One Piece: What we know about Imu so far

❘ Published: 2023-06-19T15:49:13

An image of Gorosei and Imu in One Piece

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In One Piece, Imu is a mysterious ruler of the world who sits on the Empty Throne. They were first introduced in the “Whole Cake Island Arc”, and their powers are believed to be unparalleled.

One Piece doesn’t fall short of introducing mysterious characters such as Shanks, Mihawk, Dragon, and so many more. And yet, the ruler of the world is the most puzzling in the entirety of the series.

The notion behind establishing the World Government is to create a world where everyone is equal. The twenty allied nations that formed the World Government became 170 over the years, further amplifying their power.

The Empty Throne represents peace and equality between nations. The false premise is that no one, not even Gorosei, can sit on the Empty Throne. Here’s what we know about the world’s sovereign Imu in One Piece.

The mythological reference behind the mysterious ruler

An image of Imu standing near a giant straw hat and holding Luffy's bounty poster

In Norse mythology, Imu is the name of Jotunn, who are often contrasted as gods and other non-human figures, such as dwarfs and elves. The Jotunn typically dwells across boundaries from the gods and humans in lands.

In Germanic mythology, Jotunn is a term for supernatural beings. Imu wears a crown with four sharp, incredibly tall spikes on the top and an extremely long robe flowing upon the ground.

Despite having a humanoid form, Imu’s hands are extremely low, making one wonder if they are short or tall. Judging by the inappropriate proportion of Imu’s silhouette, it’s highly likely that they are not any ordinary human.

Imu carries a weapon in One Piece

Despite their exalted station, Imu carries an extremely ordinary sabre. Though they have yet to use it in battle, they have used it to cut apart bounty posters and photographs or stab them.

Imu appears to have a calm demeanour when they handle the butterflies in the Room of Flowers. However, just the next second, the scene reveals pictures of their targets pierced through and cut apart by weapons.

Imu is targeting four characters in One Piece

An image of Im holding Vivi's picture in One Piece

Monkey D. Luffy, Shirahoshi, Nefertari Vivi, and Marshal D. Teach couldn’t be more different if they tried. However, the only common thing among them is that they have somehow piqued Imu’s interest. However, it seems they have different intentions toward all four.

They show their hostility toward Luffy, Shirahoshi, and Blackbeard by destroying their posters and photos. On the other hand, they keep Princess Vivi’s picture close to them. However, Imu wants something from all four of them. They even carry posters or photos of their targets while standing before a giant straw hat.

Their powers are enough to destroy an island remotely

The full extent of Imu’s powers is yet to be explored in One Piece. However, they appear to possess a powerful ability or weapon capable of completely wiping off islands without a trace.

This said weapon manifests in the sky, surrounded by clouds, and rains down sixteen beams of energy resembling lightning or lasers that engulf their target in a massive explosion within seconds. Imu does all that by staying at the Pangea Castle at Marie Joise.

He destroys the Lulusia Kingdom, a rebel country that stopped providing resources to the holy land. The God Valley, where the incident with Rocks D. Xebec took place and the Great Kingdom from the Void Century, vanished the same way the Lulusia Kingdom did.

Imu is likely an immortal and one of the rulers from 800 years ago

A panel from the One Piece manga revealing Imu's name

In One Piece chapter 1086, Ivankov speculates that Imu’s full name is Saint Imu of House Nerona, one of the rulers of the twenty allied nations. Ivankov also shows a book to Sabo and mentions an ability that can grant eternal youth. It’s most likely the Op-Op Fruit since it’s the ability with such power.

Ivankov believes that someone in history must have used this devil fruit before. Not only Ivankov, but Nefertari Cobra also mentions one of the twenty rulers having the same name as the world’s sovereign. Considering how Gorosei referred to Imu as the “world’s creator”, it is almost certain that the latter played a crucial part in the World Government’s establishment.

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