A mysterious group is briefly seen in One Piece Film: Red, known primarily as the Five Elders. Their appearance makes sense, given the grand scale of Film: Red‘s conflict, but for those out of the know, let’s talk about the mysterious cabal of geezers.
Who Are the Five Elders?
The Five Elders are a group of the highest-ranking Celestial Dragons in the One Piece world. They’re essentially at the top of the World Government, meaning they wield an incredible amount of power politically. None of their names or potential combat abilities are known as of yet, though there’s a popular fan theory that claims they may be immortal rulers who have existed since the mysterious Void Century 800-900 years prior to the main story. They are always seen in Pangaea Castle in the Celestial Dragons’ home, Mary Geoise.
Why Do They Fear Uta?
In Film: Red, they are clearly concerned about Uta’s concert and her ability to whisk people’s souls away to another world. Given the Five Elders thrive as a result of the current world order, Uta’s ability to greatly upset the status quo was understandably concerning to them. By the end of the film, this isn’t an issue, but it’s interesting to see these powerful and secretive rulers be so unnerved.
Is Anybody More Powerful Than the Five Elders?
Despite their immense power, the Five Elders are indeed beholden to one single person — the even more mysterious ruler of the world, Imu. As the one who sits on the legendary Empty Throne, Imu is considered to be the single most influential person in the world of One Piece. Even less is known about Imu than about the Five Elders, but in a recent chapter of the manga, Imu somehow managed to essentially obliterate the Lulusia Kingdom in seconds. This was done to stop the Revolutionary Army’s Chief of Staff, Sabo, from revealing Imu’s existence to the Revolutionaries. Imu will no doubt play a major part in this final saga of One Piece, and it’s easy to imagine the Five Elders will be right there with them.
