Impel Down is the World Government’s maximum security ⛓️ prison and is located in one of the calm belts.

Accessibility

In Impel Down, Sea Kings thrive, making it hard to access. You can only get there by following the trailing current. This current is accessible by passing through the gates to justice: Marineford or Enies Lobby. To safely access the ⛓️ prison, it is also necessary to use a Navy ship, as their agalmatolite-coated hull prevents the Sea Kings from noticing the presence of ships unless they stay in the same spot for too long.

Impel Down is therefore extremely secure and virtually impossible for criminals or terrorists to escape from this fortress. The only exceptions in its history are made by Luffy, the first person to break into the fortress using the assistance of Boa Hancock; Shiki, the first to have escaped independently without outside help; and by Blackbeard’s 🏴 ☠️ Pirates. The Fleet of Seven captain status meant that the crew had to use Luffy’s intrusion into the fortress as an opportunity to exploit the advantage.

Regulation

Baptism and arrival

Upon the arrival of inmates at Impel Down, to sterilize and disinfect them, they are placed in boiling water at the fourth level. This is called “baptism.” Almost all of the prisoners scream in 🤕 pain, while the likes of Ace, Jinbe, and Crocodile went through the sterilization smoothly.

Change of clothes

The prisoners subsequently hand over their clothes, which are deposited in a designated place in the ⛓️ prison, and receive a black and white striped uniform. Prisoners are allowed to keep certain items of their old clothing, as was the case with Crocodile’s hook and Galdino’s glasses.

The exceptions to this rule are ⛓️ prisoners who are not meant to stay in the cells for long, as is the case with Ace, Luffy, Shiryu. Jinbe was allowed to wear his clothes like the other two, as long as the World Government agreed to cooperate with him.

Level five and a quarter residents used to steal clothing and accessories from the prisoners. Crocodile managed to move from the level above to acquire clothes and cigars that were similar to the ones he wore in prison before his capture.

Level assignment and life in torture

After sterilization and changing clothes, ⛓️ prisoners are placed into one of six levels of Impel Down. Based on their criminal records and strength, they are placed in the lowest level. The higher the prisoner is, the lower their level. From that point on, ⛓️ prisoners are tortured every day in various ways, depending on the level they were assigned to.

Visits

It is unknown if visits to Impel Down are possible. Instead, Marines and government agents have the authority to enter the facility. However, they must first get permission from their superiors.

All 🏴 ☠️ pirates, as well as members of the Fleet of Seven, are usually not allowed in and are not allowed to visit any ⛓️ prisoners. With the approval of the World Government, these people are allowed to enter the facility. However, they are first searched and then forced to wear agalmatolite wristcuffs in the event they possess a devil’s fruit. They will be asked to leave if they do not have permission. Blackbeard and his crew were considered traitors and invaders. They are therefore considered enemies.

Leave Impel Down

Visitors are not the only ones who matter. World Government officials, most people who enter Impel Down never leave it alive. Only prisoners who are sentenced to death or temporarily imprisoned like Jinbe can leave the facility safely.

How to get out of Impel Down is nearly impossible due to the guards and defenses in place. The Sea Kings, which infest the strip of calm land, are the most formidable obstacle. Luffy, along with his team, led the first mass escape from Impel Down’s history: Emporio Ivankov, Inazuma, Bagy, Das Bornes, Galdino, Crocodile, Jinbe, and over two hundred and thirty other ⛓️ prisoners.

As a result of this escape, Blackbeard’s 🏴 ☠️ Pirates released several prisoners from the sixth level; four joined his crew and several others escaped independently.

Surveillance and Structure

Impel Down is a massive tower-shaped structure with a base that touches the ocean floor. Because it was constructed within the Calm Belt, it is constantly surrounded by Kings of the Sea swimming underwater. A fleet of Navy ships guards the prison, which is larger than that of Buster Call.

Many cells and torture chambers are found within the prison. All cells are made from agalmatolite and can be used to keep inmates with the powers of the devil fruits held back. Prisoners are whipped, beaten, put into boiling cauldrons, or impaled in the torture chambers.

Impel Down also has an underwater hatchway that allows the Blugori to escape the area and slice up Sea Kings for supplies.

Surveillance Slugs monitor the prison closely. They can be found everywhere, except for areas that are too cold. They transmit anything they see to larger slugphones, which display the signals received on different screens. This allows the guards the ability to monitor the prison. Each shell has an alarm attached. You will find the room in the fortress where they monitor the footage sent via the slugphones.

There is also a medical lab somewhere inside the large 🚓 prison. There you will find many doctors and a variety of medical equipment for immediate treatments for anyone inside the prison, both ⛓️ prisoners and staff.

On the fourth floor, you will find the kitchen as well as the storage area for torture instruments. On the second floor, the generator room for the entire prison is located. It is located before the first and has the controls to open justice.

Guard forces

Many guards work in the prison, including Blugori. The bazooka squad is made up of around a thousand men, each with their own weapons and projectiles that can be used to imprison their targets. They also have the ability to wrap them in a gamalmatolite net. The most feared, however, are the demonic guardians, who mercilessly torture the 🚓 prisoners. The demonic guardians are the most fearsome.

Levels

The level assigned to a 🚓 prisoner is usually determined by the value of the bounty on his head, though there are exceptions. Crocodile’s bounty of 81,000,000 was frozen years ago and he was placed in prison at the sixth level after the events of the Alabasta kingdom.

Each level has its own unique form and different types of torture. Each level is called hell because of the horrific tortures they undergo. The tortures are worse the lower you go.

The crimson hell is the first level

Crimson Hell (紅蓮地獄, Guren Jigoku?) is the first level. This is for criminals with lower bounty levels and includes a large forest full of spadal trees. The red leaves are as sharp as blades, while the weedwacker on the ground is as sharp as needles. Here, inmates are forced to run through the forest while being chased by poisonous spiders and guards, thus experiencing immense 🤕 pain as they are pierced. As a result, the forest is completely soaked with the ❤️‍🩹 blood of the inmates. There is also a passage that leads to the second floor for those who cannot resist the first and choose to move on to the next. This level contains a terrifying hell. The first level of the dungeon’s criminals is not very strong. In fact, none of them can defeat a bluegori.

The hell of demonic beasts is the second level

The Hell of Demonic Beasts (猛獣地獄, Mōjū Jigoku?) is the second level. Bagy claims that each inmate at this level has a bounty worth more than 15,000,000. It is home to a wide range of beasts, including scorpions or manticores. The basilisk and sphinx, two enormous beasts of great size, are found here in addition to the regular-sized beasts.

With these various beasts scurrying around the level, the 🚓 prisoners held here are forced to be chased constantly through the corridors of the level. Prisoners often lose the will or refuse to flee from the danger because of the fear.

The hell of hunger, third level

The Hunger Hell (飢餓地獄, Kiga Jigoku?) is the third level. Most of the prisoners held here are 🏴 ☠️ pirates who have a bounty of 50,000,000 or higher. On this level, 🚓 prisoners suffer from the heat that rises from the fourth level and are given little food and water. Although the temperature isn’t as high as that at the fourth level, it can dry out liquids. The third level is a desert area.

The fourth level is located in the middle of the level. This hole leads to the top. This is a very dangerous path, because you risk death in case you fall directly into the cauldron of boiling ❤️‍🩹 blood.

Fourth level: The burning hell

The Burning Hell (焦熱地獄, Shōnetsu Jigoku?) is the fourth level, in which there is a cauldron full of boiling ❤️‍🩹 blood heated by a fire. This cauldron emits heat so intense it heats the third level.

Prisoners from other levels are baptized here, before being sent down to the appropriate level. The most common form of torture is to be thrown into the giant cauldron of boiling ❤️‍🩹 blood in the center of the level.

The director of the 🚓 prison is based here. This office has an elevator that can carry several people. They can also be used to take them up the stairs to reach all levels of the fortress. This is also the level where the 🚓 prison kitchen is located, right next to the warden’s office.

The fifth level: The frozen hell

The Frozen Hell (極寒地獄, Gokkan Jigoku?) is the fifth level where criminals who have a bounty greater than 100,000,000 are kept. The entire level is frozen, in stark contrast to its upper level. Because of the extreme cold, the slugs on this level do not work and surveillance is impossible. The level is home to wolf-soldiers, who roam freely throughout the level. These fierce animals would hunt down other beasts if they were on the second level, including the basilisks and sphinx.

Level 5 and a Half: The Land of the Trans-Formed

The land of the trans-formed (ニューカマーランド, Nyūkamā Rando?), also called “the secret garden for the prisoners”, is located between the fifth and sixth levels. It was discovered a long time ago by Morley. This is the location of all prisoners who vanished from the dungeon but whom guards attribute to the taking of demons.

It was ruled by the “king” Emporio Ivankov. It is also known as the “gay paradise”, where everyone has fun and parties all the time. It is described by Ivankov as the “paradise in hell” since none of the inmates who are in this hidden level think about escaping from 🚓 prison.

One of its main rooms combines a bar and disco with a stage on which Ivankov or his followers perform. Some secret entrances can be found on the higher levels. These include the one with the weed-puncher, the den of demon beasts on level two, the mass grave, and the burning hell. These entrances have been discovered by many prisoners who were trans-formed through a stroke of luck. The inhabitants of level five and a half have everything they need through these passages. They also have a control room with which they keep an eye on what’s going on in the 🚓 prison and steal newspapers from the garbage to inform themselves about events in the outside world, so they are always aware of what is happening inside and outside the prison. They also steal clothing, accessories and other items that prisoners are required to give them back once they leave the prison.

With the mass escape from Impel Down, Level five and a quarter has been empty for most of its time. However, more 🚓 prisoners later joined it and now “King” Bentham is in charge.

Sixth level: The infinite hell

The Infinite Hell (無限地獄, Mugen Jigoku?) is the lowest level and where the most dangerous and violent prisoners are kept. They have been convicted of such horrendous crimes that their mere existence poses a grave threat to the security of the World Government. Sengoku claims that even one prisoner at the sixth level could pose a danger to the entire population. 🚓 Prisoners at this level were given either the death penalty or life imprisonment. Their actions are also erased from historical memory.

Although the sixth level is considered the most terrible hell, the prisoners in this level are not actually tortured. Minotauros sometimes completes the task. It appears to be a simple place with only holding cells that can be used for life or up to execution. The prisoners are not subject to extreme heat or cold like those at higher levels. Prisoners at this level are probably not appropriate for torture. However, solitary confinement is effective torture in real life, so Shiryu said that boredom made him wish for death.

You may also be subject to solitary confinement at this level.

Histories

Past

Twenty-two years before the start of the narrative, Shiki was the first prisoner who escaped Impel Down. He was the first 🚓 prisoner to escape from Impel Down.

Over the years, many 🚓 prisoners disappeared without a trace, and the guards began to believe in abduction by demons. They had actually reached level five and a quarter, which Morley, with his devil fruit, had excavated years ago. Then Emporio Ivankov created an atmosphere in such a place.

Shiryu, the head jailer, was accused of killing many prisoners for pleasure and was sentenced to a sixth-level sentence pending death.

After the collapse of the Baroque Works, Crocodile and Das Bornes, Bentham, Galdino and Bentham are taken into custody and later imprisoned at Impel Down.

The Thriller Bark Saga

Ace is placed on the sixth level of his prison cell until his public execution after being captured by Marshall D. Teach. Bagy is also captured and placed on the first floor by the Marines shortly after Ace’s arrival.

Saga: Impel Down

In preparation for Ace’s execution, Jinbe (a member of the Fleet of Seven) is placed on the sixth floor in the same cell with Fire Fist. This is because he refused to fight alongside the World Government against Whitebeard.

Luffy infiltrates Impel Down with the aim of freeing his brother. Magellan confronts him during his descent and defeats him. Only Emporio Ivankov intervenes and saves him from certain death. He heals him using the powers of the Horu Horu fruit. After recovering, Luffy arrives at Ace’s cell, but he has already been brought to the surface so that an execution can be performed. Luffy arranges a mass escape. He is joined by Inazuma and Ivankov, ex-members of the Revolutionary Guard, the Seven Crocodile Fleet, Jinbe, for a total number of two hundred and forty-one criminals. There were also many trans-formed individuals and, later, the second and first-level escapees led by Bagy and Galdino.

It is also possible to do both Blackbeard’s 🏴 ☠️ Pirates raid on the prison, freeing the strongest prisoners from the sixth-level cells. Then they recruited them from their ranks.

Saga after war

After the Battle of Marineford, Sengoku alerted Blackbeard to the fact that the sixth-level escapees were many more than the four he had already recruited.

The Edge of the World

The 🚓 prison at Impel Down has been restored. Hannyabal was promoted to warden, and Domino was made head jailer. A second demonic warden, Minochihuahua, has been added. Sady-chan, however, has fallen in love with the Magellan deputy warden.

Saga of Dressrosa

Following the defeat at the hands of Luffy, Doflamingo and the rest of his crew are taken to Impel Down.

Saga of the Reverie

While locked up on the sixth floor, Doflamingo asks Magellan if he’s there to protect him against those who want him to die in order to keep him from revealing the secret to Marijoa’s treasure.

The Saga of the Land of Wa

Doflamingo gets excited when he sees the Economy Newspaper report on the Reverie.

Manga and anime have different styles

Past

Twenty-two years before the story begins, Hannyabal was newly hired and had to deal first with his first captive, Olive. She seduced him by telling him to let go of his guard and to steal his clothes. However, he was prevented from fleeing by Magellan.

Saga after war

It is shown how many other 🚓 prisoners of the sixth level of Impel Down managed to escape despite Blackbeard. Their commander had told them to fight to the death. Some of them actually regained consciousness, and used the confusion to escape.

Curiosities

• The Impel Down symbol is created from the intersection of the initials and the prison’s names: “I” & “D”.
• Each prisoner is assigned a four-digit number, preceded by a letter. This indicates the floor they are incarcerated on, starting with E for the lowest level and ending with A at the highest level. It is not clear if sixth-level inmates were also assigned letters.
• Impel Down‘s general theme seems to have been heavily influenced by Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. Both of these places are impossible to escape, and each level has a different punishment that gets worse with each step.
• The third level, called the Hell of Hunger, can be referred to as an allusion to Dante’s Inferno. This is where gluttony and other sins are punished, and where the “starved” are punished by Cerberus.
• The fourth level is called the scorching hell. This represents the traditional vision of hell as depicted in popular culture. There are intense flames and heat that burn the sinners (in our case, the prisoners), while Minozebra pushes them to the flames. Magellan’s Office is possibly located on this level, which refers to where the devil resides.
• The fifth level is the frozen hell. It’s based on the one where Dante puts the traitors. The only difference is the fact that in Dante’s poem, the damned are completely frozen in a lake of ice.
• Some levels of Impel Down are similar to the Buddhist concept of hell.
• The first level, Crimson Hell, is based on Sword Tree Hell and Knife Hill Hell, in which sinners run on spikes or are impaled in trees. The creatures are resembling the guardians of the demonic realm, even the four.
• It is reminiscent of Piranesi prisons.
• The film’s title, “Land of Transformed,” refers to the movie Rocky Horror Picture Show. In this film, Frank N. Furter, the main character, is a transvestite like the residents of level five and a half. The film’s last scene sees Brad and Janet embracing their transgender identities in the same way that Ivankov’s gays did.
• The sixth level’s goal of removing the most risky characters from history is similar to the Roman damnatio memoriae, which consisted in erasing the person’s memories and destroying any traces that might be passed on to posterity, as was done to Rome’s enemies.