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When it comes to power-ups throughoutOne Piece, although each character does have a moment to shine, sometimes they can feel a bit overshadowed by the protagonist of the series. More often than not, Luffy has a major improvement in almost every arc, showing off a new skill, whether it be a new form of Haki or a new powerful application of his Devil Fruit. To a lesser degree, Zoro and Sanji have received a similar treatment, growing exponentially through each and every arc.
However, for the rest of the Straw Hats, their growth throughout the series seems fairly small in comparison, even if they have a lot of potential to become incredibly strong. One such character is Robin, who after training with the Revolutionary Army for two years duringOne Piece’stime skip, didn’t seem to pick up what could be her most powerful upgrade, Haki. With Haki being extremely strong in conjunction with her Devil Fruit, many fans have wondered why Dragon didn’t attempt to teach Robin Haki at all.
How Did Robin Spend The Time Skip?
She Trained heavily With The Revolutionary Army And Dragon
Duringthe time skip era ofOne Piece, when each of the characters was sent to a specific island to train, Robin was instead sent to a prison camp. However, this camp was a target of the Revolutionary Army, who set out to free the camp soon after Robin’s arrival. From here, Robin joined the Revolutionary Army for two years, learning how to better control her Devil Fruit and utilize certain elements of Fishman Karate.
When all I want is to learn of a history, there are too many enemies within my dream. - Robin
However, while there, many fans expected the Straw Hat Archaeologist to learn elements of Haki, mainly Armament Haki. With this upgrade, Robin would have the power to coat each of the limbscreated by her Flower-Flower Fruit, and in conjunction with her improved skills in Fishman Karate, she would gain a fair amount of firepower and the ability to bypass Devil Fruits. From here, Robin could have easily become one of the stronger members of the crew and would be closer to the Monster Trio than the Middle Trio in terms of power, most likely right behind Jinbe.
Why Didn’t Robin Learn Haki During Her Training?
Robin May Not Be As Naturally Inclined To Haki As Luffy
Sadly, even after Wano, and to the modern day in Elbaf, Robin still hasn’t shown offany unique Haki-based powersthat she has been hiding for all these years. For the audience, it was disappointing that Robin didn’t receive what could have been an amazing power-up for her, and fans were quick to blame Dragon for not teaching her Haki during her time with the Revolutionary Army. Still, there may be some fairly reasonable, if not slightly more disappointing, reasons why Robin never learned Haki.
Overall, with Haki being a manifestation of someone’s inner fighting spirit, being a scholar and archaeologist first, it makes sense that Robin may need to work slightly harder thanLuffy to learn Haki. Additionally, although she is an incredibly strong fighter, after being forced to fight in desperate situations her entire life, she may not have the same love of battle that makes Haki natural for characters like Luffy and Zoro. Due to this, two years may have been a little too short of a timeframe for a character like Robin to learn Haki, despite her being a genius.
Mastering Her Devil Fruit May Have Been A Better Use Of Robin’s Time
At the same time, while Haki would make up for some of her Devil Fruit’s weaknesses,learning elements of hand-to-hand combatis arguably more important in combat. While Haki would increase her defensive and offensive power, it still wouldn’t teach her how to better utilize her Devil Fruit, like with Fishman Karate. Additionally, learning Haki may have taken up too much time as well, stifling the progress Robin would have made with her Devil Fruit, grading mastery of her fruit for more attack power.
Fools who don’t respect the past are doomed to repeat it. - Robin
Still, while there are some explanations, it seems the biggest reason Robin hasn’t learned Haki is becausethe author ofOne Piece, Oda, doesn’t want her to learn it. While not every fan may agree with the decision, as it does seem fairly strange, giving Robin Haki may make her a bit too strong, even putting her on the same level as the Monster Trio, or at least too close to it. In the end, while it’s disappointing Robin never learned Haki inOne Piece, there’s always hope that she might pick it up spontaneously sometime before the end of the series.
One Piece
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One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
