One Piece Episode 1180 Review
We finally made it. The moment that I’ve been dreading seeing in the One Piece anime has come. Imu, the Devil who sits atop the world and calls himself God, has come to Elbaph.
I had mentioned it at the end of my review of the last episode, but there is no other way for fans to describe the likes of Imu other than calling him the Devil. Oda has made it no secret that those were his intentions with the mysterious being who rules the world from the shadows. From his direct servants being summoned by a reverse pentagram, a symbol commonly associated with demons and the occult, to the fact that we saw the Five Elders become demonic creatures, the signs were all there. However, what happens at this point in One Piece pretty much confirmed that Imu was meant to be the Devil, and he had come to take Elbaph.
Want to know the scariest part? Some of us started thinking that Imu might be an actual demon.
Imu is the DEVIL
From the moment he chooses to possess Gunko, Imu shows that he is a no-nonsense kind of enemy. When the kids start crying to the adults trying to save them, he simply tells them all to “be silent,” and hits them with one of the strongest blasts of Conqueror’s Haki I’ve ever seen. The scariest part, though, was seeing how Sommers and Killingham react to the presence of their dark master. They are terrified and in fear for their lives! These guys have been running roughshod over Elbaph, the strongest nation in the world, and they are terrified of Imu. I don’t blame them, either. Do you know what happened to the last guy who failed Imu, Saturn?
And then we get to see the moment that sent shivers up fans’ spines. Imu summons a grimoire and, right before our eyes, he turns Dorry and Brogy into demons. Actual demons! And Toei doesn’t pull any punches with how terrifying the process is, either. It shows what happens in all its unholy glory as Imu utters the spell that the fandom has come to fear: Domi Reversi.
And then, he turns all of the Giant Warriors into demons.
I was starting to sweat at this point in the manga
Guys, I can’t even tell you just how terrifying this was for me when I was reading it in the manga. I have seen a lot of tight spots on One Piece before, but this? This might have been the toughest one to date. Not even Wano or Marineford got this bad! And do you know what the worst part was? The fandom had no idea how Imu was even doing this! His powers were so otherworldly, we weren’t even sure if they came from a Devil Fruit or if Imu was an actual demon. And this guy is supposed to be the ancient enemy of Joy Boy, someone that Luffy was going to have to fight in the future!
The episode, and by extension, the series run in 2026, ends on the bleakest note possible. The kids are being kidnapped, the Giants are injured or have turned into Demons, the school and library are on fire! It looks like everything has gone to Hell! I was ready to throw my remote at the TV in frustration when I saw it end on that! It was only thanks to a post-credits scene reminding us how the strongest players on the good guys side, Luffy, Loki, Sanji, Zoro, and more are still in the Underworld, that kept me from crashing out.
THIS. ISN’T. OVER.
At the moment, we don’t know when the anime will return beyond it being sometime in 2027. When it does, though, you can expect it to focus on one of the longest and most important flashbacks in the series history as Loki tells us the truth of what happened the day his father, King Harald, died. What we do know is that one of the most important portions of said flashback, the God Valley Incident, are going to be covered by its own movie. To be honest, that is exactly what fans were hoping for. If you’ve read the manga already, then you know just how important the God Valley Incident is to the lore of the series. If you’re an anime-only person, then you can expect some of the most intense action we may ever see in the entire series. Plus, it’s not like One Piece is going completely dark in between now and then.
At the time that this episode premiered, we were just two days away from a two-part LEGO One Piece special premiering on Netflix. Framed as stories that Usopp tells Chopper of the Straw Hats adventures before he joined them, it’s a comedic retelling of the first two seasons of the live-action series. A series which, I might add, will be returning for its third season sometime in 2027. In addition, the remake anime from WIT Studio will be dropping all seven episodes in February 2027. Not only that, but next year will mark the series 30th anniversary, so we can expect to see a lot of cool content to celebrate. Plus, the dub for this season is due to come out this fall.
In other words, don’t worry about One Piece, you guys. I think we’re going to be good for a while. It will be worth the wait!
