Imu Changes EVERYTHING | Reviewing One Piece: The Reverie

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0:00 - Introduction + AJPiece Comments
10:46 - Chronological Story Review

[@Aleczandxr]

You can watch my next One Piece review (Wano Part 1) RIGHT NOW on Patreon here (5$+): www.patreon.com/Aleczandxr To follow the readthroughs on stream, you can follow me on Twitch here: www.twitch.tv/Aleczandxr/ Link to AJ's Discord server: discord.gg/Ekhz7PNuJd CURRENT TWITCH SCHEDULE: Mondays @ 10am EST: A Blind Playthrough of Yakuza 5 Wednesdays @ 10am EST: Naruto Readthrough Fridays @ 10:30am EST: SOME FRIDAYS, I do full One Piece reading streams as well. Check Discord for updates/details. Sundays @ 11am EST: One Piece Readthrough

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

You're amazing 😊😊😊❤❤❤

[@specail1]

“Kuma might be one of the best characters by the end of one piece.” This aged well.

[@A40El1teAssass1n]

Like fine wine

[@Donovarkhallum]

One of the most tragic for sure

[@orbboom6119]

Kuma the Goat

[@ironfletch2981]

I do love those who are catching up with One Piece getting to this point and just smiling being like, “Oh you think this is big?” There’s a reason Kuma entered my Top 5 in the last year.

[@Uvim_Azua]

"Kuma can become one of the best characters in the series" Hold my Egghead arc. -Oda probably

[@joshshrum2764]

Yo.

[@user-sw4op9zg2w]

kuma was one of my fav and oda just took it to the next level with that stuff

[@manuelmialdea5127]

I love how Imu's existence was hinted at back in Marineford when Doffy said: "Someone even higher" I love how nothing feels out of left field in One Piece.

[@sindri1447]

It probably wasn't Imu. There were quite a lot of people above Sengoku.

[@somedudewatchintv5297]

Apparently it's possible to suspect their existence for a while now. TheDrawkShow, well his mom, already suspects the existence of an "Izanami" figure which is Imu. She also firmly thinks of Luffy and the crew as gods as far back as Skypia.

[@shartley5343]

@@sindri1447 At the very least, after Dressrosa when Sakazuki is yelling at the five elders about how Doflamingo was able to fake his resignation from the Warlords, they tell him it happened on orders even higher than them

[@bensalems3224]

there's a lot of hint in dressrosa that pointed that doflamingo knew about imu @@sindri1447

[@verver6]

Imu’s existence in One Piece is almost similar to the Dark Continent in HxH in that they both recontextualize everything that came before it and change the scope of the world

[@ANIMEJESUS8]

When he was talking about the three of them not being there without Luffy, it kinda hit me that there's an alternate timeline where its Crocodile, Hody and Doflamingo there 🤣

[@justmyopinion79]

Actually insane how much is packed into these 6 chapters. SPOILERS Judging by his reaction to this, Egghead may become a top favourite arc for him.

[@Donovarkhallum]

I don't think the name of the arc is a spoiler but i love the more that gets revealed about brain boi. Kept that ambiguous in case spoilers. But you know who I mean

[@orbboom6119]

He will get to it this year, hopefully

[@JakeMatthews-OnLo]

As weird as it is Mjosgard, hitting Charlos actually made me weep when I sat on the thought of a deplorable human being, being redeemed and becoming a better man with an upbringing that encourages narcissism and cruelty.

[@seemonuzumaki723]

Very valid. It's honestly inspiring and gives a lot of hope for anyone who feels like they've done something unforgivable.

[@themangastand8475]

My thought at the time was Im is immortal. And that hat is joy boys. And he goes there to remind himself of the friend he betrayed. Because why would they mention laws immortal surgery if it was never used. Why would dalflamigo be so focused on it if it wasnt present in celestial dragon history

[@745cc]

omg ever since i read this comment, your theory has been living in my head rent free 😭

[@orbboom6119]

Yeah pretty much has to be the case

[@9LivesDeepDives]

THE RETURN OF VIVI

[@sogekingsniper4637]

WE ALL MISSED HER

[@Shadow-fb2ec]

Wivi

[@Sunflx27]

Uuuuuuuuuh I miss her

[@sanji_joestar]

#AJPiece Wholeheartedly agree with you on Shanks His introduction and place in the story has always been this light that Luffy chases and wants to catch up to. And his presence in the story has always been about the hard life of a pirate but also that sense of drive or validation he gave to Luffy and some other characters like Koby who are now growing figures into the world. And this meeting with the elders reinforces the role of balance he's been given since the start with his meeting with Whitebeard about Blackbeard and Ace. Or him stopping the War. He does his best to maintain a sense of balance in this evershifting world. And his name seems to support this too. PS: If you didn't know, the vertical shaft of an anchor is called a shank; it contains a balancing band fitted at the anchor's centre of gravity so that the anchor balances horizontally when lifted. In chapter 1 Luffy's shirt has an anchor on it. And it reinforces that role Shanks plays throughout One piece.

[@IceAokiji303]

#AJPiece I don't remember if you've talked about this, but one of the ideas for Luffy and Shanks eventually having a confrontation that I like the most is "through a Davy Back Fight". It'd be a way for them to compete seriously without necessitating a Shanks heel turn. And it'd give ol' splithead's shenanigans ages ago more long-term narrative relevance. :)

[@tiem6260]

#AJPiece as far as the frozen straw hat goes, the imagery of the frozen giant has been pervailent in world government centric arcs. In Robin's flashback Saul, a giant with a hat, got frozen solid by Aokiji the solider of the world government. In Punk Hazard, another world government island, there was a weird scene of this frozen cave filled with giants frozen solid in the ice. And most significant of all to me, in Thriller Bark we saw Oars, a giant who died in a frozen land and was kept on ice by Moria, another world government associate, and crucially Oars was instilled with Luffy's spirit and had a scene trying to create himself his own pirate hat. Because of that the idea of the frozen straw hat belonging to Joy Boy seems the most likely to me. Another giant frozen in time, but much like Saul, one who's will has passed on despite having failed himself.

[@yamaboo1462]

#AJpiece What is so striking to me is how thematically fitting Imu is as an antagonist. Some clear ideas and themes Imu represents are easy to spot, like the embodiment of control, the opposite of freedom Imu embodies. Also, the symbolism of darkness in Imu, not only as darkness in evil but also as someone who has been kept secret from the reader for almost 900 chapters, operating in the shadows as the puppet master. On the contrary Luffy have always shown he is not affraid to show the whole word his ideals and actions, Imu has done the complete opposite. Lastly, it just came to my mind how ironic it is when you think about Dr. Hiruluk's words, "A man dies when he is forgotten." How ironic it is that Imu, arguably the character that has lived the longest, is metaphorically dead because no one remembers him anymore. Side note: Sandman a very trusted translator source on Twitter explained that Imu's title is the male version of the celestial dragons so thats why i used the He/him pronoun. Keep up the great content AJ! What is so striking to me is how thematically fitting Imu is as an antagonist. Some clear ideas and themes Imu represents are easy to spot, like the embodiment of control, the opposite of freedom Imu opposesopposes.

[@OK25000]

#ajpiece what i find most fascinating about imu is that he felt like he was bound to exist. Ive reading for 13 years, and it always felt to me like the gorosei needs to be under somebody. There's always someone playing god that Luffy needs to smack down. But what what i feel brilliant about Imu that they are not a "natural end point" - you created a system that just make sense for a character to be twisted by it (ie Hody Jones, Tobirama) - BUT Oda created a system that was bound to be created by a single person. A starting point that was bount to happen

[@nessleepk]

Posted as I’m about to start an hour drive, perfect

[@madatz]

#ajpiece so the Umi Imu thing is actually a popular mistranslation that looks good on paper, but requires using English spellings of Japanese words with different characters. The words themselves aren’t in reverse and it’s more likely Imu is referencing the void(mu) in a Buddhist sense/ties to the VOID(mu) century

[@immersion6105]

void century is 空白の百年（kuu haku no 100 nen; lit. "the blank century") in Japanese, but I get what you mean. 無(mu) basically means 'nothingness', void being more like 虚無 (kyomu)

[@josiahbaumgartner7643]

Yeah because Oda never ever does anything in English ever

[@joonaheikkero432]

Yes!! I’ve been waiting all my life for this!😭

[@Generational_Blessing]

I absolutely love your analysis of one piece ive been watching since your first review of it. I get a whole new dimension of appreciation of one piece from your videos, so thanks. ps the ff 10 ost in the background is top notch

[@maccamachine]

Hell yeah new video I love this series. Egghead has been so cool a lot of interesting stuff so can’t wait to see you read that

[@negameagan651]

Imu: exists AJ: PEAK!

[@Aleczandxr]

True

[@user-zf8gf2ff5o]

#AJPiece Bit of a long one sorry. Big Mom and to a lesser degree Kaido, have not been shown to be ideal leaders. Big Mom goes without saying, but Kaido is also a bit of an unstable drunkard. Neither of them also seem to care much about the One Piece and being King of the Pirates outside of greed. However, then being natural born monsters allows them to essentially be big players regardless and cudgel their way to victory, on top of having large military power, which you could argue that’s all they need. What makes someone like Luffy, who is not a natural monster like them, has a tiny crew, and is inexperienced, more likely to be king of the pirates?

[@XraynPR]

Oh boy, I think the current arc will hit you alot going by what you said here. For me, there were a few panels that made me legitimately tear up, which I basically never do even for such an emotional story as OP. But there was an incident that hit me alot.

[@SuhbeTV]

the predictions in this video are crazyyyy IYKYK. great videos like always

[@Aleczandxr]

Appreciate it!

[@wJermell0]

I cracked up a little when you went "maybe some of the other straw hats will fight Big Mom" then immediately name the one straw hat that would never do so

[@Aleczandxr]

I’m not sure why Sanji would never fight Big Mom but this just spoils me that he didn’t :(

[@wJermell0]

@@Aleczandxr he will never kick a woman. Even if it kills him, this is an established character trait, but I didn't mean to spoil so I'm sorry

[@Aleczandxr]

Ah I see. During the making of this review I didn't know whether his WCI development would change that or not, which is probably why it didn't cross my mind.

[@miguelibrahim3357]

It's amazing to see how much of storytelling Aj understands He has some awesome reads on the story that are spot on

[@topramen5344]

There are so many parallels to doflamingo and imu As you said d his moniker of heavenly demon/dark king and what that entails And the visuals of his commanders kneeling Just as there are lights that need to be snuffed out from history, doflamingo turned anyone he didn’t need into toys where they are forgotten about forever Just like the WG needs to do another great cleansing due to an unstoppable swell, doffy enacted the birdcage once things got out of hand He lives high above dressrosa on a plateau just like how marijois stands on the red line above the world Plus him being a celestial dragon himself

[@momoz4427]

Thank you for sharing your experience!

[@aerise410]

YESSSSS NEW AJ REVIEW LETS GOOOO!!!!

[@whitephoenix9]

yesss been waiting for this

[@Nastyn1nja808]

i do believe Marco was always "Ships Doctor" we only just now got the reveal since he has healing abilities and was always conxerned makes sense imo

[@cyzaine]

Hoorah! Another great video to feast on tonight.

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Love your Reviews!🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤

[@KalebDaubMooshra]

#AJpiece Big News Morgans is my favorite side character in all of one piece. He belongs to a character arctype i love that i call, History Makers. Usually reporters that want to be the ones to write history, and almost have a God complex about it. Morgans technically is the most powerful person in the world because he controls the only major inter island news. He is the one that controls the public perception with his monopoly over news. I cant wait for you to see more of him. Everytime he is on screen/page i just cant help but smile at the pure charaisma coming off this bird man that really has the world in his hand.

[@aerise410]

#AJPiece AJ, have you ever heard of some other theories around Imu’s name? -The "mu" in Imu = void/dream (popularized by Parvision) -The kana for Imu form the kanji for “Buddha” (remember Luffy’s resemblance to the Monkey King; popularized by Artur - Library of Ohara) -The “Mary” in “Marie Geoise” is an ancient name that has to do with the sea too. Between that and their ruling over a planet that’s 90% ocean, people have theorized that Imu could be the “Mother Sea” who so hates Devil Fruits for being “unnatural.” (this has been general fandom speculation for a while)

[@sanji_joestar]

43:42 interesting perspective on the giant Strawhat I remember a few years back conversations about it being a visual representation of the future, that kind of stuff Relating it to Observation haki with its ability to see the future Or an ancient weapon ability to show future threats All interesting ideas can't wait to see what Oda does with it Fun Fact: Many pointed out how in the corridor Imu took to enter the frozen room, there's what seems to be 8 gates, maybe each for one of the past century? And one of the door had a cross symbol above looking a lot like the one we can see on Oars in Thriller Bark A new link with giants? Oars was also conserved in a Frozen chamber Oda what're you cooking

[@behanort4556]

#AJPiece So, at the time youre gonna read the comments, who do you think is gonna be the final boss of one piece - Imu or Blackbeard? or, who do you WANT to occupy this role?

[@justmyopinion79]

Gotta be Blackbeard IMO, but either would work great.

[@Donovarkhallum]

I think it's imu. I think blackboard is a red herring. I theorize the gov has the one piece and as luffy topples it he finds it

[@sanji_joestar]

1:02:58 That conversation between the Elders about Alabasta puts so much things into perspective now that we think about it Like how the Poneglyph was hidden so secretly in the country, to hide from the World government itself? They consider them traitors but why?🤔 Or Just Crocodile's involvement ? Maybe the Wg hoped the warlord would destroy the country so that Pluton would be more accessible to them? It could reinforce their refusal to make this story public?

[@TapuArt]

"kuma might end up being one of the best characters" DOES HE KNOW⁉️

[@eloquitodelaesquina]

#AJPiece I think its very interesting to note that the very moment Imu sits on the throne its made clear thats the entity with more power in the world. And yet, it seems to have little to no freedom Noone can see Imu so it has to stay hiden, to the point of having a room to see flowers because they cant go outside lol Or at least I saw it like that Its kinda funny, and very telling

[@captainfalcon2000]

i know your a good way into Wano already but imma just say u have some very interesting predictions lol...looking forward to your Wano review 😊

[@Supermonaman]

1st off I really love this review. And now to get into my comment after watching Baron Omatsuri & hearing your thoughts about Imu in this review I thought of interesting question. Do you think there will be any aspects/parts of Baron Omatsuri’s character within Imu’s character like the theme of friendship or are you mostly still thinking about the more metaphorical/abstract ideas of darkness and light & freedom/subjugation when it comes to Imu? Mostly just curious because I really enjoyed your talk about abstracts when it comes to Imu & wanted to know if you thought my questions here has any merit or is at least interesting. Awesome review as I expected and I can’t wait for more of your great content keep up the great work. :-)

[@contemptman3646]

Is there a character within or outside of One Piece that you'd be able to compare Imu to, or are they unique in what they represent? #AJPiece

[@contemptman3646]

Additionally, what do you hope for the character? Where do you want them to go in the story?

[@UltaBlueRev]

this man got future sight

[@benzohhhhh]

RAHHHH ITS PEAK

[@commonviewer2488]

#AJPiece There was so much discourse in the fandom from Luffy being named the 5th Emperor, with a sizeable chunk of people agreeing with Blackbeard that Luffy wasn't ready yet. It's funny, the position of "Emperor of the Sea," is not any sort of official title. There's no governmental force that recognizes them as representative figures, just dangerous criminals that are able to hold onto power through fear, reputation, and shows of force. Those arguing against Luffy are downplaying the impact Luffy has on the World Government, and how the average citizen must him. He's overcome several of their agents, and wrecked chaos across iconic territories. Having defeated several Warlords, and earned the favor of every country he's visited, Luffy, in his pursuit to be free, has overcome every obstacle that told him that he could not continue. Other pirates have continued to disregard Luffy as a threat, and they've been toppled while Luffy has continued to rise. Even with pirates and kings seeing the Straw Hats as friends and liberators, Luffy prefers his small cabal of friends over the worldwide network he could have, trusting that they will come to the other's aid when asked. Luffy may not have armies in the thousands, nor is he a match singlehandedly against the likes of Big Mom, but that's never mattered to him. Luffy is rightfully regarded as the 5th Emperor for being the embodiment of change, much to the horror of all leaders of corrupt regimes. I believe in the Future King of the Pirates, and look forward to seeing what the world will look like under his "reign."

[@sogekingsniper4637]

I love all that you say about Imu. On a similar note to what you said about them elevating the entire series for you, what are the top 3 or 5 moments in the series where you felt like it could somehow get EVEN more special, or that it was on the verge of ANOTHER quality jump? #AJPiece

[@ViPxRampageXx]

The thing with Luffy being announced as the 5th emperor is that not everyone has to accept it just because it said it in the paper, both in-world and the fanbase at the time lol

[@Tonjit41]

55:02 During WCI there's a cover art that has Shanks wearing pants patterned with roses. pretty flower; stems armed with thorns. alluring, but misleadingly dangerous. When Shanks showed up in Marineford, he wore pants with a design resembling a bomb with an imminent spark; fuse elapsing also... reread chapter one. Shanks wasn't always kind to luffy. shanks changed his demeanor towards luffy half-way through. he was a bully to luffy at first.

[@thebraydenchannel78]

#AJPIECE This was a thought I wrote a while ago when i was thinking about various things in the series. However, I had no idea where in the story this would best fit, but I think this arc would be a good spot for my thoughts on Luffy as a protagonist since this arc has a lot of emphasis on how Luffy affected so many lives and the wake of the straw hat's actions thus far. Luffy is one of my favorite protagonists of all time, yet is so different from most of those favorites. He is in 5th place, behind Natsuki Subaru, Araragi Koyomi, Okabe Rintarou, and Lelouch Vi Britannia in that order for me, and if you've experienced any or all of the stories those four characters comes from, you'll know that they are all quite different from Luffy. A trend with those four aforementioned characters is that they are big internalizers; we get a deep, intimate look into their psyches in how they think, how they feel, and how they think over problems. To me, they are all characterized by how much they are stuck inside their own heads at times. Another trend with these characters is that they have lengthy, complex, nuanced character arcs/explorations that will either have them come out a better person, and/or they are so well explored that they feel like a tangible human being by time I say goodbye to them. Luffy is not like that; in fact, he is characterized by how little he internalizes (or how little we see of it) and how much he remains the same. Luffy always says what is on his mind and doesn't grapple with the kind of conflicts that someone like Okabe experiences where a lot of thought needs to be put into how he moves. He will always do something in the most Luffy way possible even when following a carefully mapped out plan. He grows and is able to take in various perspectives on leadership and learns to cope with loss and continue on living, but the core of himself does not fundementally change. He is relatively simpler in construction, which in its execution, can make Luffy feel inhuman sometimes. From his willpower, to his joyous charm, to his boistrous personality, luffy is more like, as many have said, a force of nature. However I think that in of itself is just as valuable as the complexity and the true beauty of that construction reveals itself when you combine it with the theme of dreams in one piece in that Luffy himself is a dream-like person. He is courageous, strong (both physically and mentally), and extremely funny. He lives wanting to just experience as much of life and the world as possible with those he cares about. He will fight for those connections the same way he lives; with everything he has got within himself so that he won't regret the way he has lived his life by the time it is over. He lives on his own terms and wants to be free, but it doesn't affect how kind and empathetic he is towards others. We've seen characters in this series who also want to be free, but they use that goal/dream to trample on others whereas Luffy lifts others up. He is emotionally intelligent and perceptive, but does not act unless you want him to; letting you make the choice to help yourself by asking for help. He isn't perfect or a paragon by any means; he has flaws and he still has room to grow, but that makes him just a bit more human. He is a heartfelt leader, a caring friend, and a protector at the end of the day. Despite how different he is as a protagonist to all my other favorites, I have never seen a protagonist embody the spirit and soul of its story better than Luffy: In a world defined by its absurdism and its whimsical dream-like wonder, we follow a dream-like ideal of a person that no one can realistically reach, but would be nice to imagine if he did

[@dantecrottogini529]

17:10 man has future sight

[@Firegodot]

Well nothings been confirmed but as i interpret it i think Imu is immortal and they resent the fact that the nefertari family betrayed the celestial dragons and they still take it personally but not in an angry way but in a spurned and nostalgic ''they chose the world of the riff raff over the paradise i provided'' sort of way and so imu wants the nefertari back in marigeoise

[@aerise410]

#AJPiece Re: the giant straw hat showing the future somehow: Mr. Morj has a theory about this! He theorized that each Ancient Weapon corresponds to a color of Haki, with Uranus being Observation, and that could be the hat. Definitely watch the whole video!

[@seemonuzumaki723]

SO CLOSE TO EGGHEAD. We await you!

[@okoman5]

@Aleczandxr Needs to see the anime version of Zoro slicing the building in Wano.

[@Sundbergeh]

The pirate king, the freest man on the seas. vs the king of the world, the least free man in the world stuck on his throne in secret.

[@mistyk.1734]

If anyone wants to see a compilation of AJ's remarks on Kanjuro, it's on KZbin and it's hilarious!

[@michaelyu6250]

Good god I hope he isn't looking at ANY of these comments. Hopefully someone told him everyone is spoiling.

[@michaelyu6250]

I DM'd him to not look, hope he sees it in time

[@Mooglatan]

#AJPiece Possibly the most contentious topic in the One Piece community right now is who the final villain of the story will be: Blackbeard or Imu? Personally, and I think you'll agree, it has to be Imu. Don't worry, I won't spoil anything beyond the Reverie arc. There are many reasons why I think this. Fitting Blackbeard's showdown with Luffy into the story after Imu on a pragmatic level creates numerous contrivances and would feel pretty forced on a narrative level. Comments Oda's made about a "lurking legend" he would introduce in 2018 (the year Imu was introduced) being "the greatest enemy the Strawhats will ever face". Oda's comments about a "final war that will make Marineford look cute" combined with Whitebeard's speech in Marineford about the person who reaches Laugh Tale going onto create a giant war specifically against the World Government, and by extension Imu. The fact that Blackbeard's arc seems set to climax with Shanks', even though Shanks certainly won't be the final villain. The fact that the World Government as an organisation simply represents an antithesis to the Strawhats' ideals of freedom and dreams far better than Blackbeard does, thus making the World Government a better ultimate antagonistic force for them. The fact that the World Government simply seem much more physically powerful than the Blackbeard Pirates. And so on. But here's the main reason, in my opinion, and it's one I've never seen anyone bring up before: There is a strong, consistent theme that has slowly unravelled over the course of the story. And that is that very often in One Piece, we're initially immediately presented with a simple, surface-level explanation, only for Oda to slowly give way to a more complex, and often more sinister, truth. For instance: The One Piece is Roger's treasure, right? Nope, it's (probably) Joyboy's. Roger is Luffy's dad, right? Nope, not all the Ds are related. Devil Fruits are this universe's strongest power, right? Nope, it's Haki. Luffy's ultimate dream is to become Pirate King, right? Nope, it's actually [REDACTED]. But thinking more broadly, nearly every major island/arc in One Piece is initially presented as a fantastical paradise, before it’s then revealed how dark the situation truly is behind the curtain. Arlong Park, Laboon, Whiskey Peak, Drum Island, Alabasta, Skypiea, Water 7, Enies Lobby, Sabaody, Fishman Island, Dressrosa, Zou, Wholecake Island, and more. And by extent, the people of an island often initially have a positive view of the arc’s main villain, only for that villain’s evil to slowly be exposed to the people over the course of the arc. Crocodile, Hody, Doflamingo, etc. Even Luffy himself, the personification of the series itself, is slowly gaining a more complex understanding of the world. At the start, he only fights to become King of the Pirates and occasionally on behalf of one of his close friends, not wanting to be thought of as hero but instead a pirate that can eat as much food as he wants. And by the end of the Wano arc, well, let's just say it becomes clear that he's developed a lot in that regard since Chapter 1. And so, why is Oda making this such a constant theme? What has the idea of there initially being something simple and obvious that slowly gets revealed to be a lie that covers up a more complex truth, got to do with the fundamental story of One Piece specifically? Well, let's look at the single biggest example of this theme occurring in the story. Initially, it seems like enemy pirates are being obviously established as the primary antagonists of the series. The first enemy Luffy ever has to face is a pirate. Pirates are the overwhelming majority of villains he faces for the first few hundred chapters. Luffy’s main dream is to become King of the Pirates, so surely the biggest villains for Luffy will be ones that are directly competing for that title as well? Luffy’s main drive to accomplish this goal is so that he can become a better pirate than his idol, Shanks. Pirates as a whole are clearly a far more evil force in the world than any other faction. Clearly, the primary villains of this pirate story are forever going to be pirates. I mean who else could it be? The World Government? Sure, they’re an oppositional force to Luffy, but their role is clearly so much more minor. And sure, while they do have some bad apples, Morgans, Nezumi and the like, and they use some questionable methods, they’re clearly not as bad as pirates, right? Their goal is absolute justice, right? And yet, despite how it was initially presented, we’ve slowly, over the course of hundreds more chapters, been drip fed the far much more complex, truth. That the World Government is, in fact, a far more evil organisation than any pirate crew could ever hope to be. They have ended lives, made many more lives hell, and plan to continue doing both those things, on a far greater scale, than any meagre pirate crew could ever hope to. Every evil pirates have been shown to commit, from putting islands under their protection in exchange for extortionate taxes (Arlong/Big Mom), to covering up history and “re-educating” their people to make themselves look like heroes and anyone who stands up to them as villains (Doflamingo/the World Government, already)... all things the World Government does, but worse. Even their flag looks suspiciously like a Jolly Roger with all of the distinguishing features simply blacked out. The only meaningful difference between the two, the only reason there is a Fleet Admiral or a King of the World and not simply a Fifth, or Sixth Emperor of the Sea, is that it takes people time both inside, and outside One Piece's world, to realise that there is no meaningful difference. That’s why Oda’s made the theme of simple and obvious falsehood slowly giving way to complex yet hidden truth is so prevalent throughout the series. It was likely integrated primarily to reflect the dynamic between pirates and the World Government. At the start of the story, when our perspective of the world is way more limited, when our characters act based on a much more limited understanding of it, when our perspective is far closer to that of the average One Piece citizen who’s been brainwashed by the World Government, we think that pirates are the most important villainous force. And then, the longer the story continues, the broader our and our main characters’ perspectives become, the more we realise that pirates and the threat they pose, just like the Oharans, are a scapegoat, a distraction, for the larger evil of the World Government; of Imu. In other words, one of One Piece’s major themes is literally about why Imu is the final villain, and not Blackbeard. Anyway, I am glad you are so hyped about Imu already! I had much the same reaction when reading the manga for the first time, but I get the vibe that no one else really is. Maybe they're too in love with already established characters like Blackbeard, maybe they're burned by similar characters from certain other series, who knows. But I have extremely high hopes for Imu as not just an antagonistic force, but their own character with their own backstory, motivations, etc.

[@YahikoTendo]

It makes sense Imu would visit the straw hat since that is probably a "trophy" of the World Government's greatest enemy, Joy Boy.

[@iffa-0]

oh wow your catching up to current

[@sansamman4619]

Can you do a video on Rick and Morty I think that would be amazing! Thanks! +This one is less likely but one on Adventure Time would also be really nice since I wonder about the symbolic meaning of the characters and their reactions etc, I understand more now that I am older and rewatch it but I would also like to have someone else's perspective very much. A video would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

[@Aleczandxr]

I won’t be covering any of Rick and Morty or Adventure Time in a video, sorry!

[@sansamman4619]

@@Aleczandxr aww :(

[@treyrobertson7187]

Man’s spitting talking about shanks not being evil, people were trippin about their theories with that scene

[@pokemonairi]

yay

[@Tupadre97]

yeah kuma bout to be number 1 after he reads egghead 😂

[@GumGumNika]

My stock is all in with the theory that the gorosei betrayed Joyboy

[@yogitapandya368]

❤❤❤

[@billyboygod]

I LOVE ONE PIECE

[@SamTheGumMan117]

I love anytime Oda goes outside the strawhats and what's going on everywhere else in the world especially for something that's so short of an arc 😅

[@minitium885]

Lol ur probably enjoying egghead a lot

[@SamTheGumMan117]

@minitium885 Yes, yes I am

[@tylersmith3979]

Just wait man, this is only half of the story of the Reverie

[@XraynPR]

Never clicked this fast on a video, this is highly anticipated for me

[@joshshrum2764]

We have finally traveled to the location we all are well aquatinted with.

[@12thmocha11]

What a masterstroke by oda To make the Light, Goodness A pirate. A selfish pirate who strives only on his own path. Who does as he pleases. yet due to his nature, is bright. His path ever illuminated by purely his choices, bouncing off what reflects his will, is the path all follow. His goal? To be free. His path, His choice, His disposition is bright. Oda man.

[@Ascalon90-0]

#AJPiece I'm still not sure what to think about Imu. I trust Oda, so it will work out, but I always loved the complexity of the OnePiece world. That it felt so real because all people are in a system, ad real as in the real world. There are good and bad people in every level of society. Luffy has the impossible task to change the world. Now we have a big mastermind. Just punch him very hard and all problems will be solved. Hopefully it won't be as "cheap".

[@zero1188]

Alex need to talk about why he thinks kuma might be the best character. Manga readers be quiet lmao

[@a_raconteur]

❤🐢

[@brianyaniro5086]

#AJPIECE There's a large contingent of people that for whatever reason think a Davy Back fight (like in Long Ring Long Land) will play a prominent role in some final battle with Shanks. I have no idea why they think so. My only possible guess is they found the original DB fight so unfulfilling that they can't believe Oda introduced them without a bigger payoff in the end. Personally, I think it's one of the dumbest ideas the fanbase has come up with but who knows. Oda has surprised me countless times before. Do you have thoughts/feelings on this?

[@ToothofaShark]

I think it has less to do with it being "unfulfilling" and more so about it being a strange outlier in terms of an arc. It didn't really add anything major outside of being a dumb fun arc. People are theorizing that the DBF will be what Shanks uses for his "battle" against Luffy, to see how far he's grown. Luffy said he wants to defeat all the Yonkos and Shanks is the only one who hasn't really been portrayed as a villainous character.

[@bigt100]

Why does it say 2 days ago but the comments at months ago

[@Aleczandxr]

Patreon early access

[@finnianfanning3136]

From getting into One Piece, have learnt about the many agendas, do you have any? What are some of your favorite if so?

[@hrafnknutsson2859]

Why does he think imu's vault is a projector?

[@Aleczandxr]

I believe he explained that. Was just throwing out ideas.

[@RoadtoArkham]

As soon as you said rat I started to laugh, oh god

[@michaelyu6250]

The memes....

[@herestoustx6123]

Could shanks really be mad at bart shilling for luffy? Shanks is one of the biggest luffy shills ever BRO LITERALLY GAVE HIS ARM because of what he saw in luffy shanks is a hypocrite if he gets mad at bart 🤷🏻

[@Aleczandxr]

I never said anything about Shanks getting mad lol. I don’t think he’d be mad at all.

[@Nastyn1nja808]

Ryoukyugyu is just a guy

[@capnbug]

Cant wait to hear u talk ab wano because everyone ik hates wano.

[@phonesjuda7318]

What the fuck why

[@capnbug]

@phonesjuda7318 for reference we all read it live. There's a lot of bloat while also skipping over stuff. People complained about yamato in particular. Imo they're kinda dramatic rating it like 6/10 or 4/10 or whatever but I honestly don't care enough to reread or formulate an actual opinion

[@phonesjuda7318]

@@capnbug okok. I binged it this years in a month so I suppose my experience was different altogether

[@michaelyu6250]

He loves Wano (so far)

[@lillpluten]

The countdown to another Yamato discourse begins

[@nathandanczak7822]

Yep, she 's girl. Such bullshit that this was discourse yearly. But that's the 20's.

[@usmanqureshi8941]

I feel like if OP had had a long hiatus after Marineford, you'd have appreciated the series to the same level of HxH.The current HXH arc just ain't it imo lol

[@Aleczandxr]

What does this have to do with the video? EDIT - Gotcha, I understand now. Also no, I wouldn’t lol. And just to comment on that, if you think that then you know very little about me and my taste - I adore the current arc despite a couple of problems. I appreciate both One Piece and HxH as much as is possible personally.

[@usmanqureshi8941]

@@Aleczandxr I was responding to your AJ Piece comment about "what would take the series to the next level for you?", and you mentioned your experience with Chimera Ant. Perhaps I worded something wrong. The long hiatus in HXH (which started basically right when Chimera Ant ended) gave me time to reread the story, appreciate some of the finer details, and to generally take in that incredible arc and reflect on it. Had the current arc (which I'm not as keen on) immediately started afterward, I might not have appreciated it as much/taken as much time to reflect on it after I had read. I got caught up to One Piece around the time Marineford ended. I didn't like weekly reading back then so I took a long break, and when I returned, I reread the story. This let me re-experience OP with some foresight of what was to come, and also let me reflect on all I had read up to where the timeskip was. I recently started watching your videos so idk how long you've been reading OP or when/where you took breaks. I'm assuming you haven't reread the series from the jump (perhaps a project to embark on when you become a weekly reader), but that might be the answer to the AJ Piece question.

[@usmanqureshi8941]

Either way, best of luck on your journey. Both One Piece and HXH are fantastic series, and Marineford and Chimera Ant are some of the highest peaks in the genre. Good luck and happy reading.