There’s not quite anything else in the One Piece world like the undersea prison Impel Down. One of the greatest centers of torture that would make the American CIA blush, it’s also one of the most mysterious places on the Grand Line. Impel Down itself holds many secrets, some that even the staff there are still unaware of.
This article contains spoilers for One Piece, so catch up with the manga on Viz or watch the anime on Crunchyroll before continuing on!
Where is Impel Down?
Impel Down is one of the three connected stops of the Sea Train Puffing Tom, along with Enies Lobby and Water 7. The difference between them is that Impel Down is located out in the Calm Belt, making sure that it’s nearly inescapable. Even if anyone does get away from the prison, that means that they then have to deal with the Neptunians and calm seas, with nowhere else to go without proper transport.
Despite the odds being stacked against them, some brave souls have broken out of the prison. Granted, two of them also broke INTO the prison as well, but they made it back out. Despite the actions of Luffy and Blackbeard, much of the previous staff of the prison are still in employment during the current story.
Crimson Hell
The first level of Impel Down, the Crimson Hell, appears first as a beautiful red meadow, with occasional trees dotting the landscape. Except the lovely red grass is actually needles, stained with the blood of everyone that’s been there. Then there are the trees, also coated red thanks to their incredibly sharp leaves that slice open anyone who tries to seek refuge there. It’s an insidious kind of torture, giving those kept there no place to rest and a constant, flowing onslaught of pain throughout their time.
Most of the prisoners inhabiting Crimson Hell are in for lower-level offenses, and they’re often just fodder for guards to beat up. This includes Buggy, who’s overlooked when taken in and put on the first level despite his infamy. Fortunately for the Genius Jester, the jailers aren’t very thorough when taking him in, and don’t realize his powers leave him immune to the Crimson Hell he’s now in.
Wild Beast Hell
The second level of Impel Down takes heavy inspiration from the old Greek myth of the Labyrinth. It’s a winding, dark maze of hallways filled with jail cells, and even patrolled by a Minotaur among other devious creatures. Amongst others, the jailbreak party at Impel Down runs into a Sphinx and even three instances of Awakened Zoans. These are the most fearsome creatures there, especially for what their status reveals later in the story.
These jailers have fallen victim to their own Devil Fruits. As Vegapunk reveals later, Zoan Fruits have wills of their own much of the time, and when used in Awakening, can overpower the user’s will. This means the Devil Fruit takes over completely, killing any semblance of free will the person inside has. This leaves them a wild beast to roam the halls, torturing prisoners when they find them.
Starvation Hell
Directly as advertised, but with some added amenities for the discerning prisoner. Starving Hell is nothing but cells where prisoners are kept, with little if any food at all throughout their stay. When food is found, it’s often a bloodbath for the prisoners as they fight over it, near death thanks to the incredible strain and torture they’re under.
The worst thing about Starvation Hell is the location right over the Blazing Hell level of Impel Down. Heat rises up from the flames below, making sure the Starvation Hell keeps things hot no matter where prisoners try to hide. The entire structure itself is hot to the touch, with stone walls and floors that end up burning those who dare sit too long.
Blazing Hell
The fires of Blazing Hell aren’t the worst part, as there are various pits set up along the lower floor. Most of the prisoners dangle in cages or communal cells above the flames. Meanwhile jailers are only allowed on the small pathway connecting either side. Jailers will routinely lower the prisoners closer to the flames as punishment, or fun, depending on their mood that day. The Blazing Hell is also one of the larger levels of Impel Down, and extends the prison further underwater.
Many of the prisoners held here are lifers. They’re not getting out anytime soon, and this is a favorite level for the more torture-minded jailers to work. It’s only the beginning though, as the walk through Blazing Hell is meant to shock prisoners’ systems. Even more torture before going deeper into the wastes below. After walking through the flames of Blazing Hell, soaked in sweat, the prisoners suddenly face a drastic change.
Freezing Hell
This level keeps the temperature below zero at all times, making sure that everything remains a block of ice. It’s a barren wasteland, with most cells containing dead bodies long frozen and left there, almost like Mount Everest. Those that end up in Frozen Hell are often tossed in and forgotten, left to live in the sub-zero wastes. Assuming they live while fending for food against the wild beasts let loose in there.
A strange amount of beasts run around the Frozen Hell, too. All of them are vicious, like the wolves that chase Bon and Luffy when they first enter this level. They would have died too, just two more victims to the icy morgue. If not for the help of the Newkama Land Queen Emporio Ivankov! Yeeeeee-haw!
Eternal Hell
The last level of Impel Down is also where the worst, most absolutely vile pirates of the seas are held. Most of these pirates are so terrible that their names have been struck from history. Like the Void Century, the World Government doesn’t want their deeds to inspire others. It contains the worst of the worst, but even still some of the best pirates that ever lived. This is where Ace is held while awaiting execution, as well as Jimbei and Crocodile. They’re the extent of the nicer residents though. Many of the others end up on Blackbeard’s Pirates when he breaks into the prison.
The Eternal Hell seems incredibly tame in comparison to the other levels, but it’s the worst. It’s nothing but these pirates, who have often committed unspeakable crimes and ended countless lives, alone with themselves. For some it may not seem like a lot, but after so long with only the voices of their victims to speak with, a lot of people would go insane beyond what any torture could bring.
Where is Newkama Land?
The secret level of Impel Down between the Frozen and Eternal Hells is the mythical Newkama Land. The residents of Impel Down actually believe that there’s a demon in the walls of the jail, and that it takes residents to some dark place. This is used to explain multiple disappearances throughout the prison, and has become a much whispered-about secret during the years since they began.
It couldn’t be farther from the truth, as Newkama Land is actually one nonstop party within the walls of Impel Down. It’s a place free of the pressures of the outside, and Emporio Ivankov uses his Horm-Horm Fruit to encourage residents to be their true selves. It’s a bastion of true freedom within the oppressive walls of Impel Down, and still to this day functions under the leadership of Bon Clay.
Magellan
The former Warden and now Vice-Warden of Impel Down is also one of the most dangerous enemies Luffy has ever faced. He ate the Poison-Poison Fruit, and it causes everything he touches to become poisonous, including everything he eats. That’s not great for him, and makes him spend almost twenty hours a day in the bathroom thanks to the havoc it wreaks on his stomach. He’s able to change the types of poison though, so couldn’t he just make it a more mild form when he eats to solve the issue? It’s hard to believe there’s no way around this and it isn’t just a convenient excuse to get out of work.
Despite his incredible bowel issues, Magellan is still a dangerous fighter. Magellan even almost kills Luffy when the Straw Hat Captain fights him in Impel Down. It’s only through working with others like Mr. 3 and his Wax-Wax Powers that Luffy is able to overcome Magellan’s power, and it causes a permanent stain on the Warden’s reputation.
Hannyabal
This dude represents everyone who has ever hated their boss, and he’s constantly scheming to have Magellan fired. It’s honestly easy to root for the guy, too! As Vice-Warden he’s often the one cleaning up messes while the actual Warden sits on the toilet. Can’t really blame Hannyabal for being bitter about his job title and pay! He gives his all during the Impel Down break in too, and manages to hold a lot of the prisoners at bay while the other staff are caught up elsewhere.
Good for him though, he finally gets the promotion he’s been after thanks to his part in the breakout recovery. Magellan’s honor causes him to step down, switching titles with Hannyabal and letting the number one employee take charge. Now, Hannyabal is the proud Warden of Impel Down, and does all of his torture with even more pride than before.
Shiryu of the Rain
After everything seen in Impel Down and all the terrible torture, it’s really hard to be even worse. Shiryu of the Rain is the former Head Jailer who does just that though. He’s so awful he manages to go to such extreme lengths of torture that he’s fired from his job. Then he doesn’t take the firing well and decides to fight back against Magellan. This gets the former Head Jailer thrown into the Eternal Hell level of Impel Down. Who knows how long he would have stayed down there if Blackbeard hadn’t broken him out, either?
Now he’s a full member of the Blackbeard Pirates, one of the Division Captains alongside other infamous prisoners. Shiryu is just a vicious, violent man who only wants to enact more violence, whether he can justify it in the name of punishment or not. He’s going to prove a major adversary for one of the Straw Hat Pirates eventually, and it’s not going to be a pretty fight.
Will Impel Down Fall?
The way that One Piece is running currently is mirroring the pre-time skip story with most arcs. There’s every likelihood another raid on Impel Down happens in the future when the Final Saga gears up. Some characters are still in there that deserve another chance in the outside world too, like Bon Clay. The prison isn’t going to stay open for sure after the World Government falls. Even though it should come down much sooner than that.
While the prison does seem impenetrable, there’s plenty of proof to the opposite. Impel Down may have formerly been a terrifying place to keep criminals and murderers, but now it’s nothing more than a joke among the pirating world. It still stands for now, but Impel Down will only come closer to demolition as the story of One Piece draws to a close.
