The final saga of the One Piece manga keeps getting crazier with each new chapter release, and the fan theories are blowing my mind. If you haven’t been keeping up, Oda has introduced the God’s Knights, another powerful organization, as major villains of the ongoing Elbaf arc. They will also play a crucial role in the final war. But, there’s one new character that has fans intrigued the most. And no, it’s not Shamrock; we are God’s Knight member Gunko.
Gunko and Shamrock were the first members introduced as members of the God’s Knights in the manga. Since her debut, the mysterious bandaged woman has raised suspicions about her being related to Imu. So, let’s analyze all the similarities between the two characters and see if Gunko has any connection to Imu and the Nerona family.
Spoiler Warning: This post includes major spoilers for the One Piece anime and manga. You’ve been warned, so please proceed with caution.
Gunko’s Uncanny Similarities with Imu in One Piece
Gunko and Shamrock, Shanks’ evil brother, first arrived in Elbaf using the magic circle in One Piece chapter 1134. They were entrusted with the mission to abduct the Giants’ children and take control of the nation. A couple chapters later, Oda began unraveling more details about Gunko’s character, and fans were quick to note that she shares an uncanny resemblance to another mysterious character, Imu, in the series.
That said, let’s take a look at the similarities between Gunko and Imu’s character:
- The first thing that caught our eye was Gunko’s mystical eyes, as she has heterochromia. Apart from Imu and Mihawk, no other character has a unique eye design in One Piece.
- Unlike other God’s Knights members, Gunko is never confirmed to be a “World Noble” as she neither has Saint in her name nor is her family name mentioned in her debut.
- Gunko’s devil fruit, Aro Aro no Mi, lets her generate bandages in the form of arrowheads. We only saw Imu’s powers once during the Reverie incident, where they had an arrowhead tail that they used to pierce King Cobra’s heart. Gunko’s arrow devil fruit powers look eerily identical to Imu.
- Lastly, Gunko confessed that she is afraid of Nika to Saint Sommers, one of the God’s Knight members, in chapter 1142. When Joy Boy‘s stored haki was unleashed by Emet, Imu trembled in fear and uttered the fabled pirate’s name. Thus, it should be noted that both Gunko and Imu have a common fear.
Is Gunko Imu or Imu’s Daughter in One Piece?
If, by this point, you think Gunko is Imu, I’m afraid to say that the chances of that being true are rather slim. It would not make sense for the most powerful character with the highest authority in the world to work as a subordinate in the God’s Knights. So there is only one other possibility, Gunko could be Imu’s daughter.
The name Gunko translates to Army Child in Japanese. We don’t know if Gunko signed up to join the God’s Knights to protect the Celestial Dragons and their homeland, or if she has some other reason. As mentioned earlier, Gunko’s royal house has been kept a secret, and there’s a possibility that Gunko hails from the Nerona family, like Imu Nerona.
Shamrock being the son of Garling and Gunko being Imu’s daughter would be a nice parallel to have in the story of One Piece. But, why would the alleged daughter of Luffy’s, or even the world’s, biggest adversary be risking their life out living as a guardian? We have to wait and find out.
There are rumors that Imu’s subordinates directly received powers from their creator, as seen with the Five Elders in their devil forms. However, Gunko’s power being confirmed as devil fruit powers contradicts this fact. If she was indeed Imu’s daughter or somehow related to her, then she should have inherited powers like the Gorosei. So, facts like these make me question this popular theory of Gunko being Imu’s child.
That said, we have listed every piece of information we have on Imu and Gunko. Although we aren’t sure about their connection right now, let’s wait and see what Oda has in store for these characters in the story. That said, do you think Gunko is connected to Imu? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
