Eiichiro Oda’s “One Piece” has been running for nearly three decades, but one of the grandest stories ever told might finally be reaching its climax.
While the live-action series on Netflix and the anime are pulling in new viewers left and right, the canonical story in the pages of the weekly manga has only gotten more fanfare as the weeks have gone on.
In the recent chapters, the ruler of the evil World government, Imu, has been battling with Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates in proxy battles.
But after being introduced eight years ago as a dark silhouette wearing a robe with striking eyes, Imu is finally revealed in the next chapter of the story.
Fans have been speculating about Imu’s identity for ages, with theories ranging from the main antagonist being a woman to the perceived final boss of “One Piece” being a living shadow.
That all changes in chapter 1179, however, as the story continues to speed towards what could be a climax.
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Spoilers ahead.
Imu’s identity was first leaked by “One Piece” news breaker and spoilers maestro “pewpiece” on social media earlier this week.
“Imu appears to be male, with handsome features,” he wrote. “Black clouds surround him. He has long horns similar to Kaido and the ancient giants, but they curve twice, forming the letter ‘S.’ He is not wearing any upper clothing, but he has a cape with a logo, though only half of it is visible. His skin is tanned, similar to a Lunarian king. He also has a devil-like tail, the same one seen piercing Sabo.
“He has white circular tattoos across his body, including an eye tattoo on his right hand. There is also a tattoo on the left side of his face. He possesses the same black Hagoromo clouds seen in awakened Zoan users like Lucci and the Five Elders. However, instead of swirly patterns, his clouds have eyes, similar to those of a biblically accurate ophanim often depicted online.”
While this post brought forth dozens (maybe even hundreds) of people creating their own AI-generated images of Imu to trick people into believing he looks like, ironically, his face was revealed on social media on April Fool’s Day.
An early edition of “Weekly Shōnen Jump” was acquired in Japan by a fan, who then uploaded pictures of the highly anticipated chapter online.
Numerous accounts have now circulated the leaked photos, as the hype for the official chapter is reaching record highs not only in Japan but across the globe.
The official chapter will be released by VIZ on Sunday.
