Who Is Imu in One Piece? Everything We Know About the Character (So Far)

To rise to the title of Pirate King, Luffy clashes against every character who comes in the way of his dream. However, Luffy has yet to meet the ever-mysterious Imu sama who has also been waiting to take down our aspiring hero. It has been over half a decade since Imu was first introduced, and still, we know very little about this character. However, the curtains slowly start to draw as Imu takes the center stage in the final saga of One Piece. Creator Eiichiro Oda has begun to reveal more about this inexplicable character in the story. So, let’s learn everything we know about Imu Sama in One Piece right now, along with their character and powers.

Spoiler Warning: This post contains major spoilers about the story and characters of One Piece. We suggest you watch the anime and read the manga to avoid ruining the intended experience.

Who is Imu in One Piece?

While we initially thought of Blackbeard or other pirates as the ultimate rival of Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates, Oda introduced Imu in the Levely (Reverie), the 30th story arc of One Piece. However, right after the character’s introduction, Imu was instantly recognized as the most powerful being in the universe by the One Piece fanatics. This was confirmed when the Five Elders (Gorosei) in One Piece, who were considered the supreme authority, bowed down to Imu.

It was revealed only then that the Five Elders had been acting as the figureheads on behalf of Imu. That makes Imu the secret ruler of the One Piece world and owner of the so-thought-empty throne in the Pangaea Castle. As a result, Imu holds the highest authority in One Piece.

Only a handful of characters know about Imu’s existence, and that will remain so for the time being. Anyone who learns about Imu’s existence is punished with death, as seen in Nefertari Cobra’s case. Therefore, Imu may very well serve as the final boss for our beloved protagonist Monkey D. Luffy in One Piece. Also, they might be the evilest antagonist we have ever met in the history of One Piece.

Moreover, based on the events that are transpiring in the manga, their secret will be brought to light sooner or later, and the world shall know Imu.

Imu’s True Identity in One Piece

During his first encounter, Nefertari Cobra mentioned that Imu has a connection to the First Twenty Founders of the World Government. Emporio Ivankov confirmed this suspicion when Sabo told his comrades in the Revolutionary Army about Imu’s existence.

Imu’s true identity is Saint Nerona Imu and this person hails from the Nerona family, one of the First Twenty Founders from 800 years ago. Now this makes fans wonder how has Imu lived so long but Ivankov has an answer for that as well.

So, that begs the question “How old is Imu in One Piece?“

Well, Ivankov believes that Imu got the Perennial Youth Operation from the previous Ope Ope no Mi (Op Op fruit) devil fruit user (current user is Trafalgar Law) to grant themselves eternal youth or immortality. If this theory turns out to be true, then Imu could be over 800 years old, which automatically makes them the oldest character in One Piece. It only makes sense and is the only way for a One Piece character to be alive for ages.

Moreover, in the final few chapters of the Egghead arc, it is revealed that the Goresei too has existed for an unusually long time. So, it could be the case that Imu shared this immortal power with their followers to continue their reign for centuries. Also, Marcus Mars, one of the Five Elders, referred to Imu as the “Creator,” which could be a huge hint that Ivankov’s theory is true.

Imu’s Devil Fruit in One Piece

To be honest, we don’t know much about Imu’s devil fruit powers at the moment. But a character who has been living for centuries must be quite powerful, right?

During the last reverie, Imu and the Five Elders turned into their monster forms against Sabo, but Oda kept their devil forms hidden as a silhouette. The silhouette depicted Imu transforming into a giant devilish monster with a tail.

The devil forms of the Five Elders were later officially revealed in the Egghead arc (see One Piece arcs list) and this fact strongly hints at Imu having a devil fruit power or being the devil itself just like them.

In the same fight, Imu used their devil’s tail, which they used to thrust and deliver substantial damage to King Cobra and Sabo. Imu being the final boss and the supreme ruler of the One Piece world means they have one of the sovereign world-ending powers. It makes sense, doesn’t it?

This was indirectly confirmed when Imu killed St. Saturn using this mighty power while being miles away from him. So, was it their tremendous haki or an ability of their devil fruit power? We have to wait to learn more.

Furthermore, as Imu is the supreme ruler, they have control over everything including Uranus, one of the ancient weapons in One Piece. In the Egghead arc, Imu used this ancient weapon to obliterate the Lulusia Kingdom. Uranus was powered by the Mother Flame invented by Dr. Vegapunk. We will update this section as soon as we learn about Imu’s powers in the manga.

When was Imu First Introduced in One Piece

• Debut: Episode 885 and Manga Chapter 906

As mentioned earlier, Imu was introduced with a twist, pretty late in the story. Oda first introduced Imu in the Levely arc in One Piece chapter 906, which was adapted in anime episode 885. Imu was seen holding Luffy’s bounty poster, the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates in the castle’s chamber where a giant Straw Hat was present.

To this day, discovering that there was a hidden ruler all along is one of the most unexpected plot twists for fans. Also, a quick reminder that it has been over five years since we were introduced to Imu. Ever since their introduction, fans also began to question Imu’s gender in the story.

So, Is Imu from One Piece a Girl or a Boy?

So far, in the story of One Piece, Imu’s gender has not been revealed yet. While most of the fandom considers Imu to be a female, there isn’t any solid evidence to back up that claim. Also since most in the fandom think Imu is a female, there are popular theories that Imu is Luffy’s mother, i.e. Monkey D. Dragon’s wife. But there is no proof to support the claim that Imu is indeed Luffy’s mother in the story.

In one instance, Imu was referred to as Imu-sama, but it should be noted that sama is a gender-neutral term in Japanese. Hence, we will have to wait for an official confirmation and not draw a conclusion based on speculations.

Although we don’t know Imu’s gender, we know their pronouns in the One Piece series. Imu favors and employs the first-person pronoun “Mu (ムー)”, which is borrowed from their name. It’s also noted that Imu uses “Nushia (ヌシア)” for others.

Imu’s Appearance in One Piece

Like their gender, Oda has been keeping Imu’s appearance a secret for years. Recently, Imu’s voice was heard for the first time in the Egghead arc adaptation of the One Piece manga. However, as we expected, the production staff went to great lengths to keep the identity a secret. They hid the name of the voice actor who lent their voice to this terrifying antagonist.

For now, we only know Imu in their silhouette form in One Piece. Even though they have devilish powers, they appear to be more like a human. What’s more interesting about Imu’s design is its menacing red eyes with a unique design that has rings around the pupil.

The only other character whose eyes slightly resemble Imu’s eyes is Dracule Mihawk, the world’s greatest swordsman. So, we have to wait for the day Oda reveals Imu’s character design similar to how he recently did for Loki in the One Piece Elbaf arc.

Imu is the Final Boss Before Luffy Finds the One Piece

Many believe that Blackbeard will be Luffy’s final opponent in the story. I agree that Luffy will clash against him in the final war, but there is one more boss fight awaiting our hero in the endgame. It is none other than Imu as they have seething hate towards the D clan (learn the meaning of D in One Piece) and will go to any extent to stop them from uncovering the truth.

Therefore, Imu’s reign must have come to an end at the hands of Luffy before he could achieve his dream of finding the One Piece treasure. As One Piece’s final saga is underway, we have started to see more of Imu’s actions in the story. It is only a matter of time before Imu steps outside of Mary Geoise and faces the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates.

One Piece Episodes and Chapters with Imu

Imu has appeared only in a handful of manga chapters and anime episodes in One Piece. Despite the short screen time, Imu is always seen shaking up the entire balance in the One Piece universe with their actions.

That being said, here is the list of anime episodes and manga chapters where Imu sama makes an appearance:

• Anime Episodes: 885, 889, 1089, 1118, 1119, and 1120
• Manga Chapters: 906, 908, 1060, 1084, 1085, 1086, 1089, 1115, 1116, 1121, 1122, and 1125

So, that’s pretty much everything we know about Imu in One Piece right now. We will continue to update this post as new details about the character are revealed. So, bookmark this post to stay up-to-date.

Editor’s Note: updated the post to include details about Imu from the Egghead arc and improved readability.