Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece has been coming to an end for the last decade. The mangaka has previously offered several deadlines, all of which have passed. That said, the start of the Final Saga was the first main sign that One Piece was concluding. Imu, the series’ overarching villain, has been a significant presence in the ongoing Elbaph arc, including the God Valley Incident flashback. One Piece Chapter 1179, released on April 6, 2026, finally revealed what the antagonist actually looks like.
Although the Straw Hats are nowhere near their final goals, Imu’s revelation officially confirmed that One Piece has reached its endgame. Depicted as a shadow with strange features and even stranger powers, Imu presents one of the biggest obstacles to the titular treasure. At this point, fans are wondering how the Straw Hats and their allies could even hope to defeat the arguably strongest character in One Piece.
Eiichiro Oda Has Finally Fully Unveiled Imu as One Piece’s Endgame Villain
Imu was introduced in Chapter 906, released in 2018, as a mysterious figure observing a gigantic Straw Hat in the depths of the Holy Land Mary Geoise. Fans eventually realized this new character’s immense authority and potential, which seated Imu on the Empty Throne of the World Government.
When Sabo infiltrated Mary Geoise and discovered Imu, he relayed this information to Emporio Ivankov, who suspected a connection between the villain and Saint Nerona Imu, one of the First Twenty founders of the World Government. Many fans agreed with Ivankov’s theory, which was confirmed in Chapter 1179.
Between Chapters 906 and 1179, however, Imu grew to become the most dangerous character in One Piece — arguably the story’s main villain and Luffy’s final boss, so to speak. The Egghead Arc briefly showcased Imu, highlighting his reaction to Joy Boy’s Haki knot, but the subsequent Elbaph arc has been packed with Imu moments.
The God Valley Incident proved Imu’s indestructibility, even after suffering damage from six of the strongest attacks in One Piece, cementing him as a powerhouse beyond imagination. A similar level of invulnerability was displayed when Imu seized Gunko’s body during the Elbaph arc, using his unique power of Domi Reversi for the first time. Giants across the Warland Kingdom were turned to devils by Imu, a fate that Xebec also encountered on God Valley.
Unlike Rocks D. Xebec, however, Dorry and Brogy discovered a shockingly effective cure for Domi Reversi: killing the converted would simply resurrect them as normal. At the same time, both Luffy and Loki brushed off these otherwise unstoppable conversion powers, with Loki’s Niflheim freezing Imu and Gunko solid in a block of ice. This forced Imu’s detachment from Gunko and retreat to Mary Geoise, which brings us to One Piece Chapter 1179.
One Piece Chapter 1179 Finally Gave Imu a Face After 8 Long Years
Imu’s face revealed in One Piece Chapter 1179Image via Shueisha
Immediately after arriving in Pangaea Castle, Imu decided to return to the Elbaph battlefield. This prompted the Five Elders to protest, with the suspicious exception of Figarland Garling, but Imu reminded them that “all of this began long ago.” Imu’s rumination on characters like Roger, Shirahoshi, Shanks, Loki, Luffy, Blackbeard, Joy Boy, and Davy Jones paints them as central players in whatever game is being played, and it seems as though the endgame has begun.
Imu teleports to Aurust Castle in Elbaph, using an Abyss magic circle that floods the island with Conqueror’s Haki. In a bizarre twist on Big Mom’s soul-making ability, Imu’s arrival is marked by trees and houses devilishly springing to life. There’s also a song that plays in the background, one that needs the anime to make it clear, but the onomatopoeic renderings feel ominous.
Interestingly, Imu’s true form isn’t revealed by the final bolt of black lightning — on the contrary, the shadowy form looks exhausted and deprived of vitality. The next transformation shows the black shadow scream and sprout a pair of wings, and suddenly, Imu materializes atop a spire on Aurust Castle.
CBR Exclusive · One Piece Quiz WHICH ONE PIECE LEGEND ARE YOU? Set sail — Quiz sequence initiated ⚓ The Grand Line stretches endlessly before you. Across its treacherous waters, legends are born — forged in Devil Fruit power, unbreakable will, and the fierce loyalty of a crew that would sail into any storm. Twenty questions. One legendary result. Your adventure begins now. 🌊
🍖Luffy
⚔️Zoro
🗺️Nami
📖Robin
🍳Sanji
01
The Going Merry is ready to leave port. What’s your first move? 🚢 How you set sail says everything about who you are at sea.
02
A Marine warship is blocking your route. You: 🏴☠️ Crisis response reveals your true pirate nature.
03
You find a Devil Fruit on the table. What do you hope it is? 🍈 The fruit you crave is the power you were always meant to have.
04
What is your one, unshakeable dream? 🌟 Every great pirate sails for something deeper than treasure.
05
The Thousand Sunny docks at a new island. First stop? 🏝️ What you do first in port reveals your deepest priorities.
06
Your greatest weapon aboard the ship? ✨ Every Straw Hat has one thing that makes them irreplaceable.
07
What’s your natural role when things get tense? 🪝 The pressure moment is where your true function reveals itself.
08
Honest confession — what is actually your biggest flaw? 😬 Even the greatest pirates have one thing they’re still working on.
09
A crewmate is in serious danger. You: 💪 How you protect the people you sail with is who you truly are.
10
Halfway across the Grand Line. What keeps you going? 🌟 Not the crew’s reason. Yours. The private one.
11
You lost the fight. The crew is watching. Now what? 😳 How you rise after falling is what separates legends from passengers.
12
Your bounty poster just went up. What’s on it? 💰 The World Government describes you the way your enemies see you.
13
Free day on a peaceful island. What actually happens? 🌴 How you rest is a window into what drives you when no one’s watching.
14
What does your crew actually say about you behind your back? 📋 The people who sail with you see the version you can’t.
15
Which Haki do you feel most aligned with? 🔮 The Haki you master reflects the deepest truth of who you are.
16
What does it truly mean to you to be a pirate? 🌊 Not Garp’s definition. Not the Marines’. Yours.
17
In a hundred years, what will they say about you? 🎬 The Void Century has room for one more name. What does yours mean?
18
A Warlord of the Sea is blocking the path forward. You: 👀 Warlords don’t intimidate legends. They reveal them.
19
The crew celebrates a big victory. Your contribution? 🎉 How you celebrate says as much as how you fight.
20
You reach Laugh Tale. The One Piece is real. What do you do? 🔥 Twenty questions. One truth. No turning back now.
⚓ The Grand Line has made its judgement ⚓ YOUR ONE PIECE LEGEND
Your scores are revealed below! The character with the highest number is your One Piece counterpart. Read their profile to discover your true pirate destiny. 🌊
🍖 Luffy
⚔️ Zoro
🗺️ Nami
📖 Robin
🍳 Sanji
You don’t understand the word impossible — not because you’re naive, but because you genuinely never accepted that it applied to you. You charge into every situation with the full force of your personality, your body, and your heart, and somehow the universe rearranges itself to accommodate you. You don’t lead through command; you lead through being so completely, recklessly yourself that everyone around you becomes a better version of who they were. You eat too much, feel too loudly, and care too deeply. The world calls it recklessness. Your crew calls it home. 🍖
You have made exactly one promise and you have organised your entire existence around keeping it. Stoic to a fault, terrifying in combat, and somehow always facing the wrong direction — you are the immovable foundation that the whole crew leans against when everything else shakes. You don’t ask for recognition. You don’t need it. The work is its own reward. The sword is the path and the path is the sword. You will lose a thousand times before you reach the top, and you will get back up every single time. That is not stubbornness. That is who you are. ⚔️
You are sharper than anyone in the room and you know it — but you also know exactly when not to show it. Pragmatic, resourceful, and carrying more than you ever show on your face, you are the reason the ship reaches anywhere at all. Every route was planned by you. Every impossible weather reading, every near-catastrophe avoided — that was you. The world tried to take everything from you once, and you built something extraordinary out of the wreckage. You love the people you’ve chosen fiercely, quietly, and without much ceremony. The map isn’t finished. You’ll get there. 🗺️
You spent so long being hunted for what you know that you forgot — briefly, painfully — that you were also worth loving for who you are. You carry the weight of erased history in your memory and the quiet certainty of someone who has survived what should have been unsurvivable. Calm where others panic, perceptive where others miss everything, and in possession of a dark humour that still catches people off guard. You don’t trust easily, and when you do, it is the most complete and devastating loyalty imaginable. You want to know the truth. You deserve to live to read it. 📖
You have principles carved so deep they function like a skeleton — invisible, structural, and the thing holding everything else upright. You cook for people because food is love expressed at its most honest. You fight for the crew because protecting them is the most natural thing in the world. You are elegant, occasionally absurd, capable of extraordinary tenderness and absolutely terrifying combat in the same five-minute span. You came from darkness and chose light so deliberately and so completely that it became your defining act. The sea called and you answered. All Blue is out there. You’ll find it. 🍳
While Imu’s shadow version appears generally formless, the “normal” form looks humanoid. Bearing flowing white hair and somewhat dark skin, a reflection of the Lunarian race that King belongs to, Imu is immediately distinguished by his devilish features. A pair of horns pairs thematically with his emo-esque black nails, and there are tattooed symbols running circuits across his body. There also seems to be a bladed weapon held in place by his extremely long and satanic tail.
Perhaps the most predictable thing about Imu’s facial appearance is the androgyny, with flame-red eyes glowing between stylized eyelashes. The presence of black flames around Imu’s head is a sign of Devil Fruit Awakening, but these fiery clouds also have Imu-like eyes on them. In any case, it’s effectively confirmed that Imu’s Devil Fruit — known only as Akuma no Mi or Devil’s Fruit — comes with a range of quixotic powers, including Abyss, the three Covenants, Domi Reversi, and immortality.
One Piece Is Building Imu Up as the Endgame Boss
Imu has never revealed his true form before, and there might be actual reasons for that. The hesitation of the Five Elders and Imu coughing up blood indicate that the villain may not be able to use this form for too long. And it’s just as well, because the Straw Hats are woefully underprepared for the fight likely to commence in Chapter 1180.
Imu’s decision to employ a humanoid form might suggest that it’s better-suited to combat. And that’s saying something considering that Imu’s shadow form casually survived simultaneous attacks from Whitebeard, Big Mom, Garp, Kaido, Roger, and Rocks. On the other hand, some fans believe that Chapter 1179 only revealed one of Imu’s multiple forms, arguing that this one could be a hybrid. All signs point to Imu gearing up for battle, and his targets are going to be Prince Loki and Monkey D. Luffy.
Imu recently noted the threats posed by Luffy and Loki, the incarnations of Nika and Nidhöggr, respectively. Nika can control cartoon physics, while the Nidhöggr Devil Fruit allows Loki to transform into a Norse-themed, mountain-sized dragon the color of night itself. Oda used every drop of ink to saturate Loki’s beast form in an overwhelming darkness that feels as mythic as the Sun God’s unhinged delight. Further, it’s strongly implied that Luffy and Loki’s Devil Fruits were somehow connected to their resistance to Imu’s Domi Reversi.
Even an Emperor of the Sea would stand zero chance against this pair — unfortunately, Imu is on a whole new level. Perhaps Luffy and Loki just need to bide their time until Imu is forced to return to Mary Geoise. Whatever fight happens could also be cut short, saving the juiciest exposition dumps and power displays for a more ‘final’ battle down the line. Besides, there are literally dozens of character arcs that need closure before Imu can go all out.
The One Piece isn’t near anyone’s reach at this juncture, and the Straw Hats haven’t even found the fourth Road Poneglyph that points the way to Laugh Tale. Imu’s exact role remains unclear despite his revelation, although fans expect a lot more lore in the coming chapters. Imu may have stepped into the light of One Piece‘s endgame, but the path to defeating him remains as mysterious and shadowy as ever.
