One Piece: Does Shanks have Conqueror's Haki?

One Piece features several characters with formidable abilities and a commanding presence, but very few compare to Shanks. As the captain of the Red Hair Pirates, Shanks is a dominant yet enigmatic individual. Despite his limited screen time, however, every appearance of his leads to world-altering events.

Given that Conqueror's Haki, or Supreme Haki, is one of the rarest and most potent powers a person can have, fans may naturally wonder whether Shanks possesses it. Yes, Shanks does have Conqueror's Haki in One Piece, and a major part of the fandom believes him to be its strongest wielder.

As many viewers may know, Conqueror's Haki is the most impressive form of Haki, allowing users to completely dominate others. Unlike the other types of Haki, this cannot be learned - individuals need to be born with the potential for Conqueror's Haki and later unlock it.

It is possessed by only the most accomplished figures in One Piece, ranging from Joy Boy to Imu. Hence, it is of little surprise that Shanks, who is an Emperor and leads the insurmountable Red Hair Pirates, also has it. Shanks has displayed the most varied use of Conqueror's Haki in the series, consistently inspiring awe and fear in others.

He can intimidate Sea Kings, scare away Marine Admirals, and even make multiple powerful pirates faint. Oda revealed that Shanks would have been able to knock out 100,000 New Fish-Man Pirates during the Fish-Man Island Arc. Shanks’ most terrifying use of Conqueror's Haki came during his confrontation against the Kid Pirates, where he devastated their entire crew single-handedly.

During this fight, Shanks displayed Advanced Conqueror's Haki, also known as ACOC, where he imbued his blade, Gryphon, with Haki. This caused Black Lightning to emanate from his weapon, after which he defeated Kid and Killer and destroyed their ship with just one strike.

Additionally, Shanks is the only user of Observation Killing in the One Piece universe. Through this Conqueror's Haki technique, he can prevent others from peeking into the future, countering Future Sight. It should be noted that Shanks has no Devil Fruit, and most of his fleet has admitted to being weak, relying heavily on his strength.

However, even under these conditions, Shanks has risen to become an Emperor. He is considered a heroic protector who never wavers and can go to any lengths for his loved ones. When considering Shanks’ accomplishments and the fact that Conqueror's Haki primarily reflects one's willpower, there is a good argument to crown him as its most formidable user in One Piece.

What other types of Haki can Shanks use in One Piece?

Shanks is one of the only people who can use all three types of Haki. Along with Conqueror's Haki, he has shown to be highly capable in both Observation Haki and Armament Haki.

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Shanks can imbue his sword with Armament Haki, elevating its strength and sturdiness. Through this, he could defend against Akainu's magma punches at Marineford, which were effective against Ace and Whitebeard.

Using Observation Haki, Shanks could sense Ryokugyu’s presence in Wano despite being nowhere near the island. Along with being talented in Observation Killing, Shanks is among the few Future Sight users in One Piece. This lets him look into the future, a power he used to prevent Eustass Kid from launching Damned Punk.

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