Secret No More—In ‘One Piece’, Imu Is The Final Boss
If One Piece, the most successful manga/anime property in the history of the world, is drawing to a close, at least it’ll go out with a bang.
Netflix Tudum 2025 generated a lot of buzz among fans of writer-artist Eiichiro Oda’s long-running manga (and its anime and live-action versions) One Piece, largely for the introduction of actress Mikaela Hoover (How I Met Your Mother, Guardians of the Galaxy, and playing Cat Grant in James Gunn’s eagerly awaited Superman) as Tony Tony Chopper, the reindeer doctor also known as “Cotton Candy Lover.” But among the enormous and devoted One Piece fan base, even that bit of news might be overshadowed by Oda’s revelation of the final boss of the series—none other than Imu, the mysterious, red-eyed leader of the World Government!
Since its launch as a manga in 1997, One Piece has shattered every kind of record. It’s the bestselling manga series in history, not just overall but in various markets, including the United States, France, and, of course, Japan. It’s been adapted into both a popular anime series and as the live-action series on TV, as well as a streaming online series and standalone feature films.
Other merchandise based on One Piece over the years includes video games, soundtrack albums, light novels, trading-card games, theme-park attractions, and even an ice show featuring world-champion skaters. It has made fortunes for Japanese publisher Shueisha Inc., American publisher Viz Media, British publisher Gollancz Manga, Toei Animation, Tomorrow Studios, and many other companies (as well as for Oda himself).
Through it all, the Blue Planet—home of, among many others, Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates—has been governed by the shadowy World Government. Although nominally run by the Five Elders, the real head of the corrupt, tyrannical World Government has always been Imu.
The Final Saga has to showcase the final boss.
One Piece fans have been waiting for a confrontation between these two main characters—probably the strongest two characters in the long history of the series—and now that the Final Saga is underway, every indication is that it will happen. Luffy is one of the strongest characters in One Piece, and he’s currently on Elbaf. But now, Imu has turned up there as well.
One Piece Chapter 1150 revealed that Imu is a true demon, and that their Devil Fruit is stronger than any other we’ve seen so far. They have been shown using magic, which has hitherto been unknown as a force in One Piece. And Imu is the user of the Power of Evil, allowing them to turn Dorry and Brogy, both strong Giants, into their devoted minions, doing Imu’s bidding. They also increased the strength of Dorry and Brogy and made them immortal.
All of these powerful forces lined up against Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates will make for a devastating battle, no matter who comes out on top. Fans may want Luffy D. Monkey to emerge victorious…but Eiichiro Oda is a master of surprising twists, so nothing’s guaranteed.
One Piece Chapter 1151 will be available to U.S. fans on June 8, after which Oda will take a brief break.
