This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Final Saga.
Long before One Piece even starting the last saga, Eiichiro Oda, the author of the story introduced the fans to Saint Imu Nerona, the secret ruler of the world. In the Reverie arc, Imu was seen sitting atop the empty throne of the World Government, controlling everything from behind the shadows. A lot of things stood out about this figure, but the most intriguing of all was his appearance. It's been 7 years, and Imu's appearance is as much of a mystery as ever. Imu made her debut as a shadowy figure who appears to have no real form.
They certainly have a humanoid body, but all that is visible are the red, shiny eyes. Even their hands are covered by a shadow. Now, after seven long years, Eiichiro Oda seems to have confirmed it Imu's body is not just hidden in the silhouette for the sake of surprise. Their actual appearance is shadowy and that is part of their powers. Of course, this has surprised quite a few fans, and Oda will surely touch on it again in the future.
Oda confirms that Imu's true form is the shadow figure itself
IN One Piece chapter 1165, Eiichiro Oda gave fans a proper fight between Domi Reversi Rocks, and the team of Roger and Garp. This battle was absolutely sensational and it explained many things regarding the concepts of Haki and even Immortality in the One Piece world. But most of all, it finally solved the misery of Imu's real appearance.
Allow Mu to show you a God's dominance! — Imu to Elbaf
For years, fans wondered what Imu really looked like. Oda is known for using silhouettes to hide characters until it's officially time to fully reveal them. Most fans assumed that was the case with Imu as well. However, it seems that Imu is not just being hidden with a silhouette of Oda.
The action appearance of Imu is like a shadowy black monsterand this was directly confirmed in One Piece Chapter 1165. Just before that, Imu took control of Saturn's body in the God Valley and they then continued with 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 that Imus' true appearance is actually that of a shadowy monster.
Roger and Garp confirm Imus' true appearance
During the battle against the Domi Reversi Rocks, Roger and Garp spoke specifically about Imu. Roger clearly told Garp that the shadowy figure from earlier belonged to the World Governmentand that despite that they claim to be the good guys. To that, Garp responded 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 is in Roger's own words. Roger himself saw Imu as a lump of shadow, and so did Garp. In other words, Imu is not just a silhouette, but actually a shadowy monster. He is darkness itself and his powers manifest as pitch black shadows, for some reason. Imu's character design is not hidden by Oda. In fact, it has been clear since day 1.
Imu's true form will be revealed in the final saga
Of course, Imu wasn't born a shadowy blob. Instead, Imu either gained this power or was somehow cursed with it. Either way, fans will soon see Imu's true form. Oda is sure to give fans a good look at Imu's real self. If it is a Devil Fruit ability, their true selves will be revealed when Blackbeard nullifies their power. If it's a curse, the Imu will certainly do anything they can to break free, and at some point probably succeed.
Eiichiro Oda's One Piece will be on hiatus next week. One Piece Chapter 1166 is 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
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October 20, 1999
- Network
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Fuji TV
- Directors
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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 Ma Shihi Endo, Toshihiro Ma Shihi Endo, Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
- Author
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Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda
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Mayumi Tanaka
Monkey D. Luffy (voice)
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Kazuya Nakai
Roronoa Zoro (voice)
