As such, it won’t be too long till the series returns to the present day and the ongoing battle against Imu. That said, even in light of everything the flashback has revealed about Imu and his devilish covenants, there are still many unanswered questions about the series’ supposed final villain, but One Piece’s latest release may have addressed the biggest one yet.
Oda’s New Sketches Reveal Imu’s True Appearance
Besides the latest chapter of One Piece, Issue #4-5, 2026 of Shonen Jump also came equipped with a bonus item, the One Piece mini magazine, which may have just revealed Imu’s true appearance. The note collection section of the mini magazine includes various rough sketches by Eiichiro Oda.
Most notable among these is a sketch of Imu, revealing more of Imu’s facial features in surprising detail, including his sharp, arched eyebrows and narrow nose. So far, all fans have seen of Imu are his distinct ringed eyes, making this quite a revelation.
Imu’s features also appear to be quite masculine, supporting the popular theory that Imu is male, as Ivankov referred to Saint Imu Nerona from the Void Century as “Imu-sei,” in Japanese, using the male version of the saint suffix.
Furthermore, it’s clear that this is indeed Imu in the sketch by the text framing it. The text on the left reads “On that fateful day, she betrayed us,” while the text in the speech bubble on the right reads, “The sin of releasing the Poneglyphs into the world.”
This is taken straight from Chapter #1085 when Imu was talking about Nefertari D. Lily to King Cobra. There has been some speculation that the sketch right below, next to Wapol, could also be Imu; however, it’s more likely that this is Kinderella, Wapol’s wife.
The text accompanying the sketch in question also supports this, reading: “Wapol, who has witnessed the tragedy of King Cobra and the darkness of the world, is dismayed. He joins Vivi on her escape and becomes embroiled in the current of the times.”
One Piece May Soon Reveal Imu in Full
Overall, despite being hyped as the final villain of the series, One Piece has yet to fully reveal Imu’s powers and appearance. These new sketches are the first time the series has given Imu any discernible features, and it could be hinting at a big reveal coming very soon.
This battle would be the perfect opportunity to reveal Imu, if not fully, then at least partially, as depicted in the newly released sketches. As such, even though this version of Imu did not make it into Chapter #1085, it might not be long till Imu makes his full debut.
Oda also promised to pick up the pace in his recent message at Jump Festa 2026, further supporting this idea. More importantly, with the next arc hinted to be Lodestar Island, it’s now or never if One Piece wants to reveal its endgame villain.