I wanted to do this for a long time, since around the end of Whole Cake Island when people considered Future Sight an unclimbable wall.
Today, we take a look at Color of Observation and who the best-known users of it are as well as what it takes to be good at Observation.
But first, let us break down what CoO is and what branches exist.
Observation Haki is, among other things, awareness of things before they happen. It represents the detection of intent and the unseen.
All of the branches are based on that definition. It is called Mantra in Skypiea which means Mind Rope. Basically a link to the enemy's mind.
If there is any credit to Shanks' movie feat, "observation killer", it is thanks to CoC barrier which severs that mind link and cancels CoO.
However, how that would prevent Future Sight is unclear and illogical but no need to worry about this until and if it gets shown in manga.
There is an additional ability that doesnt fit the definition above and it is to determine one's strength. This seems like a throwaway line.
There is absolutely no use for this and it's been brought up only two times - Mihawk notices WB's decline and Ray tells beasts are >Luffy.
As explained in Skypiea, all living beings carry a voice just by being alive. CoO is used to detect that voice/intent/aura.
It is a power to anticipate the opponent's next move aka read their mind, to sense what they intend to do next.
Also, it is a power to detect a voice or presence or aura of the opponent that the eyes can't directly see.
Reading of intent is closely tied to the detection of the feelings, such as Luffy sensing angry Ray or Sanji sensing women in trouble.
Through training, the power of Observation can turn into the power of seeing into the future a bit. Like watching a tape of what's next.
It is also an ability to detect the presence of non-living things that don't carry an intent.
So, with all of the branches summed up, we now turn towards the part that explains what it takes to be good at Observation.
Are those who can see the future automatically better than those who cant? No, it is not that simple. Future Sight is very flawed.
What determines a good Observer is the amount of time he spends using Observation haki during the battle.
Simply put, of the 100% duration of the battle, the percentage of CoO uptime determines whether one is good or bad at CoO.
For example, both Luffy and Katakuri can use the same ability - to look into the future. However, are they equally good at it? Of course not.
The reason why Katakuri is good at Observation is that he keeps it active almost all the time. Meanwhile, Luffy uses it every blue moon.
Is Luffy a better Observer than Fujitora who cant use future sight? No, for the same reason he is worse than Katakuri - the uptime.
To give you an example, let's say, Luffy and Fujitora clash 100 times.
Of those 100 times, Fujitora is using Observation in each clash, 100 times reading the intent of Luffy.
Meanwhile, Luffy looks into the future 10 times out of 100 clashes. He observed 10 times less than Fujitora and is clueless in 90 clashes.
Do you see why FS user is not better than those who cant look into the future?
B-but who is better between Fujitora and Katakuri?!
The easy advantage in favor of Fujitora from the Luffy match-up is gone, because Katakuri looks into future 100 times in 100 clashes.
Who is better now?! Well, I am going to tell you that Fujitora is still a better user of Observation than Katakuri. Let's see why...
As I mentioned, Future Sight is a very flawed ability and everyone has the power to oppose it.
Every intervention done based on future that FS user saw, instantly changes that future and all that FS user saw is no longer going to happen.
Thi is particularly problematic with attacks that have fast repetition as we saw Katakuri trying to dodge Snakeman's culverin that follows him.
The FS user constantly needs to re-see the new future because the old one he saw is no longer the one that will happen.
Every intervention carries intent that regular Observation detects and makes the observer aware what's coming even if it is from FS user.
FS also creates a problem because the user stops sensing due to watching something that hasnt yet happened and thus cant carry intent.
The tape FS users watch, has no explanation of the intent, that's why Katakuri doesnt know why Pudding falls on the ground.
That's why he is unaware of Flampe's presence and the intent that her needle carries.
Every attack Katakuri throws at Fujitora carries intent and is picked up, he cannot surprise him.
Once again, it was Luffy who made Katakuri look better than he actually is. It is Luffy who couldnt calm himself down to observe.
Now, most CoO cases are due to active focus, concentrating to detect/sense/watch/read what the opponent will do.
However, we have also seen a different case, passive detection of intent/presence while sleeping, performed by two bandana users.
#sleepdiff #bandanagang
Lastly, we come to the ranking of Observation users among relevant characters with feats. Some other characters can rank higher eventually.
The number one Observation user so far is none other than Purple Tiger - Fujitora Issho. The man who has no eyes relies on it 24/7.
He is constantly detecting Aura with his mind's eye and in battle, he also picks up the intent all the time.
The second best CoO user is Roronoa Zoro. Outrageous? Not at all.
Zoro is a guy who has battle focus second to none, from the moment he landed on rooftop, his focus on Kaido hasnt gone off for a second.
This is obvious by battle data, Zoro simply never gets hit when he is in the focus. His uptime of Observation is miles ahead of Luffy's.
Zoro is also one of two Observers who have pulled off sleep diff, passive detection while sleeping...
Furthermore, Zoro is the only character so far who has detected inanimate objects that carry no intent.
The third best is Katakuri due to just as high uptime of CoO as Zoro and Fujitora but due to flaws of the FS, he is falling behind them.
The fourth best Observer is Sanji, for the same reason, he is calmer and observes more than Luffy. He does have heated moments and turns into a joke when he shouldnt as well as his feelings detection works only with women and outside of combat so the further advantage of Luffy isnt present...
The fifth best is Luffy, which many will disagree with because >muh advanced CoO...
I have explained why being able to use a more advanced Observation doesnt make you into a better Observer.
Luffy has to work on the uptime of CoO, regardless of whether it's reading the intent or future peeping. Both are too low to rank higher.
If his uptime was higher, he wouldnt necessarily avoid the hits but he would sense things like this and attempt to do something...
Calmness and endless battle focus are key to being a good Observation user.
People like Mihawk can rank above all these 5 mentioned since he is a very calm and calculated combatant known as Clairvoyant.
Whether he will, remains to be seen in the future but he is for sure among the best out there.
TLDR - Uptime wins and basic CoO rules due to flaws of Future Sight.
This should get you more familiar with Observation haki especially if you were one of those who thought that Zoro of all people should improve his CoO... Zoro's Observation is top notch even without abilities like Future Sight, just like Fujitora's is. A good Observer senses things coming and Zoro is simply one of the best in that department.
Today, we take a look at Color of Observation and who the best-known users of it are as well as what it takes to be good at Observation.
But first, let us break down what CoO is and what branches exist.
Observation Haki is, among other things, awareness of things before they happen. It represents the detection of intent and the unseen.
All of the branches are based on that definition. It is called Mantra in Skypiea which means Mind Rope. Basically a link to the enemy's mind.
If there is any credit to Shanks' movie feat, "observation killer", it is thanks to CoC barrier which severs that mind link and cancels CoO.
However, how that would prevent Future Sight is unclear and illogical but no need to worry about this until and if it gets shown in manga.
There is an additional ability that doesnt fit the definition above and it is to determine one's strength. This seems like a throwaway line.
There is absolutely no use for this and it's been brought up only two times - Mihawk notices WB's decline and Ray tells beasts are >Luffy.
As explained in Skypiea, all living beings carry a voice just by being alive. CoO is used to detect that voice/intent/aura.
It is a power to anticipate the opponent's next move aka read their mind, to sense what they intend to do next.
So, with all of the branches summed up, we now turn towards the part that explains what it takes to be good at Observation.
Are those who can see the future automatically better than those who cant? No, it is not that simple. Future Sight is very flawed.
What determines a good Observer is the amount of time he spends using Observation haki during the battle.
Simply put, of the 100% duration of the battle, the percentage of CoO uptime determines whether one is good or bad at CoO.
For example, both Luffy and Katakuri can use the same ability - to look into the future. However, are they equally good at it? Of course not.
The reason why Katakuri is good at Observation is that he keeps it active almost all the time. Meanwhile, Luffy uses it every blue moon.
Is Luffy a better Observer than Fujitora who cant use future sight? No, for the same reason he is worse than Katakuri - the uptime.
To give you an example, let's say, Luffy and Fujitora clash 100 times.
Of those 100 times, Fujitora is using Observation in each clash, 100 times reading the intent of Luffy.
Meanwhile, Luffy looks into the future 10 times out of 100 clashes. He observed 10 times less than Fujitora and is clueless in 90 clashes.
Do you see why FS user is not better than those who cant look into the future?
B-but who is better between Fujitora and Katakuri?!
The easy advantage in favor of Fujitora from the Luffy match-up is gone, because Katakuri looks into future 100 times in 100 clashes.
Who is better now?! Well, I am going to tell you that Fujitora is still a better user of Observation than Katakuri. Let's see why...
As I mentioned, Future Sight is a very flawed ability and everyone has the power to oppose it.
Thi is particularly problematic with attacks that have fast repetition as we saw Katakuri trying to dodge Snakeman's culverin that follows him.
The FS user constantly needs to re-see the new future because the old one he saw is no longer the one that will happen.
Every intervention carries intent that regular Observation detects and makes the observer aware what's coming even if it is from FS user.
FS also creates a problem because the user stops sensing due to watching something that hasnt yet happened and thus cant carry intent.
The tape FS users watch, has no explanation of the intent, that's why Katakuri doesnt know why Pudding falls on the ground.
That's why he is unaware of Flampe's presence and the intent that her needle carries.
Every attack Katakuri throws at Fujitora carries intent and is picked up, he cannot surprise him.
Once again, it was Luffy who made Katakuri look better than he actually is. It is Luffy who couldnt calm himself down to observe.
Now, most CoO cases are due to active focus, concentrating to detect/sense/watch/read what the opponent will do.
However, we have also seen a different case, passive detection of intent/presence while sleeping, performed by two bandana users.
#sleepdiff #bandanagang
Lastly, we come to the ranking of Observation users among relevant characters with feats. Some other characters can rank higher eventually.
The number one Observation user so far is none other than Purple Tiger - Fujitora Issho. The man who has no eyes relies on it 24/7.
He is constantly detecting Aura with his mind's eye and in battle, he also picks up the intent all the time.
The second best CoO user is Roronoa Zoro. Outrageous? Not at all.
Zoro is a guy who has battle focus second to none, from the moment he landed on rooftop, his focus on Kaido hasnt gone off for a second.
This is obvious by battle data, Zoro simply never gets hit when he is in the focus. His uptime of Observation is miles ahead of Luffy's.
Furthermore, Zoro is the only character so far who has detected inanimate objects that carry no intent.
The third best is Katakuri due to just as high uptime of CoO as Zoro and Fujitora but due to flaws of the FS, he is falling behind them.
The fourth best Observer is Sanji, for the same reason, he is calmer and observes more than Luffy. He does have heated moments and turns into a joke when he shouldnt as well as his feelings detection works only with women and outside of combat so the further advantage of Luffy isnt present...
The fifth best is Luffy, which many will disagree with because >muh advanced CoO...
I have explained why being able to use a more advanced Observation doesnt make you into a better Observer.
Luffy has to work on the uptime of CoO, regardless of whether it's reading the intent or future peeping. Both are too low to rank higher.
If his uptime was higher, he wouldnt necessarily avoid the hits but he would sense things like this and attempt to do something...
Calmness and endless battle focus are key to being a good Observation user.
People like Mihawk can rank above all these 5 mentioned since he is a very calm and calculated combatant known as Clairvoyant.
Whether he will, remains to be seen in the future but he is for sure among the best out there.
TLDR - Uptime wins and basic CoO rules due to flaws of Future Sight.
This should get you more familiar with Observation haki especially if you were one of those who thought that Zoro of all people should improve his CoO... Zoro's Observation is top notch even without abilities like Future Sight, just like Fujitora's is. A good Observer senses things coming and Zoro is simply one of the best in that department.
@kenedyfake @Topi Jerami @Sentinel @comrade @Admiral Lee Hung @Light D Lamperouge @SinOfGreed @KiriNigiri @Den_Den_Mushi @trav @Demongodzolo @Marimo_420 @MarimoHeado @Aknolagon @Cyrus the Cactus @Rivaille @Monet @Garp the Fist @Gol D. Roger @Afroking @ImmaIvanoM @MarineHQ62 @Luffy bin Dragon @Luffy is the mc @Rmstorm @Fenaker @yj @Fiji @Playa4321 @Guan Yu @Ice devil slayer @Sword God Ryuma @Zenos7 @Akai2 @MasterD @Jew D. Boy @RayanOO @Haoshoku @Dark Hound @Camie @Thabeast @style @Queen @zorojurou @RyumaZoro @Gon’s Missing Arm @Yo Tan Wa @Orojackson Refugee @Sunita @IceWitch @ShadyOjiro @wordyworm @LolonoisZolo @Grumpy Zoro @HA001 @HAJIKATA @Dragomir @Natalija @Enma @Rukusho @Sade @Sadistic Senpai @stormylife @Geo @Reborn @BossYimz @Cinera @ShishioIsBack @Shishi @Nidai_Kitetsu @Mikail @mly90 @The White Crane @Gauntlet @LordWhis @Kuro Ashi @Jo_Ndule @sanjikun @Extravlad @Inflamed Haki @Buusatan94 @AL sama @Patryipe @Kiwipom @Owl Ki @Salah WG @stairs-kun @BOCCHI @EtenBoby @Fujishiro @Bogard @LadyVados @Punpun @Titty Croissant @Fleet Admiral Lee Hung @I'mTired @Gensui Sazid @Marco @Erkan12 @Blackbeard @Alpha @matt245 @God D usopp @Shanal @ConquistadoR @Jet Pistol @Captain Luffy @Brendan Schaub @park_min young @Daikenki @WesMidnight @Echizen_Jo_Ndule @serialwinnerv7 @Malick the last Light @Worona Woro @yorosenpai @Shinsekai @King of the world @ShadowStyle369 @Tyki_Mikk @Daikenki @HAJIKING @Seth @LadyVados @BornInAbyss @Fuckthis3 @ShiNoGekai @DoctorIndigo @hayze moya @Meeyori @Franosuke @wys @Lor D. Coast @Kerkovian @wordy @Psychiatrist @Croco boy @kumae @Mr. Reloaded
off guard even when he's asleep.
