diff --git a/src/components/legend.tsx b/src/components/legend.tsx
index 02c33f7ff7..c5b7526c0b 100644
--- a/src/components/legend.tsx
+++ b/src/components/legend.tsx
@@ -86,8 +86,14 @@ class LegendComponent extends React.Component<ReactiveChartProps> {
             responsive={false}
           >
             {legendItems.map((item, index) => {
+              const legendItemProps = {
+                key: index,
+                className: 'euiChartLegendList__item',
+                onMouseOver: this.onLegendItemMouseover(index),
+              };
+
               return (
-                <EuiFlexItem key={index} className="euiChartLegendList__item">
+                <EuiFlexItem {...legendItemProps}>
                   <LegendElement color={item.color} label={item.label} />
                 </EuiFlexItem>
               );
@@ -97,6 +103,10 @@ class LegendComponent extends React.Component<ReactiveChartProps> {
       </div>
     );
   }
+
+  private onLegendItemMouseover = (legendItemIndex: number) => () => {
+    this.props.chartStore!.updateHighlightedLegendItem(legendItemIndex);
+  }
 }
 function LegendElement({ color, label }: Partial<LegendItem>) {
   return (
diff --git a/src/components/react_canvas/bar_geometries.tsx b/src/components/react_canvas/bar_geometries.tsx
index cdfb5d7cb5..65baf07164 100644
--- a/src/components/react_canvas/bar_geometries.tsx
+++ b/src/components/react_canvas/bar_geometries.tsx
@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@ import { IAction } from 'mobx';
 import React from 'react';
 import { Group, Rect } from 'react-konva';
 import { animated, Spring } from 'react-spring/konva';
+import { LegendItem } from '../../lib/series/legend';
 import { BarGeometry, GeometryValue } from '../../lib/series/rendering';
+import { belongsToDataSeries } from '../../lib/series/series_utils';
 import { ElementClickListener, TooltipData } from '../../state/chart_state';
 
 interface BarGeometriesDataProps {
@@ -12,6 +14,7 @@ interface BarGeometriesDataProps {
   onElementClick?: ElementClickListener;
   onElementOver: ((tooltip: TooltipData) => void) & IAction;
   onElementOut: (() => void) & IAction;
+  highlightedLegendItem: LegendItem | null;
 }
 interface BarGeometriesDataState {
   overBar?: BarGeometry;
@@ -19,7 +22,7 @@ interface BarGeometriesDataState {
 export class BarGeometries extends React.PureComponent<
   BarGeometriesDataProps,
   BarGeometriesDataState
-> {
+  > {
   static defaultProps: Partial<BarGeometriesDataProps> = {
     animated: false,
   };
@@ -70,14 +73,34 @@ export class BarGeometries extends React.PureComponent<
     });
     onElementOut();
   }
+
+  private computeBarOpacity = (bar: BarGeometry, overBar: BarGeometry | undefined): number => {
+    const { highlightedLegendItem } = this.props;
+
+    // There are two elements that might be hovered over that could affect this:
+    // a specific bar element or a legend item; thus, we handle these states as mutually exclusive.
+    if (overBar) {
+      if (overBar !== bar) {
+        return 0.6;
+      }
+      return 1;
+    } else if (highlightedLegendItem != null) {
+      const isPartOfHighlightedSeries = belongsToDataSeries(bar.value, highlightedLegendItem.value);
+
+      if (isPartOfHighlightedSeries) {
+        return 1;
+      }
+
+      return 0.6;
+    }
+    return 1;
+  }
+
   private renderBarGeoms = (bars: BarGeometry[]): JSX.Element[] => {
     const { overBar } = this.state;
     return bars.map((bar, i) => {
       const { x, y, width, height, color, value } = bar;
-      let opacity = 1;
-      if (overBar && overBar !== bar) {
-        opacity = 0.6;
-      }
+      const opacity = this.computeBarOpacity(bar, overBar);
       if (this.props.animated) {
         return (
           <Group key={i}>
diff --git a/src/components/react_canvas/reactive_chart.tsx b/src/components/react_canvas/reactive_chart.tsx
index eb0a329717..51e0a1dea1 100644
--- a/src/components/react_canvas/reactive_chart.tsx
+++ b/src/components/react_canvas/reactive_chart.tsx
@@ -67,10 +67,14 @@ class Chart extends React.Component<ReactiveChartProps, ReactiveChartState> {
       onOverElement,
       onOutElement,
       onElementClickListener,
+      highlightedLegendItemIndex,
+      legendItems,
     } = this.props.chartStore!;
     if (!geometries) {
       return;
     }
+    const highlightedLegendItem = highlightedLegendItemIndex ? legendItems[highlightedLegendItemIndex] : null;
+
     return (
       <BarGeometries
         animated={canDataBeAnimated}
@@ -78,6 +82,7 @@ class Chart extends React.Component<ReactiveChartProps, ReactiveChartState> {
         onElementOver={onOverElement}
         onElementOut={onOutElement}
         onElementClick={onElementClickListener}
+        highlightedLegendItem={highlightedLegendItem}
       />
     );
   }
diff --git a/src/lib/series/series_utils.test.ts b/src/lib/series/series_utils.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ac97156731
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/series/series_utils.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+import { getSpecId } from '../utils/ids';
+import { GeometryValue } from './rendering';
+import { DataSeriesColorsValues } from './series';
+import { belongsToDataSeries, isEqualSeriesKey } from './series_utils';
+
+describe('Series utility functions', () => {
+  test('can compare series keys for identity', () => {
+    const seriesKeyA = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
+    const seriesKeyB = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
+    const seriesKeyC = ['a', 'b', 'd'];
+    const seriesKeyD = ['d'];
+    const seriesKeyE = ['b', 'a', 'c'];
+
+    expect(isEqualSeriesKey(seriesKeyA, seriesKeyB)).toBe(true);
+    expect(isEqualSeriesKey(seriesKeyB, seriesKeyC)).toBe(false);
+    expect(isEqualSeriesKey(seriesKeyA, seriesKeyD)).toBe(false);
+    expect(isEqualSeriesKey(seriesKeyA, seriesKeyE)).toBe(false);
+    expect(isEqualSeriesKey(seriesKeyA, [])).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  test('can determine if a geometry value belongs to a data series', () => {
+    const geometryValueA: GeometryValue = {
+      specId: getSpecId('a'),
+      datum: null,
+      seriesKey: ['a', 'b', 'c'],
+    };
+
+    const dataSeriesValuesA: DataSeriesColorsValues = {
+      specId: getSpecId('a'),
+      colorValues: ['a', 'b', 'c'],
+    };
+
+    const dataSeriesValuesB: DataSeriesColorsValues = {
+      specId: getSpecId('b'),
+      colorValues: ['a', 'b', 'c'],
+    };
+
+    const dataSeriesValuesC: DataSeriesColorsValues = {
+      specId: getSpecId('a'),
+      colorValues: ['a', 'b', 'd'],
+    };
+
+    expect(belongsToDataSeries(geometryValueA, dataSeriesValuesA)).toBe(true);
+    expect(belongsToDataSeries(geometryValueA, dataSeriesValuesB)).toBe(false);
+    expect(belongsToDataSeries(geometryValueA, dataSeriesValuesC)).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/lib/series/series_utils.ts b/src/lib/series/series_utils.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..dbea45cbc6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/series/series_utils.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+import { GeometryValue } from './rendering';
+import { DataSeriesColorsValues } from './series';
+
+export function isEqualSeriesKey(a: any[], b: any[]): boolean {
+  if (a.length !== b.length) {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  let ret = true;
+
+  a.forEach((aVal: any, idx: number) => {
+    if (aVal !== b[idx]) {
+      ret = false;
+    }
+  });
+
+  return ret;
+}
+
+export function belongsToDataSeries(geometryValue: GeometryValue, dataSeriesValues: DataSeriesColorsValues): boolean {
+  const legendItemSeriesKey = dataSeriesValues.colorValues;
+  const legendItemSpecId = dataSeriesValues.specId;
+
+  const geometrySeriesKey = geometryValue.seriesKey;
+  const geometrySpecId = geometryValue.specId;
+
+  const hasSameSpecId = legendItemSpecId === geometrySpecId;
+  const hasSameSeriesKey = isEqualSeriesKey(legendItemSeriesKey, geometrySeriesKey);
+
+  return hasSameSpecId && hasSameSeriesKey;
+}
diff --git a/src/state/chart_state.ts b/src/state/chart_state.ts
index a1fa2d2512..19f386a64d 100644
--- a/src/state/chart_state.ts
+++ b/src/state/chart_state.ts
@@ -123,6 +123,7 @@ export class ChartStore {
   yScales?: Map<GroupId, Scale>;
 
   legendItems: LegendItem[] = [];
+  highlightedLegendItemIndex: number | null = null;
 
   tooltipData = observable.box<Array<[any, any]> | null>(null);
   tooltipPosition = observable.box<{ x: number; y: number } | null>();
@@ -229,6 +230,13 @@ export class ChartStore {
     return this.xScale.type !== ScaleType.Ordinal && Boolean(this.onBrushEndListener);
   }
 
+  updateHighlightedLegendItem(legendItemIndex: number) {
+    if (legendItemIndex !== this.highlightedLegendItemIndex) {
+      this.highlightedLegendItemIndex = legendItemIndex;
+      this.computeChart();
+    }
+  }
+
   updateParentDimensions(width: number, height: number, top: number, left: number) {
     let isChanged = false;
     if (width !== this.parentDimensions.width) {