The moment Usopp used Haki was one of the many great moments in One Piece anime. However, anyone who has just got into the show will not think so, given how out of place he was in the beginning. It just goes to show the long-term thinking that Oda sensei had for these characters.
He is great at adding context to things on top of making them interesting and heart-wrenching. And as the series is coming to a close and entering the final arc, the hype for it is at an all-time high. And Usopp is part of that hype as well. But as we went back to re-read the manga ( anime will consume too much time), we noticed how well-written the character is.
There were subtle hints to every character in the series. Even the fight between Shanks and Luffy is there in the first chapter. The same is said for Usopp, who was just doing slingshots at the very beginning of the series and running away whenever people caught him. His impression is not like Zorro or Sanji, that are good at many but have great personalities. Luffy might be the dumbest of them all, but he gets things done when it is his turn.
You can say every character in the series made Usopp look less appealing by comparison. And it is not avoidable, but as we know by now that all was prepared for what was to come in the future. And for the sniper of straw hats, it was when Usopp used Haki for the first time.
What led to Usopp use Haki?
After the time skip, only three characters in the story learned how to use Haki. The first one is Luffy, who learned it under Dark King Rayleigh, Zorro under Mihawk, and Sanji (his source is uncertain). It could be said that was the entire reason for them to learn Haki. Haki is not something anyone can have, it has to be learned and learned vigorously. And for straw hats, whose next stop was the New World, they had no choice but to learn it, or they wouldn’t survive. With Luffy, Sanji, and Zorro learning, it made even more sense as they were the main fighters of the crew.
However, given the variety of Haki, there is it would have made sense for everyone to have learned some part of it. But as we said earlier, Haki can’t be learned easily, and one must go through rigorous training to learn. So not seeing use Usopp uses Haki after the time-skip made but also gave an opportunity.
Usopp is the underwhelming character of the crew, and with him learning, Haki showed us how he, too could grow from it. But just like every event in One Piece, each event is connected, and they lead to another chain of events. There is a going around for Usopp to be able to use emperor Haki in the future, but that’s a topic for another article.
There was a great stream of events that took place before Usopp could use his Haki. He displayed the use of it in chapter 758 of manga, events occurring in the later half of Dressrosa Arc. By this time, we have already had hints as to how things will go down for Usopp and his use of Haki. And he got to display his full force in the story as the one who helps Luffy in this scenario ( given how much he does, that should be his title).
Luffy, along with Law and Sugar, was in the Royal Palace as things escalated to them being there. Given Sugar’s nature, she aims for Law and Luffy to erase them from existence. As she has erased countless others without remorse, Luffy being in a tough spot, had nothing left to do. As for a call to action, Usopp unlocked his observation of Haki and is then able to sense Sugar, Law, and Luffy at the Royal Palace. And from a distance, at the old King’s Plateau, he sniped her out in one shot. Usopp uses Haki for the first time in episode 697 of One Piece.
Also Read: How Old Is One Piece? The Longest Running Shonen Manga
