Officially introduced in one piece In Chapter 1044, Issue 17 of Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump, March 28, 2022, Sun God Nika is one of the most prominent characters in the lore established by Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the story. Also known as the Liberation Fighter, Nika fights with incredible freedom, bringing smiles and laughter to the faces of the world's oppressed people. Nika is one of the most dangerous warriors in the history of the One Piece world, and his powers are currently wielded by Monkey D. Luffy through the powerful mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, Hito Hito no Mi (Model: Nika).
As a sun god, Luffy possesses tremendous power, and when combined with his incredible Haki, he can stand tall as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Sea, feared even by the world government. However, the climax of the Elbaf arc confirmed to us that Monkey D. Luffy, despite being the sun god, is not the strongest god. one piece. Demon God Nerona Imu one piece The world grew stronger, and this happened once again. one piece Chapter 1187, July 5, 2026.
One Piece Episode 1187, officially confirms that Nero and Imu are stronger than Nika.
The Sun God Nika is an incredibly powerful deity, and his power was demonstrated by Eiichiro Oda shortly after Hitohitonomi's awakening. Model: Nika one piece Episode 1044 When Luffy battled Kaido, the abilities of the sun god Nika were clearly revealed. He was able to overpower Yonko Kaido and eventually use his most powerful ability called the Bajrang Gun to officially defeat him and potentially kill him.
“A warrior of liberation who has a body with the power of rubber, fights as she pleases, and brings smiles to people’s faces…aka Nika, the Sun God!” — The elders explain Nika’s power, One Piece Episode 1044
Later, Monkey D. Luffy fought Admiral Kizaru, and without going all out, was able to paralyze him with a rather ordinary move known as the White Star Gun in One Piece Chapter 1094, October 9, 2023. In his battle with Saint Saturn and the other Elders, Luffy was overpowered, but his battle with them was somewhat ineffective as he did not know how to inflict permanent wounds on them. But in Elbaf, Luffy's shortcomings are clear to everyone. Although he is strong, he cannot maintain Gear 5 for long, and even if possible, he has no chance of competing against the strongest gods, Nero or Imu.
“The body of the Great Imu is not meant to support the outside world. But even if we push against it, the power we need and the power we need to destroy is all here.” — Sommers explains Nerona Imu's nerf, One Piece chapter 1182.
in one piece In episode 1187, which was officially released on July 5, 2026, Monkey D. Luffy battled Nero and Immu. If there's one thing that's clear from this battle, it's that Imu is superior to Luffy in terms of godly power. There are two important things to consider when expanding Luffy's power to that of Nero or Imu.
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When Imu arrived in Elbaf in One Piece Chapter 1179 on April 5, 2026, it was clear that he had been significantly nerfed. This was repeated once again by Saint Sommers in One Piece Chapter 1182 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 24 on May 10, 2026, where he states that Imu's body was not designed to support the outside world, confirming that he is in a weakened state.
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Nerona Imu fought Loki, a powerful god who wielded the powers of Ryu Ryu no Mi (Model: Nidhoggr). Imu suffered several blows from Loki, but eventually won with stigma technology and completely defeated Elbaf, the god of war.
“I admit it was a good hit, but that was only possible because of all the damage I did to him before you came.” — Loki confirms that he weakened Immu before Luffy did.
Luffy, on the other hand, eats as much as he can so he goes into battle completely fresh. in one piece In 1186, Luffy publicly stated that he could not imagine losing to anyone in his current state. But if there's one thing we need to watch out for, it's the big ominous flag that Oda places on the series' protagonist who is likely to lose his first battle against Nero or Imu.
“The guy who brings the bad news is Elbaf’s enemy, right? So that means he’s also my enemy. He’s full of power. I don’t see anyone hitting me right now.” — Monkey D. Luffy's ominous message, One Piece Chapter 1186
Nerona Imu outperformed both the War God and the Sun God despite the heavy nerf from Elbaf Climax.
So far, Imu hasn't been able to reach his full potential on Elbaf, and that's due to quite a few nerfs that Oda has applied to him, as discussed earlier. His failure to utilize his body properly outside of Marijoa's flower room and his being cut down by Loki confirms to us that Nero or Imu is officially a much stronger deity than the sun god Nika, or Luffy. But even with this huge nerf, Imu will likely win the battle against Luffy here. Considering that Imu is the final villain of One Piece, the chances of him being permanently defeated in Elbaf are close to zero. As such, we should all head into the upcoming battle in One Piece Chapter 1188 on July 12, 2026 with the expectation that Nero or Immu will overwhelm Luffy in the Battle of the Gods and that the King of the World will emerge.
Imu: So you've finally revealed yourself, Joy Boy!
Luffy: Don't call me whatever you want. I am Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will become the Pirate King.
— The Beginning of Luffy vs. Immu, One Piece Episode 1187
Still, at the end of the arc, Imu has to be pushed out of Elbaf in some way. Eiichiro Oda cleverly woven the Imu's time restrictions for this very purpose. By placing a time limit on how long Imu can remain in the world below, Oda must defend Elbaf by forcing Imu to retreat and push him to the sacred grounds of Marijoa when time runs out, while also protecting Imu for future wars.
Why Full Power Imu is an unstoppable force in One Piece
Currently, Nero and Imu have been severely nerfed. one pieceBut that won't hold up for long. Once the final war begins, Eiichiro Oda won't want his main villain to stay in a nerfed state. So Nerona Imu will have all his limiters removed in some way. The best way to achieve this is to use the Mother Flame, which was introduced in Issue 42 of Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump in One Piece 1060, which was officially released on September 20, 2022.
In Harley, which was officially released in One Piece Chapter 1138 on February 3, 2025, the demon god Nerona Imu holding a giant sun in his hand appeared in the Elbaf mural in the 10th issue of Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump. This means that this sun could greatly boost Imu's power and help him ignore all the nerfs that were put on him long ago, perhaps during the Void Century. At full power, Nerona Imu will be virtually unmatched in combat, and only then will the full extent of his abilities be seen. For now, we'll have to be content to watch as Imu, although weakened, surprisingly still dominates every battle he engages in.
All chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga can be read through Manga Plus and Biz Media.
