of his Akainu and Aokiji, he generated a barrier powerful enough to totally disperse a quake unleashed by Whitebeard’s Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
15) Kuzan “Aokiji”
Alongside Kizaru and Akainu, Aokiji created a Busoshoku barrier that thwarted Whitebeard’s quake attack. During their battle on Hachinosu, Aokiji amped his punches with both the Ice Glove, a Devil Fruit ability, and Armament Haki.
As such, his fists clashed equally with those of Garp, who was using Advanced Conqueror’s Haki. To be fair, however, Garp was not only hindered by his old age but also significantly weakened by the wound that Shiryu had just inflicted on him.
14) Sakazuki “Akainu”
Akainu’s proficiency with Armament Haki is substantial, as, joining forces with Aokiji and Kizaru, he blocked Whitebeard’s destructive attack with a Busoshoku barrier. Being even stronger than his colleagues, Akainu is probably the best Haki user among the original three Admirals.
13) Charlotte Linlin “Big Mom”
Back then in Whole Cake Island, Big Mom only needed a single arm coated in Busoshoku Haki to block Gear 4 Luffy’s Kong Gun, a move strong enough to totally overpower Doflamingo and send him flying for hundreds of meters.
Big Mom’s prowess with the Color of Armament is such that she can use an advanced form of it, emitting her Busoshoku to strike targets without physically touching them, even in combination with Haoshoku.
12) Benn Beckman
The second-in-command of the Red Hair Pirates was stated to possess Haki comparable, if not superior, to that of the Admirals. With his Haki-enhanced bullets, Benn can pierce any opponent, which makes the former’s flintlock rifle a deadly menace for even the strongest One Piece characters.
Recently, it has been revealed that Benn is the person who severed Eustass Kid's left arm. Benn brutally defeated Kid, leaving the prominent Supernova mutilated. In all likelihood, he relied on his fearsome Haki to do that.
11) Roronoa Zoro
Back then in Arabasta, Zoro learned to cut steel, an ability now known to be an advanced form of Busoshoku. After the time skip, Zoro’s Armament Haki-hardened swords cut through both Pica’s body, which was fully coated in Armament Haki, and mountain-sized giant stone golem.
In Wano, Zoro’s prowess with Armament Haki skyrocketed. His Flying Dragon Blaze, a Busoshoku-amped fiery slash, was strong enough to seriously hurt a Yonko, as a panicked Big Mom warned Kaido to absolutely dodge it. Later, Zoro's Busoshoku-enhanced Dragon Twister cut through Kaido’s tough scales.
Flowing Armament Haki through his swords, Zoro made them so durable that they blocked the all-powerful Hakai without even scratching, much less breaking. With just Busoshoku and some Haoshoku he unconsciously exerted, Zoro's Ashura wounded Kaido to the point of leaving the Yonko with a permanent scar.
Covering his body with Armament Haki, Zoro guarded himself from a huge explosion of Lunarian fire. Upon creating the King of Hell Style, which merges the advanced versions of Busoshoku and Haoshoku, Zoro started projecting his Haki. He can now injure his foes without needing to physically touch them.
10) Kozuki Oden
With his two swords, Enma and Ame no Habakiri, coated in high-level Busoshoku, Oden performed Paradise Totsuka, an attack that grievously injured Kaido despite his tough body. The Yonko was left with a permanent scar, which further emphasizes Oden’s amazing mastery of Armament Haki.
Impressively, Oden could wield Enma with ease, while the Red Scabbards didn’t even try to use the Haki-draining sword. Even Roronoa Zoro, at least during the Wano Arc, needed to spend a lot of energy to utilize the blade.
9) Kaido
Kaido can emit his Armament Haki, using the Busoshoku's advanced form to hurt his foes without making direct contact with them. For even more crippling results, the “World’s Strongest Creature” can further empower his strikes by imbuing them with Advanced Conqueror’s Haki.
8) Monkey D. Luffy
Luffy recently learned to use all advanced forms of Armament Haki, which granted him an enormous boost. Increasing his prowess with Busoshoku, he could toughen himself to the point where he could endure Kaido’s Thunder Bagua in base.
Earlier, the same move was enough to beat his Gear 4 form in a single strike. With regards to attacking power, Luffy’s improved Gear 3 condition surpassed that of his previous Gear 4 transformation which is telling of the sizeable upgrade.
However, despite the substantial improvement, Luffy’s attacks still lacked the strength to hurt Kaido for real. He could inflict significant damage on the Yonko only after adding the Advanced Conqueror’s Haki to his Color of Armament.
During the final clash with Kaido, Luffy coated his Gear 5-inflated punch with the highest form of Advanced Armament Haki. This exceptional usage of Busoshoku enabled Luffy to strike Kaido without making direct contact with the Yonko’s Rising Dragon: Flame Bagua.
7) Edward Newgate “Whitebeard”
A testament to his proficiency with the Color of Armament, Whitebeard could clash on par with Oden, a fearsome Haki user in his own right. Whitebeard evolved his Busoshoku to an advanced form, as he could project it outwards to strike his targets even without physical contact.
As an old man, further weakened by a crippling disease, Whitebeard’s prowess greatly decreased. Still, his Armament Haki remained powerful enough to negate the intangibility of Logia owners. Combining his Busoshoku with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, Whitebeard inflicted substantial damage on Admiral Akainu.
6) Silvers Rayleigh
Silvers Rayleigh’s prowess with Armament Haki is exceptional, making him a Busoshoku master. Imbuing his sword with the Color of Armament, the “Dark King” was able to wound Kizaru, bypassing the Admiral’s Logia powers and hitting his real body.
Rayleigh can flawlessly use all advanced forms of Armament Haki, as he can not just propel his Busoshoku outwards to strike his targets without physically touching them, but even damage them from the inside.
5) Shanks
Imbuing high-level Color of Armament through his sword Gryphon, Shanks perfectly blocked a magma-enhanced punch from Admiral Akainu. This feat is astonishing, as Akainu’s Mag-Mag Fruit generates enough heat to melt the metal weapons around him, let alone those he directly touches.
4) Gol D. Roger
Roger could use an advanced form of Busoshoku to discharge his Haki and strike targets without the need for physical contact. Wielding his sword Ace empowered with Armament Haki and Conqueror’s Haki, Roger made his way through the Grand Line, eventually becoming the Pirate King.
3) Dracule Mihawk
The Color of Armament is a pivotal asset for any proficient swordsman. As the World’s Strongest Swordsman, Mihawk is bound to be one an exceptional Haki master. The fact that he forged his Yoru into a permanent Black Blade, the mightiest sword in the globe, is just further proof of his prowess.
The man who personally taught Zoro how to use Haki, "Hawk Eyes" is surely an awesome user in his own right. So far, only a glimpse of Mihawk's capabilities has been shown. His full power must be insane, as even with his most casual sword swings he can cut in half icebergs bigger than mountains.
2) Monkey D. Garp
Garp’s expertise with Busoshoku is extraordinary, to the point where he is famous as “The Fist” for the absurd power of his Armament Haki-enhanced punches. In his prime, Garp crushed Chinjao’s drill-shaped head with a single blow, despite the latter’s own remarkable usage of Busoshoku.
As a masterful user of the Color of Armament’s advanced application, Garp can emit his Haki outwards, hitting his enemies for shattering results even without direct contact.
With just the raw strength of his bare hands, Garp could smash eight mountains and easily destroy entire warships. Adding Armament and Conqueror’s Haki, his destructive power becomes nearly unstoppable.
Even as a 76-year-old man, Garp could punch and hurt Marco, the right-hand man of Whitebeard, injuring him despite the latter’s signature regenerative abilities. Two years later, Garp wreaked havoc on Hachinosu, and his Armament Haki played a prominent role in this dominating display.
1) Shimotsuki Ryuma
Hailed as “King”, the strongest warrior in the world, “Sword God”, Ryuma was an unparalleled fighter that single-handedly protected Wano several centuries ago. Ryuma’s prowess was unreal, to the point where he died undefeated, earning a reputation comparable to that of the fabled Joy Boy.
Ryuma was able to turn his sword Shusui into a Black Blade, which emphasizes the outstanding power of his Armament Haki. As the strongest swordsman in the history of Wano and, probably, the entire One Piece world, Ryuma is likely the greatest Armament Haki user featured in the series so far.
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