This article contains slight spoilers for One Piece's Final Saga.
Summary
- Klabautermann are spirits of well-cared-for ships, like the one manifested by Going Merry.
- Imu may be an ancient spirit, possibly a Klabautermann of the Ancient Kingdom.
- Imu's goal may involve burying the past and sadness over losing the Ancient Kingdom crew.
One Piece has always featured a large number of elements that seem small at first, yet have massive plot consequences later down the line. Between the introduction of the various gods in Skypiea to the constant imagery related to the sun, so many smaller details of the story help make the overall plot an even greater experience. For this reason, many fans tend to hyper-analyze every detail of the series, attempting to predict which smaller elements of the past will return with great consequences in the Final Saga.
However, more often than not, these details are left behind and completely forgotten. Although this isn’t a bad thing necessarily, with this occurring in many long-standing series, based on the precedent that fans have come to expect from One Piece, it seems that the audience is expecting every tiny detail to return in a big way sometime before the end of the Final Saga. This includes the idea of the Klabautermann, a small species that was only briefly mentioned a handful of times before, which one fan believes may be the key to unlocking the secrets behind Imu.
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The Klabautermann Are The Spirits Of Well-Cared For Ships
The Going Merry Is The Biggest Example Of These Creatures
During the Skypiea Arc and Water 7 Saga of One Piece, fans were introduced to the concept of the Klabautermann. These creatures are small, fairy-like beings that inhabit ships, acting as a physical manifestation of their will, and develop from ships that are taken care of well and deeply loved. In the story, from the care that Usopp and the rest of the crew had for their beloved first ship, the Going Merry, the ship actually manifested a Klabautermann, essentially giving it a life of its own, allowing it to repair itself and move on its own before its death.
It's a fairy that dwells on ships that are well-cared for. - Franky on Klabautermann
However, since this moment in the pre-time skip era of One Piece, the Klabautermann have not appeared in the canon story of the series. At the same time, fans have been looking for explanations as to what Imu’s overall purpose in the story is. Even this deep in the Final Saga, fans still haven’t been given the chance to see Imu’s true form outside of a silhouette, let alone understand what Imu’s true goal as the leader of the world is.
Is Imu A Klabautermann?
Imu May Be An Ancient Spirit Of A Massive Ship
- Im's Strange Form May Make Him A Mythical Creature
- He May Be A Klabautermann Of The Ancient Kingdom
In a post by GreatGomp on Reddit, the One Piece theorist explains that the Klabautermann might be an explanation for the long-standing issue of whom the mysterious villain, Imu, is. Mainly, this theory explores the possibility that Imu may have been a Klabaurtermann of the Ancient Kingdom. While Klabautermann are normally only incarnations of ships, the Redditor explains that the Ancient Kingdom may have been a massive city-ship hybrid, similar to things that have been shown in the past.
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Additionally, Imu’s appearance also helps prove that he may not be a human, and belongs to a more ethereal species. Overall, since Imu’s appearance is unnatural and spirit-like, being a Klabautermann wouldn’t be too big of a stretch. On top of this, Imu’s immortality may be due to the longevity of the ship of the Ancient Kingdom itself, the Mother Flame. From these details, it may make sense that Imu has long since outlived the “crew” of their original ship, now growing to slowly become more bitter about losing his original purpose as the spirit of a ship over the years.
What Is Imu's Goal As A Klabautermann?
A Simple Objective To Bury The Past
From here, the theorist explains that Imu’s true goal in One Piece may involve burying the painful memories of his past, which leads to the creation of the Void Century. Since everything that Imu originally wanted to protect, the Ancient Kingdom is gone, save for the Mother Flame, Imu’s true goal may be simpler than fans originally expected. Imu may simply be sad that he no longer has his friends from the Ancient Kingdom.
Joy Boy! - Imu
In the end, while many originally thought that Imu was a remnant from One Piece's Ancient Kingdom, this theorist believes that Imu may be the incarnation of the kingdom itself. Although there isn’t too much evidence to support this idea, conceptually, it fits well within the world of the series. Still, with the Final Saga of One Piece underway, hopefully, fans won’t have to wait too much longer before learning the true secrets of Imu.
- 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.
