One Piece Debuts Imu's Voice With a Surprising Casting Update

One Piece has finally brought Imu to life in the anime.

By Megan Peters

One Piece is back with a new episode, and its latest outing has put a rather mysterious figure center stage. It has been quite some time since Mary Geoise went down and brought fans face to face with Imu. The figurehead has only been seen in shadow, and despite their control of the World Government, Imu has been silent since the day he appeared. Now, that has all changed thanks to the anime as Imu has spoken, and the ruler is nothing short of terrifying.

The whole thing went down this weekend as One Piece continues its exploration of the Egghead Island arc. One of the Five Elders has set their sight on the island with the Marines. However, before Saturn heads out, we are shown a flashback that explains how the order went down. The scene in question shows Imu speak, and they say a single world: "Lily".

Who in the World Is Imu?

Listening to the voice, it is impossible to tell whether Imu is a man or woman. The performance is nuanced to the point of uncertainty. Many fans of One Piece were hoping to learn Imu's gender once the anime brought their voice to life. However, the team at Toei Animation was a step ahead of the community. Imu doesn't sound masculine or feminine; They just sound eerie.

And no, the casting for One Piece doesn't help narrow down anything. That is because the anime has not revealed the person who is voicing Imu. The credits list "???" as the character's actor which is a first for the series. One Piece is doing the absolute most to keep details about Imu a secret, and fans are as hyped about the dedication as they are disappointed. Oda has big plans in the works for Imu, and they aren't the kind of person to let the anime give away any of their endgame secrets. 

Why Does Imu's Identity Matter So Much?

After all, Imu is relatively new character to the One Piece lore, and their impact is already massive. This person sits atop the World Government on a throne that the public believes has been empty for centuries. Behind the Celestial Dragons and the Five Elders, we have Imu pulling the strings, and we have no idea what their goal is. Heck, we don't even know what they look like.

The manga has established Imu as a clear threat, and fans are already obsessing over theories about the ruler. Some are convinced Imu is tied to the Nefertari family while others believe Imu may be a spirit. What we do know is that Imu has full knowledge of what happened during the Void Century, and they do not want that info going public. Dr. Vegapunk has already made moves to release those details to the world, and the Straw Hat crew will undoubtedly follow streak. We've only just begun to learn what Imu is about, and as One Piece continues with its final saga, we will learn even more about the mysterious figure.

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If you want to breakdown the voice of Imu for yourself, you can find One Piece streaming on Crunchyroll as well as Hulu and Netflix. Oda's manga is also easy to find online through Viz Media's Shonen Jump app. 

What do you think about this One Piece debut? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on X (Twitter) and Instagram.

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