Shuri is Imu’s Daughter

I’ve seen a lot of speculation that Shuri is the daughter of a celestial dragon/holy knight, but I think it actually goes one step further. The main thing that first got me thinking about this was - Why did we get this flashback when we did?

Why did Oda decide to place Brook’s flashback in the climax of Elbaf?

This is actually what first got me thinking about the theory.

We’re in the middle of the biggest conflict of the Elbaf arc. Imu has personally entered the battlefield, Loki is confronting the ruler of the world, and the story is building toward a climax.

So why does Oda suddenly cut away to a lengthy flashback about Brook and Princess Shuri?

Oda is usually very deliberate with flashback placement. He doesn’t interrupt major climactic moments unless the flashback contains information that is directly relevant to what’s happening in the present. We saw this with Robin in Enies Lobby, Law in Dressrosa, Oden in Wano, and Kuma in Egghead.

The strange thing is that in some ways this doesn’t really feel like just a Brook flashback. It feels more like a Shuri/Brook flashback that was combined together, similar to Harald/Rocks/Loki or Kuma/Bonney as the most recent examples.

Brook is the lens through which we’re seeing this flashback being told, but some of the actual focus is on Shuri. We’re learning about her childhood, her parents, her kingdom, and how she eventually became Gunko. That’s a lot of narrative attention for a relatively new character, especially during one of the most important moments in the arc.

If the purpose was simply to reveal that Brook knew Gunko in the past, Oda could have accomplished that in a few pages. Instead, he’s spending significant time building up Shuri’s backstory while, in the present, Imu is directly controlling Gunko’s body.

To me, that suggests this flashback isn’t just explaining Gunko’s past. It’s setting up a major reveal about her connection to Imu.

And if Shuri turns out to be Imu’s daughter, the timing of this flashback suddenly makes a lot more sense. It wouldn’t just be revealing who Gunko is—it would be revealing who she is to Imu.

Out of ALL the Holy Knights, Imu chose Gunko

When Imu took control of a body on Elbaf, it wasn’t Shamrock.

It wasn’t Sommers.

It wasn’t Killingham.

It was Gunko.

This is the single biggest piece of evidence.

The story keeps treating Gunko differently from every other Holy Knight.

Even before the possession, she was already unique:

• She could create the abyss summoning circles.
• She seemed connected to the same power source as the Gorosei.
• She possessed abilities other Holy Knights haven’t displayed.

Oda is practically screaming to us that there is something special about this girl. The question is what? A blood relationship with Imu would explain everything.

Gunko received immortality despite being “just” a Holy Knight

One thing that keeps bothering me: Why was Gunko given privileges that seem reserved for Imu’s closest circle?

Some people have pointed out that she appears to possess the same regenerative/immortality-type benefits associated with Imu’s contracts and the Gorosei. If those blessings are limited, then giving them to Gunko is a huge deal. So why her? Because she’s useful? Maybe. Because she’s Imu’s daughter? That makes even more sense to me.

Brook flashback unanswered questions

The Brook flashback revealed:

• Gunko was originally Princess Shuri.
• She was raised by King Reuven and Queen Candelle.
• She later became a Holy Knight.
• The World Government became deeply involved in her life.

But one mystery remains: Why did the World Government care so much about THIS specific princess?

Thousands of kingdoms exist. Thousands of princesses exist. Why Shuri? The story still hasn’t given us a satisfying answer. Unless she wasn’t just any princess.

Candelle’s illness and the mysterious Celestial Dragon connection

There’s also some weird stuff going on about Candelle. Candelle reportedly suffered a lengthy illness around the same period a Celestial Dragon vessel appeared near Esperia. What if that wasn’t random? What if Imu personally visited Esperia? Then there’s some random fog and Candelle “dies” offscreen? A lot of people have been suspecting since the flashback first started that Candelle could be a God’s Knight. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some more going on here.

Candelle’s Actions/Dialogue

The first thing that set me off was the weird vagueness around Candelle’s “love” for Reuven. In the VIZ translation, she says this when talking to Brook:

Brook: “Are you in love with any particular man, Candelle?”

Candelle: “Lady! And yes, but he is far out of my league. So I trained very hard with the sword…so that I might be as close to him as possible.”

Brook: “I bet he’d like you if you dressed more ladylike!!”

Candelle: “That’s not necessary. I’m happy simply being at his side!!”

Looking at the above, I find it odd that Candelle is being this vague about who she is in love with. This could of course just simply be Reuven, but Oda never outright confirms this and jumps straight to them getting married. Also, Candelle makes reference to him being out of her league. Looks-wise, Reuven is certainly not out of her league, but I do acknowledge that she could just be a very nice person that is fully focused on personality.

To me though, the way this is set up feels like a classic misdirection from Oda. Oda loves making situations seem a certain way from the dialogue and implying things in that same way, and then subverting expectations by revealing that the character was talking about someone/something else the whole time.

Shuri’s eye design raises some red flags

This is more speculative, but Oda loves visual lineage clues. Shuri has always looked visually distinct. One of her eyes looks like Imu’s eye design while the other doesn’t. This wouldn’t be the first time Oda used physical traits to hint at ancestry (hair color, sanji’s eyebrows, etc.).

Why did Imu intervene during the fall of Esperia?

The end chapters of the flashback show that Imu was present during Esperia’s destruction. But why? Imu rules the entire world. Why personally involve yourself in the downfall of a relatively small kingdom? Unless the princess of that kingdom mattered to you.

My prediction

I think the eventual reveal will be something like:

• Imu became obsessed with Candelle because she reminded him of Lily.
• Imu fathered a child with her.
• That child was Shuri.
• The World Government later reclaimed her.
• Her memories were erased.
• She became Gunko.
• Imu kept her alive for decades as a future vessel.

And that’s why, when things started going wrong on Elbaf…Imu didn’t choose another Holy Knight. Imu chose Gunko. Because Gunko was never just a servant.

She was always family.