Powers & Abilities So Imu's power is...

[LokiDragon]

So Imu's power is... To turn things evil?

With Domi reversi for people and the regular aura for houses, trees and shit. .

 

[matt245]

His powers so far really look like that Moon Knight meme;
Random bullshit, go!

 

[nik87]

I think all we saw so far could have been not Imu's own powers but the powers channeled from national treasure of MJ...

 

[MonochromeYoru]

his power is the devil's devil fruit

can prolly use other df powers by copying them or something

 

[OykotsTreasure]

Imu has many powers.

Seriously, there could be multiple factors at play here.




I do still believe that "Symbol Magic" could be a factor here. There could be a Third Power System at play that explains some of this. All the magic symbols and summoning circles could be a part of another power system, lost to time. Note that Imu has a "evil eye" symbol on his hand, which is VERY similar to the eye symbols on Madame Shyarly's hoodie or the Mary's "all-seeing eye" paper charms over their faces. Plus, there's all the eyes on his flaming "Awakening Ribbon".
https://worstgen.alwaysdata.net/forum/threads/imu-still-may-not-be-the-sea-god.76012/#post-6482582

Now, this, I think, is Oda setting up a Third Power System. To go along with Devil Fruits and Haki.

Because, most of these characters have something in common. They all seem to be using "Symbol Magic".

As we've seen lately, Imu and God's Knights are using the Abyss Marks and Contracts to gain powers and abilities.

Miss Goldenweek's Color Trap involves painting a symbol on their opponent, with different colors having different effects.

On Wano, the Marys use their All-Seeing-Eye face charms in order to form a sort of hive mind together.

Madame Shyarly, if you look VERY closely, has a BUNCH of Eye (or Sun) symbols all over the inside of her hoodie. Which could at least be used to amplify her natural precognitive powers.

Even Estrid's Earth-Wind Arts, which is basically Feng Shui, could be a type of "Symbol Magic". Rearranging furniture and the objects to form different patterns in the environment in your home. Basically, forming a pattern on the ground that didn't exist before.

As for Faust? Um...I guess he has that Cross that he wears? Maybe that's his "Symbol Magic"? (Although, if that is so, I guess that could mean Mihawk is also using "Symbol Magic"?)

In my mind, "Symbol Magic" would be the power of the mind and knowledge. You would need to know how to use it and study it in order to use it properly. Basically, it's alchemy. It would basically be like learning how to code a computer program, but you're learning how to "reprogram" reality. In contrast to Devil Fruits which are the power of dreams and the soul. And Haki which would be the power of willpower and the body. Completing a trinity of mind, body, and soul. I think this Third "Symbol Magic" System could explain all the unexplained instances of "real magic" in the One Piece World. Maybe it's all part of the Abyss, or maybe the Abyss is only a small part of the larger "Symbol Magic" system, but either way, I suspect something's up.

I do think Oda's setting up something with "Symbol Magic". It's appeared often enough in the background that I'm pretty sure it's going to be a real thing in the actual story. But, who knows? I could be completely off base with this.

Imu might be suppressing a Demon King like Tot Musica with that Symbol Magic. Tapping into the Demon King's power in order to siphon off some of it's energy and keep it "asleep" at the core of the planet.
https://worstgen.alwaysdata.net/forum/threads/imu-might-not-be-human.74236/page-4#post-6411326

Now, this wouldn't explain everything about Imu. Because the Abyss powers do seem pretty Devil-coded. But, that could be because they're connected more to a Demon King like Tot Musica from Film Red, that could exist. Or maybe they're just completely unrelated. Because, we have seen other examples of "Symbol Magic" like the Abyss Marks in other places in One Piece. The all-seeing eye charms of the Marys on Wano. Miss Goldenweek's Color Trap paint powers. So, the Abyss powers could just be another power system we really haven't explored yet. Or perhaps, Imu really is taping into the power of a real "Devil". It's just that the real "Devil" of One Piece is a mass of sentient "dream energy" like Tot Musica the Demon King from Film Red.

And the people who created that Demon King may be the Dragons imprisoned within the frozen core of the planet. The Dragons, yearning for revenge, may have given birth to a Demon King that wishes to kill everyone as revenge for their people being hunted by the Humans.

Imu would then be channeling the Demon King's power in order to keep them asleep. Draining off parts of it's power in order to keep it weak and keeping it from fully reawakening and destroying the world. Using it's power, so it can't fully recover it's strength.

More on all that over here, if you want to read more:
https://worstgen.alwaysdata.net/for...message-will-be-the-dragons-are-coming.55673/

https://worstgen.alwaysdata.net/for...n-the-gates-to-tar-d-eris.79996/#post-6630647

I don't think Imu's the villain in all this. Imu is not Orochi. I think Imu is basically sacrificing themselves in order to lock the power of this Demon King away.

Imu isn't "corrupting" those under their Contracts on purpose. What Imu might be doing is trying to split the power of this Demon King among as many people as possible, in order to use up as much of it's power and strength as possible. So that it doesn't reawaken and destroy the world. Without the dark power fully corrupting those that possess it, so that they can still retain some shred of who they used to be.

The side effect of this is that being exposed to the Demon King is changing everyone's personalities. People with formerly good intentions and having their worst qualities magnified by being exposed to the Demon King's power. As we saw with Herald. Herald wasn't "possessed" per se. He just became the worst version of himself. Consumed by a desire for destruction. The Demon King is what desires destruction, not those who are using it's power.

Imu isn't a villain. Imu is a fallen hero. Imu is trying to save the world. Admittedly, by maintaining the status quo, which is the wrong choice. I'm not saying Imu is perfect. But, I think Imu does have ultimately good intentions. They've just been corrupted and compromised over time. Imu is trying to save the world by "Completing Mu's World". "Sealing all the cracks in the foundation", as it were, but still keeping the same "building" standing.

What the D-Clan/Nika/Luffy side of things are likely trying to do, is something that will change the status quo. But, doing that will risk the lives of everyone on the planet. Imu is trying to do this the "safe" way. And "safe" just isn't cutting it, anymore. Luffy is probably going to do something REALLY dumb, that risks everyone's lives. It'll be the right thing to do. But, it'll be the riskier option than what Imu's been doing so far. Luffy isn't going to "save the building", he's going to knock that building down, so they can build a new building instead.

Because Imu likely is a "coward". But, not necessarily a evil coward. I think Imu's more like Momo or Shirahoshi's early characterization, before Luffy helped them grow. Kind of a crybaby. It's just that Imu either never had their own "Luffy". Or maybe Imu's "Luffy" was Joyboy...and things went badly between them. Oda's been repeating that style of character growth a few different times now, and I think we'll see it pay off with Imu.

Also, the source of all this is may not necessarily a new "Demon Race". But, perhaps, a "Dragon Race". "Demonic" or "Draconic", they're pretty closely related. They both have horns and wings and tails, so I could see Oda connecting the two. The "Demonic Shadows" that we're seeing may just be the the "psychic echoes" of the Dragon race, locked up in the Underworld. This is probably going to end with another "prison break" story like with Impel Down. But, instead of just a regular prison, the "prison" is the entire planet! But, that's just MY pet theory.

Plus, if Imu has the Akuma Fruit, that could mean this "human" form isn't actually Imu's actual true form. What if the Human form is because of the human-like Akuma Fruit, and not the other way around? What if Imu is actually a Dragon that can transform themselves into a human-like Devil? Imu's original "base" form may have some abilities of it's own, without even factoring in the Devil Fruit.
https://worstgen.alwaysdata.net/forum/threads/imu-might-not-be-human.74236/page-4#post-6411326

We saw back in Chapter 1085, that Imu seems to have some sort of "Dragon-like" form. Sort of like the other "Yokai" forms that the Gorosei have.

And I think it's pretty likely that Imu has one of the God Fruits. It's debatable which one it is. Personally, I think the Forest God Fruit is the most likely. Imu lives on Mariejois, which is on top of the Sunlight Tree Eve. Imu spends a lot of time in the Flower Garden. In the Chapter 1138 Mural, we learn that the Forest God was the one who "sent forth Devils", which sounds a lot like Imu's Abyss and Domi Reversi powers. But, that's not really the important part.

The important part is, that the God Fruits are likely all technically different "Human" Fruits. We know the Nika Fruit at least is a "Human" type Fruit. I think it's pretty likely that the other 3 God Fruits are likely also Human Fruits. And we've seen with Chopper, ANYTHING can eat a Human Fruit.

So, here's a idea. What if Imu isn't a human who ate a Devil Fruit that allows them to change into a dragon?

What if Imu is actually a dragon who ate a God Fruit that gives them a human form?

Imu could be a dragon with a human zoan hybrid form.

We know that Dragons existed at one time in this world. Ryuma's one shot Monsters from the Wanted anthology is technically canon. So, real dragons did exist at one point on this world. Imu may be the last dragon left on this world. Or maybe the original "mixed race" result of a Human and Dragon having children. Something along those lines.

Which would mean, what Imu is doing when they Domi Reversi someone isn't turning them into a Devil. It's awakening the Dragon blood that's sleeping inside them. All people with Giant heritage may originally have been the result of mixed breeding between Humans and Dragons. What the Reversi is doing is "Calling them back home" to their original heritage. Tails, wings, and horns are just as common characteristics for Dragons as they are for Devils, after all. And Dragons do have some mythological connections to Devils in the first place. So, there is a bit of overlap, thematically.

Even this latest chapter. Rocks smacks Kaido in his Dragon form down. A "copy" of a Dragon via a Devil Fruit is no match for a "true" Dragon reawakened via Domi Reversi.

Even some of Imu's actions kind of make sense for a dragon. Imu likes to spend most of their day alone in a "cave". They sit atop a pile of stolen treasure, like the Giant Strawhat. Imu seems to have a thing for princesses, like Lili, and dragons do enjoy a good princess kidnapping every once in a while. It's broad strokes stuff, but it's there if you squint.

So, Imu would be called a "beast", because Imu actually isn't human. And dragons were likely treated like monsters and second-class citizens, back when more of them were around. Hunted to the point of extinction.

Plus, there's the board-game inspired powers, which are probably a part of the Akuma Fruit. "Domi Reversi" is a direct reference to the board game Othello. And some of the other powers are similar to games like Clue and Tag. There seems to be a theme of all the "Gods" being about "Playing God"
https://worstgen.alwaysdata.net/for...requires-a-magic-go-board.74320/#post-6413691

That's not actually Go. That's a game literally called Reversi. Also known as Othello.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversi

This power is also pretty similar to another classic children's game. Onigokko, also known as Kagome Kagome. It's basically "tag", but those who get tagged also become "oni" and hunt down the others. I think this is the best fit for what Imu's doing. There's even a song. And it'd be interesting for Imu to have a song of their own to oppose Nika's Drums of Liberation.
https://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2012/10/onigokko-lets-pretend-we-are-demons.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kagome_Kagome

Also, Imu summoning various weapons, like the dagger and the gun? That COULD be a reference to the board game Clue, also known as Cluedo. With the weapons Imu summons all being based on the possible murder weapons. So, Imu could also have access to a lead pipe, or some rope. (It was Imu, on Elbaph, with the revolver!)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluedo

The book? That could be a classic Monster Manual from Dungeons and Dragons, or something.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_Manual
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_&_Dragons

If this is all right, that seems to hint that Imu's powers are "game" based. Just like how Luffy's powers are "imagination" or "cartoon" based. Which probably means Imu has one of the God Fruits. Which one is debatable. But, one of the other three.

So, Imu actually could have Go powers, too. We just haven't seen Imu use those, yet. But, Imu likely also has other "board game" based powers. Like Chess, or Monopoly, or Mouse Trap, even.

Plus, there's the "true nature" of the Akuma Fruit to consider. Because if Imu has a Devil Fruit...then what does that make the Gorosei? The Gorosei were given "Yokai" names, but they were never said to actually have Devil Fruits. If that's the case, could Imu have the power to "create" Devils in order to have them possess his followers? Imu does have the "Akuma" Fruit, after all, hinting that Imu has some connection to Devils or creating Devils. And if that's the case...that sounds suspiciously like what the Forest God did back in the Second World in the Chapter 1138 Mural. "The Forest God sent forth Devils". Plus, if you'll notice, it was only the Trees and Wooden Buildings that were singing during Imu's arrival. That seems to hint at a special connection to wood, like what the Forest God may have. So...is the Akuma Fruit actually secretly also the Forest God Fruit?




Plus, note the 3 Skulls around Imu's tail. Now, we've seen other characters use the 3-Skull Symbol before. But, Imu's probably the oldest person we've seen use it. It's possible that the 3-Skull Symbol originates with Imu. And...is it possible that those 3 Skulls actually belong to 3 out of the 4 Skypiean Gods we know about? Could Imu not only have the Forest God Fruit, but also the Earth AND Sea God Fruits, all at the same time? With only Nika having been able to escape by running away?
https://worstgen.alwaysdata.net/forum/threads/imu-still-may-not-be-the-sea-god.76012/

But, there is also another alternative here that I want to discuss. Because, so far, most people who have theorized about which God Imu could actually be have been making a big assumption. That Imu is only ONE of the 4 Gods. That the 4 Gods are completely separate characters.

Well...what if that's the wrong way to think about it?

What if this isn't a either/or option? What if Imu IS the Forest God...AND the Sea God...AND the Earth God? All at the same time?

What if Imu is actually...3 out of the 4 Gods, already? Could it be possible that Imu has actually already eaten the other 3 God Fruits, and just need's Luffy's Sun God Fruit to become the "True God" of this World? What if the God Fruits are basically like the Dragon Balls? You need to "collect" them all in order to gain their true power?

We DO know that "Mu's world is incomplete" (Chapter 1163). So...maybe Imu was talking literally. They're literally only missing 1/4th of the keys they need to become the "True God" of this world. And rule unopposed.

Take another look at the Contract Marks we've been seeing in the story. The "base" for all the Marks seems to be a circle split into 4 quadrants by two "bones". Just like how the entire World is split into 4 Seas by the Red Line and Grand Line. There seems like there's a pattern, here. A single object...split into 4 artificially. If the entire World's ocean has been split into pieces artificially, somehow...then why wouldn't the "True God" of this world ALSO be split into 4 pieces?

This would mean that Imu isn't JUST responsible for the flooding (Sea God Powers), but also the creation of Devil Fruits (Forest God Powers), and also the creation of the Red Line (Earth God Powers). Although, I'll admit there's a problem with even that line of thought. Since, the God Fruits don't actually seem to have much connection to the elements they're named after. The Sea God, Forest God, and Earth God are more likely to have the powers of collecting things, playing board-games, and making things with legos rather than the power over the sea, plants, and ground. Still...I suppose you could get both at higher level "awakenings"?

There could be a couple ways Imu could do this. Imu might have a similar ability to Blackbeard, so Imu can just eat 4 Devil Fruits because their body might be extra-special. Or maybe the 4 God Fruits don't really count as "regular" Devil Fruits, because you're basically only eating 1/4th of the "true" Fruit whenever you eat one. Either way, there are ways to make this work.

Now...a good part of me doesn't believe that Oda would actually do this. Because you'd be cutting down the potential number of characters. Oda LOVES designing new characters. It's like...his favorite part of doing this manga. So, if Oda has a chance to create 3 new characters with godlike abilities...or have 1 character with 3 different godlike abilities...Oda is probably going to choose to make 3 different God Fruit Users instead. That's usually how Oda's brain works. But...this could be a exception to the rule. And we could still get past God Fruit Users in flashbacks. So, Oda COULD still create a handful of new characters AND make Imu ultra-overpowered by having 3 out of the 4 God Fruits of this World. Oda COULD do both!

This would mean that neither Loki nor Blackbeard have either of the other God Fruits, though. And...if so...I'm not sure where that would leave Blackbeard. I guess Blackbeard could be the one to kill Imu and get their 3 God Fruits. But, that feels less interesting than Blackbeard already having one with the Darkness Fruit secretly being one like Luffy's Fruit turned out to be. Maybe there's more gods than we know about, or maybe the Darkness Fruit could be a "Demon" instead of a "God". But, it would be...odd. I'm not sure.

I don't know if I actually believe that Oda would do this. But, I do think it's a possible solution to the problem. And it would make things more exciting if Imu was already 3/4ths of the way to completing their goal. Luffy would basically be the only thing standing between Imu and total control of the planet.

Y'know what? Here's a little bonus part of the theory I forgot to mention.

In the Chapter 1138 Mural, we get repeated lines of "They will never meet again". We've been thinking that this line refers to other characters who get separated. Perhaps the God Fruit Users, or perhaps the Ancient Weapon Keepers. But, what if it's the opposite?

What if the reason that these unnamed entities "will never meet again" is because they got absorbed into each other? If they're all part of the same person, they cannot meet. So, maybe the line of "They will never meet again" is referring to Imu eating the God Fruits, one by one. The God Fruits will never be reincarnated into separate people again, because one person is eating them all.

In the First World, Imu ate the Forest and the Earth God Fruits. By the end of the Second World, Imu got their hands on the Sea God Fruit. And in the Third World, we will see Imu finally confront Luffy/the Sun God, and try to take his Fruit, completing the set.

Again, I don't know if this is likely. But, I feel like it more or less works. I feel like it's a interesting read, if nothing else.

And I'm not even going to BEGIN to speculate about what Imu's Naginata can do. We've already seen that the World Government knows how to put Devil Fruits into objects, with Funkfreed the Elephant-Sword, and Cerberus the Dog-Sword. So, it's possible that Imu's weapon also has some sort of Devil Fruit or Yokai power.



So...yeah. Imu may potentially have a LOT of tricks up their sleeve. Some of this might be just be outright wrong. But, it's possible Imu's tapped into a lot of different powers over the last 800 years. I'm interested to see just what all Imu can do, when we finally get to see them in action.

 

[Johnny B. Decent]

He is probably like Luffy in being a Paramecia turned Mythical Zoan. The Paramecia power was the Covenant stuff, presumably.