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Summary
There are more than a thousand characters inOne Piece, some who play vastly larger roles than others. Between minor background characters that are around for a panel or two and monumental characters that have lost lasting ramifications, the sheer number of characters in One Piece can be overwhelming.
As One Piece gears up to enter its final arc and take the Straw Hat Pirates to the mythical island of Laugh Tale to find the legendary treasure that has been at the core of the manga and anime since the first chapter, let’s take a look at one of the most mysterious characters in the epic, Imu.
Who Is One Piece’s Imu?
The Mysterious Emperor
First things first, there is plenty we do not know about who Imu is and what their real goals are. What little we do know comes from the few tidbits of information that One Piece’s creator, Eiichiro Oda has revealed over the years through either the few rare times Imu has appeared in the manga or through various amounts of exposition.
So let’s start with what we do know. Imu is the shadowy figure at the center of the World Government, the ruling force over much of the known world, and the true monarch who sits upon the Empty Throne, an allegedly unoccupied seat of power that is supposed to represent equality among all the nations of the World Government.
Imu is introduced relatively late into the One Piece saga given how important they are to the overall plot. Their first appearance is in Chapter 906, which comes out to episode 885 in the anime,which is in the Levely Arc, at the tail end of the Whole Cake Island Saga.
Much of the intrigue surrounding Imu comes from the fact that we’ve never seen their face or even much of their body. Every shot of Imu depicts them as a silhouette, even in scenes where we can see other characters normally or where Imu is in full light, hinting at some other effect that is keeping them masked. Despite the mysterious effects clouding their body, there are a few things that we can note about Imu’s physical appearance. Their eyes are a deep red color and appear to have a ring of some kind in them. Another notable feature is their massive, three-pointed crown. Why is it so big? Who knows, it might not even be a crown, but it seems to be a safe bet.
Does Imu Have Powers?
Yes, But It’s Complicated
It is not known to what extent Imu’s powers reach but they are assumed to be some of the most powerful on the planet since they sit at the head of the World Government. Even the Five Elders, the face of the World Government, bow before Imu,with each one holding an awakened Devil Fruit, one that lets them turn into monstrous beasts and yet they can maintain their personalities and thoughts so there’s a solid chance that Imu has something similar.
What we have seen of Imu’s powers are rather inconsistent, also unlike Devil Fruit. One of Imu’s innate abilities seems to be the ability to transform themselves into a massive, humanoid blob-like creature of immense strength. They are also able to devour fire in this form, specifically fire generated from Sabo’sFlame-Flame Fruit. Imu is even able to manipulate their body to some extent, turning an appendage into a spear-like weapon and injuring Sabo who is a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, which is supposed to be nearly impervious to damage without the use of Haki.
Imu also appears to be in possession of some type of Ancient Weapon. This seems to be some type of flying device with a devastating beam-like attack that can wipe an entire island off the map. Sabo described seeing some type of black shape above the clouds when the weapon was fired before him, and Dr. Vegapunk saw a green glow emit from above the clouds. The doctor speculates that his stolen Mother Flame device, a means for near-infinite energy, powers it. Recently, this weapon was used by Imu and the World Government to utterly destroy the kingdom of Lulusia.
What Are Some Of Theories Around Imu?
There’s A Few Conspiracies Out There
Perhaps the most grounded theory about who really sits on the Empty Throne is that Imu is one of the original members of the First Twenty, a group of monarchs who would go on to create the World Government. This would mean that Imu has achieved immortality through the Perennial Youth Operation that can be granted through the Op-Op Fruit, currently in the possession of Trafalgar D. Water Law, or through some other means. This theory comes from the One Piece universe, specifically from Emporio Ivanko, who believes that Imu could be a member of the Nerona Family from more than 800 years ago, a person known as Saint Imu.
Another possible theory is that Imu is a former pirate, one who bears the Will of D. and who came close to dismantling the World Government as they know it. There are some odd connections to the pirate Rocks D. Xebec, another influential person in One Piece though their events took place well before those of the main series. Xebec wanted to take the title of the ruler of the world, one that Imu currently holds. That island was completely obliterated much in the same way that the Lulusia Kingdom was recently destroyed.
