The supreme leader of the World Government in One Piece, Imu, has been shrouded in mystery ever since they were introduced during the Reverie arc. Not only do they sit on the empty throne, but they also most likely command the Ancient Weapon that was used to destroy the Lulusia Kingdom. However, even after so many years, not much is known about them.
Not only has Eiichiro Oda kept their physical appearance a mystery, but even their past is yet to be revealed to the One Piede fans. But as the series is covering more grounds, pieces of information about Imu’s character are slowly being hinted at in the story. But there are still a lot of aspects that are yet to be revealed about Imu.
One such aspect is Imu’s gender. While the story has hinted that Imu is a male, it has not been officially confirmed. One Piece fans have long debated Imu’s gender, but there is a chance that the particular topic of discussion might be a trick planted by Eiichiro Oda with the help of Trafalgar D. Law’s Devil Fruit.
The Discourse About Imu’s Gender
Imu is currently the strongest power in the One Piece universe. With the military of the Navy and the World Government, the power of an Ancient Weapon, and the backing of the Five Elders, Imu’s strength far exceeds that of anyone else in the entire world. They are literally called the rulers of the world.
Ever since Imu’s character was introduced in One Piece, only a silhouette of the supreme leader has been shown to the One Piece fans. Not even the voice of the enigmatic figure has been revealed to the fans. Thus, this lack of evidence about the One Piece villain has made fans question whether Imu is a male or a female.
While some fans believe that Imu is a female character because of their silhouette, others have been persuaded by Ivankov’s comment and Vegapunk’s suggestion about Imu being a male. However, fans have yet to receive an official confirmation from Eiichiro Oda.
Imu’s Gender is a Trick Played by Eiichiro Oda
Although Eiichiro Oda has never specifically talked about Imu’s gender, there is a big possibility that the discourse between One Piece fans about Imu’s gender was actually planted by the mangaka to hint at an interesting aspect of the character. This aspect is related to Trafalgar D. Law’s Devil Fruit, the Op-Op Fruit, which was most likely used by Imu to gain immortality.
As fans know, just like the Five Elders, Imu is also immortal. And the only way for a character to gain immortality in One Piece is with the help of Perennial Youth Surgery, which only an Op-Op Devil Fruit user can perform. However, the mysterious Devil Fruit also has an additional ability called Personality Swap that allows the user to swap the personality between two characters.
There is a strong chance that Imu swapped their personalities with Nefertari D. Lili’s to gain control of her body. Imu has been terrifyingly obsessed with Lili since the beginning of the series, and thus, their swapping bodies would not come as a shock to One Piece fans. Plus, it would also work as a great plot point for both characters.
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