Fans Think Oda Just Leaked Imu’s Fate in This Behind-the-Scenes Photo

Ever since Imu was first shown during the Reverie story arc, fans have been scrambling to get any bits of information they can to shed some light on the villain’s true identity, considering barely anything is known about them. While it’s clear that this individual is supremely powerful, especially considering even the Gorosei follow their every command without second thought, Oda has only been willing to drop small tidbits of info regarding his ultimate goals and affiliations, but there have also been some interesting hints that have been shown outside the main One Piece story, too.

Anyone who has read or watched One Piece will know that Oda loves hiding massive story clues in plain sight, and it seems as though he’s done this yet again with a few behind-the-scenes photos featuring none other than Imu himself. In fact, this could even spell out how Imu will be taken out of the story, and while all this might sound a little ridiculous at first, considering Imu hasn’t even been in a fight yet, it does start to make sense when putting the pieces together.

Imu’s Behind-The-Scenes Photo Shoot

Imu Was Given A Rare Backstage Look At Where The Magic Happens

The ever-mysterious Imu has been spotted snooping around Oda’s personal office, all while still managing to remain completely obscured thanks to his pitch-black outfit, which has become synonymous with the character’s design. It’s honestly pretty hilarious seeing such a serious and terrifying figure interacting with all the weird and wacky gizmos and decorations that Oda has plastered all around his walls.

At the same time though, it also provides a fascinating glimpse into where the magic truly happens, even though Oda made sure not to give too much way with this handful of shots. While the first image shows Imu chilling next to a light blue guitar, the second provides a better look at where Oda actually produces the One Piece manga, which even includes a little phone stand which he presumably uses when playing music while drawing.

While it would be easy to assume that these pictures are simply showcasing Oda having some fun with his brand-new Imu plushie, the behind-the-scenes images didn’t stop there. Oda would end up taking two more snapshots of the ultimate villain, but this time, there were a lot more details in the background for fans to pick up on, which some theorise might be hinting towards Imu’s eventual death in the series.

Imu’s Fate Lies With The Sea Kings?

Oda Could Be Hinting About How Imu Will Be Taken Out

It’s truly a joy for any One Piece fan to gaze their eyes upon Oda’s workstation. As would be expected, his desk is packed full of clutter and mess, which honestly makes sense considering how many ideas for the story he must be coming up with every time he’s working. As a result, it can be easy to get carried away with all the panels that are lying around and the character designs that can be seen scattered across the desk, but eagle-eyed fans spot something a little more sinister in the background.

In the first image, there is a giant obscure Japanese book on Oda’s shelf, which is centered on fish. One could argue that Oda is simply using this to get some references on how to draw his fish for a specific story arc, but considering he’s been drawing the Sea Kings and Fishmen since the very beginning, there is still a chance it could have been placed there for a more important reason. This, by itself, may not seem all that convincing, but it’s the second image that has really gotten people talking.

Imu emerging out of the mouth of a giant shark is not something any One Piece fan probably ever expected to see, but it does continue this trend of fish popping when Imu is taking center stage. On the one hand, it could just be Oda flexing his creative muscles by putting Imu in a precarious position, but the reason these images have sparked speculation is because it is actually completely plausible that Imu could be defeated by fish, and more specifically, the Sea Kings at some point in the future of the story.

Will The Sea Kings Kill Imu?

The Power Of Poseidon Might Be Too Much For Imu To Handle

It’s long been established that the Sea Kings are some of the most ferocious animals in the world of One Piece, but it’s important to remember that there is a character who is able to control them. As the Ancient Weapon known as Poseidon, Shirahoshi, the Princess of Fishman Island, possesses the ability to command the Sea Kings to attack any target she identifies as an enemy. This was actually demonstrated in the Fishman Island arc when she was able to stop the Noah from crashing into the island by calling on the help of her new aquatic companions.

However, she is still very young and naive, so mastering this ability will probably take her quite a while. In terms of whether these dangerous beasts can take down Imu, it’s difficult to say right now, primarily because his abilities in combat aren’t fully known, and while Imu is still known to be immensely powerful, it would be hard for even Luffy to take on an army of Sea Kings all at once.

Therefore, this fun and carefree photo shoot might actually be calling back to the Sea Kings, and more specifically, Shirahoshi, who is most definitely going to play a big part in the Final Saga. For now, it’s the only hint fans have as to how Imu will eventually meet his end, but whether this is simply a long-shot theory or a massive reveal that is being spelled out to fans in plain sight, only time will tell.

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One Piece

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

Writers

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)