This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Final Saga.
Long before One Piece even began the Final Saga, Eiichiro Oda, the author of the story introduced the fans to Saint Imu Nerona, the secret sovereign of the world. In the Reverie arc, Imu was seen sitting atop the Empty Throne of the World Government and controlled everything from behind the shadows. Quite a few things stood out about this figure, but the most intriguing of all was his appearance. It's been 7 years since, and Imu's appearance is as big a mystery as ever. Imu made their debut as a shadowy figure that doesn't seem to have any true form.
They most certainly have a humanoid body, but all that's visible are the red, gleaming eyes. Even their hands are covered in a shadow. Now, after seven long years, Eiichiro Oda seems to have confirmed that Imu's body isn't just hidden in silhouette for the sake of surprise. Their actual appearance is shadowy and it's a part of their powers. Naturally, this has surprised quite a few fans, and Oda will certainly touch upon it again in the future.
Oda Confirms Imu's Real Form Is The Shadow Figure Itself
In One Piece chapter 1165, Eiichiro Oda gave the fans a proper battle between Domi Reversi Rocks, and the team of Roger and Garp. This battle was absolutely sensational and it explained a lot of things concerning the concepts of Haki, and even Immortality in the One Piece world. However, most of all, it finally solved the misery of Imu's true appearance.
Allow Mu to show thee the dominance of a God! — Imu to Elbaf
For years, fans wondered what Imu truly looked like. Oda is known to use silhouettes to hide characters until it's officially their time to be fully revealed. Most fans assumed that was the case with Imu as well. However, it appears that Imu isn't just being hidden with a silhouette by Oda.
The action appearance of Imu is that of a shadowy black monster, and this was directly confirmed in One Piece Chapter 1165. Shortly before that, Imu took control of Saturn's body in God Valley and they then went on to tank powerful attacks from the likes of Roger, Garp, Rocks, Kaido, Big Mom, and Whitebeard. Despite their combined strength, it barely made them flinch. Shortly after, Roger and Garp confirmed Imu's true appearance is actually of a shadowy monster.
Roger And Garp Confirm Imu's True Appearance
During the battle against Domi Reversi Rocks, Roger and Garp specifically spoke of Imu. Roger clearly told Garp that the shadowy figure from before belonged to the World Government, and that despite that, they claim to be the good guys. To that, Garp replied by saying that he agrees with him, but he will stay with the Marines to protect them from the Government.
Did you know that the World Government had that shadowy figure? And they call themselves the good guys! — Roger to Garp
The key detail here lies in Roger's own words. Roger himself saw Imu as a blob of shadow, and so did Garp. In other words, Imu isn't just a silhouette, but actually a shadowy monster. He is darkness itself and his powers manifest themselves as pitch black shadows, for some reason. Imu's character design isn't being hidden by Oda. In fact, it's been clear since day 1.
Imu's True Form Will Be Revealed In The Final Saga
Of course, Imu wasn't born as a shadowy blob. Instead, Imu either acquired this power, or was cursed with it in some way. In either case, fans will see Imu's true form soon. Oda will surely give the fans a proper look at Imu's real self. If it's a Devil Fruit ability, then once Blackbeard nullifies their power, their true self will be revealed. If it's a curse, then Imu will surely do all they can to break free, and at some point, probably succeed.
Eiichiro Oda's One Piece will be on break next week. One Piece Chapter 1166 will be out in two weeks. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1166 is November 23, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus.
- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Network
- Fuji TV
- Directors
- Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
Cast
-
Mayumi TanakaMonkey D. Luffy (voice) -
Kazuya NakaiRoronoa Zoro (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
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, in order 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.
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
