Emporio Ivankov

Emporio Ivankov, or Iva for short, is the "Queen" of the Kamabakka Kingdom, known as "Okama King" (オカマ王) and a "Miracle Person" (奇跡の人), and is a commander of the Revolutionary Army. He was formerly a prisoner of Impel Down kept in Level 5, living in a secret "Okama Paradise" in the level 5.5, but has since returned to his post as Queen of Kamabakka Kingdom. He challenged Sanji to defeat his 99 masters of Newkama Kenpo for the secret of the "attack cuisine" and a boat, during the two year timeskip.

Appearance
Ivankov is a large man that towers over even the very large Crocodile and Jinbe. He has an unusually large head, sports an afro of blue/purple hair, and has long eyelashes, he also has a noticeably-odd shaped chin resembling an arrowhead. His afro is large enough to hold people inside it. He has a Jolly Roger tattooed just below his chest.

As an okama, he dresses in reddish-purple woman's garments with heavy makeup. To signify his queen-ship of New Kama Land, he wears a queen's crown with a king's crown on top. His hairstyle, make-up, necklace and fishnet stockings are all attributes commonly associated with a stereotypical depiction of a drag queen.

Using his Emporio Female Hormones on himself, Ivankov can become a large-sized, relatively curvy woman. This form is more realistically proportioned (relatively speaking) than his male form, and is rather well endowed. Because of the clothes he wears as an okama, this form is also scantily dressed. Despite the changes brought on by the hormones however, he is still incredibly tall and is at least twice, if not three times the size of the Impel Down officer Sadi-chan. While in a flashback as a Revolutionary, Iva has been seen wearing a cloak, and without the crown.

In the anime, when Iva turns into a woman, he keeps his male voice, unlike the other characters who are changed by his powers.

Personality
Ivankov: I used a little too much energy... my anemia...I'm...I'm... Crowd: Iva! Are you okay!?! Ivankov: I'm fiiiine!!! Crowd: Oh so you're fine after all! Crowd: Oh, you fooled me! As an okama stereotype, Iva is an effeminate cross dressing man. He also has a tendency to put "buru" at the end of a sentence as well as pronounce "watashi" and "anata" with a v(vatashi and vanata). He also tends to sometimes proclaim the exact opposite of a statement he has just said, with people believing this is his sense of humor (such as saying that he would not mind being called "Crap", before hastily announcing that he would not be referred to as such). He is noted for not being picky on what Japanese honorific someone can use when addressing him.

Being one who follows the way of the Okama, Iva seems to value friendship and bonds above all else. He seems to find great motivation at helping both friends and subordinates, and is ready to put his life on the line for their sake, as seen when he flew into a rage against Kuma when the latter attacked his "candies".

He also believes that people should be what they want to be whether it be a man, woman, or okama. He is very loud and open, even perverse, about his ideals as well. He doesn't care about other people's objections to his views, he even turned a man who tries to kill him into a woman, after the man (now woman) was embarrassed by his ordeal and had previously stated he objected to Ivankov's views. He states that as a prisoner of Impel Down he is not such a good person as he wouldn't save someone's life. However, when touched by the words of friendship and hope, he considers their life worth saving.

He thinks that "miracles" only come to those who never give up. He also dislikes people who rely on others to save them, and believes they aren't worth being saved. According to him, he always questions the "Will to Live" of nations he saved. Additionally, he also seems to be perceptive, being able to tell a person's physical health condition after observing them for a short while; Ivankov's intelligence also extends to being able to estimate what "toll" his Devil Fruit power upon those he uses it on. This as well as noticing Dragon's habit of looking towards the East Blue when the wind blows, and correctly assumed it was because his family was there.

Before his meeting with Luffy, he didn't express interest in breaking out of prison. He stated that he will escape when Dragon and the revolutionaries would take down the World Government. However, when Ivankov learned that Luffy was Dragon's son, he decided to help Luffy rescue Ace, considering his duty to his "personal compatriot", Dragon. He has a hatred towards anyone who has forgotten him, claiming that no one could possibly forget his face.

He also tends to call people by their name, nickname or part of it either followed by "boy" (like calling Mr 2 Bon Kurei "Bon-boy" and Crocodile "Croco-boy"). Iva often shouts "Hee-Haw!" (in the Shonen Jump translation, he shouts "Woo-Hoo!"). Like other characters in One Piece, Ivankov has his own laughter style (Mmmfufufu).

Monkey D. Dragon
Ivankov seems to have a close relationship with his leader, Monkey D. Dragon, and is a loyal follower within the Revolutionary group. In fact, Iva picked up on Dragon's habit of staring at the direction of East Blue when the wind blows, stating that Dragon may be homesick. However, while he knows this much, he seems to know little to nothing about Dragon's family, until his son Luffy speaks out. Even when they rescued the people from the Grey Terminal, Iva had no idea that Dragon was born in Goa Kingdom.

Ivankov's sense of camaraderie covers to the point where despite being a prisoner, his loyalty remains to the degree where he appears to be under no belief that Dragon has abandoned him. Ivankov has even stated that the only reason why he still remains within the Great Gaol was because he was merely biding his time, waiting for the right moment when Dragon will strike again, only then will he break out of Impel Down and join Dragon by his side, a notion that got accelerated upon learning that Luffy was Dragon's son, and the possibility that Ace was as well.

Inazuma
As a fellow comrade and okama, Ivankov broke Inazuma out of his cell in Level 5 of Impel Down. They plotted to escape when the time is right. It is currently unknown what kind of relationships Ivankov has with other members of the Revolutionary Army, but considering the versatility of his devil fruit powers, one can assume that he is held as a great asset within the Revolutionaries.

New Kama Land
The party of New Kama Land seem to worship and respect Ivankov like a "queen", due to him helping them escape from their hellish cells and giving them a better place to live. They gladly followed him when he decided to break out and entered into the fray at Marineford without hesitation. After the war, they continued to follow him as they went to Kamabakka Kingdom.

Mr.2 Bon Kurei
Mr. 2 Bon Kurei, in particular, worships Ivankov for being the greatest okama, as well as saving his and Luffy's lives. Iva, in return, was moved by Luffy's and Bon Kurei's strong friendship and was among the many prisoners who were crying after learning of Bon Kurei's sacrifice to get the Gates of Justice open for them.

Monkey D. Luffy
When Monkey D. Luffy begged for Ivankov to save Mr. 2 Bon Kurei from his injuries over his own fatally poisoned body, Ivankov was touched by this selfless bond and formed a respect for Luffy. Upon witnessing Luffy's astonishing recovery and discovering that Luffy is the son of his leader, Dragon, Iva's respect has grown even deeper, and felt a duty to assist Luffy in breaking Ace out of prison.

When Luffy declared venturing to Marineford to save Ace, Ivankov comments on how facing Luffy is like facing Dragon. Later, during the Battle of Marineford, when Luffy was on his last stand after taking a severe beating from admirals and vice-admirals, he begged Iva to once again inject himself with the tension hormones, to which the Okama was reluctant, saying the boy could lose his life, and if he does, then he won't be able to ever face Dragon again. Before splitting away from Luffy, he said that he would like to meet Luffy again someday. After reading a newspaper article about an incident involving Luffy, Ivankov comments on the traits Luffy inherited from Dragon, just as he had been doing ever since learning of their relationship.

Sanji
Ivankov has met Sanji, whom he distrusts owing to his drawn wanted poster, claiming he could be a spy for the government. He also enjoys tormenting him by implying that he will lend him a ship and then saying he won't. He did, however, give Sanji a challenge so that he could get the recipes for the Attack Cuisine and offered to give him a ship should he succeed; after the 2 year timeskip, Sanji was given a ride so Iva did keep his word.

Crocodile
He and Crocodile apparently met before, when Crocodile was still a rookie. Ivankov even found out a precious weakness of Crocodile's, which he uses to blackmail Crocodile to ensure that he wouldn't try to betray the escape party. It's possible Ivankov was talking about the Suna Suna no Mi's weakness; but as Crocodile was visibly reluctant to have it revealed, it's more likely to be something else.

Bartholomew Kuma
Ivankov was an old friend of Bartholomew Kuma, as both were among the Revolutionaries inner circle. Ivankov seems to know Kuma very well, one clue of this is Ivankov's comment about how Kuma hated the World Government. Moreover, Ivankov is well aware of the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi.

Jinbe
Currently, Ivankov has also seemed to have formed a bond with the fishman Shichibukai, Jinbe, in their attempt to aid their liberator, Monkey D. Luffy in his effort to rescue Ace in the middle of the war occuring in Marineford. After Ace's death, both Ivankov and Jinbe protect Luffy from Admiral Akainu. After leaving Marineford, Ivankov entrusted Jinbe to watch over Luffy.

Enemies
There seemed to be some prisoners in Level 5 who don't really like Ivankov. One of them, in particular, bore a grudge for Iva because he turned his father into an okama, which led to the downfall of his family and kingdom, and the man went from prince to pirate. The man swore revenge, only to be turned into a woman due to Ivankov's powers.

As a member of the revolutionary army, Ivankov is an enemy of the World Government.

Abilities and Powers
He is considered the greatest okama in the world. As queen of Kamabakka Kingdom, Iva controls an island of male transvestites, which gives him a similar status on par with Boa Hancock, who rules over Amazon Lily. In Impel Down, he set up his new kingdom (or queendom) called New Kama Land and commanded a small army of "New Kama Okama" followers, all of which were former prisoners. Following the war, he returned to Kamabakka Kingdom along with his New Kama Land followers, uniting his 2 king/queendoms.

As a commander of the Revolutionaries, Iva has control over the lower ranking members of the army. He appears to have considerable skills as a leader, evident by his ability to unite the rag-tag group of unruly inmates that strayed away and eventually found themselves in Newkama Land under his command.

Ivankov's trademark attack is the Death Wink. This ridiculous but powerful attack consists of sending a massive blast of what seems to be air pressure, simply by winking. He demonstrated this wink on a man who swore revenge on him because Ivankov had turned his dad, who was a king into a woman, fired with his bazooka. Ivankov used the Death Wink, and repelled the blast. This attack is often powered up by Ivankov's Devil Fruit, using it to increase the size of his own head, creating the more powerful Hell Wink.

In contrast to his rather comical appearance, Ivankov is a powerful fighter should the need arise. His strength great enough that he could fight in equal terms with the newly, completely transformed Pacifista, Shichibukai Bartholomew Kuma. He is also fairly durable and, like Bon Kurei, has been known to survive from cases that are otherwise life-threatening from time to time. To best put his strength in perspective, he was able to easily defeat (without any visible damage) Sanji, one of the Straw Hats' top fighters.

Ivankov also appears to have some knowledge regarding Haki, having asked Luffy about it at the final stages of the battle at Marineford, and the fact that he was able to retain his consciousness after Luffy unleashed a surge of Haoshoku Haki throughout Marineford (that incapacitated both Marine and pirate alike) despite being so close to the boy while running side by side with him suggests remarkable willpower on Ivankov's part.

As a woman, Ivankov appears to be skilled in hand-to-hand combat, as her feminine figure gives her better arms and legs for fighting. She is strong enough to not only hold her own, but defeat Chief Guard Sadi-chan, one of the strongest among the staff of Impel Down, without any injuries. In the anime, he also states his woman body makes him softer, which makes him resistant to most physical attacks. She seems to use kicks and wrestling submission moves when a woman, and uses Death/Hell wink and Newkama Kenpo as a man.

Ivankov was also able to stand in Level 5 the freezing hell without showing any signs of discomfort, even though the temperature was so low that prisoners were losing their limbs from severe frostbite.

Another helpful, if comical, asset Ivankov has, is that he wears a great deal of make-up, enough to essentially create a "mask" which was able to completely shield his face from Magellan's corrosive poison and Akainu's magma in the anime.

Devil Fruit
Ivankov ate the Horu Horu no Mi, which allows him to control the hormones of the human body, and is one of the very few known powers coming from a Devil Fruit that can affect other people's bodies as well as his/her own. This power led him to be known as the "Miracle Person".

He can remodel a human from the inside, which allows them to change all physical aspects, including: sex, growth, skin pigment, and many other things.

This also allows him to boost a person's chances of survival from conditions that would otherwise mean certain death. However, it is only a slight increase, so only those with a strong enough will can recover. Also, the process apparently shortens a person's potential lifespan.

Newkama Kenpo
Ivankov has shown his own martial arts style, the Newkama Kenpo. This may be an improved version of Mr. 2 Bon Kurei's Okama Kenpo, as Ivankov shows more power in his strikes than Mr. 2, though Ivankov's significantly greater size and strength may also have something to do with it.

With this, Ivankov was able to injure Chief Warden Magellan before losing to his poison ability. And during the Marineford War, Ivankov was practically the first (and probably the only one) to actually harm Kuma throughout the extent of the battle.

Past
Ivankov apparently was responsible for many "miracles" people would seek out his help for many things, including making them become an Okama. At some time in his past, Ivankov knew Crocodile when he was a rookie, and found out a precious weakness Crocodile has along with him.



At sometime, he became a commander of the Revolutionaries, and had a close relationship with the leader Monkey D. Dragon. In fact, twelve years before the current timeline, he was on a crew with Monkey D. Dragon and Bartholomew Kuma. He witnessed the desecration of Gray Terminal, and helped the survivors board Dragon's ship.

Later, for his membership in the Revolutionaries, he was sent to Level 5 of Impel Down. However, it seems that his membership was not widely known, as Mr. 2 Bon Kurei claimed he was captured "without rhyme nor reason".

He was also at one point the Queen of the Kamabakka Kingdom, but has since been retired (possibly because of his imprisonment).

Helping Dragon's Son Escape the Great Gaol
However, some time after he was captured, he somehow completely disappeared from his cell without a trace. Since then however, there have been sightings of a man roaming around a forest near an abandoned guard's office. It turns out he and all the other people who were thought disappeared are actually under the sewers of Level 5, where he rules a kingdom of okamas which he calls The New Kama Land. After he and Inazuma found Mr. 2 Bon Kurei and Luffy, Luffy begged for the two to save Bon Kurei, while he himself was in worse shape.

While he is making an entrance, Bellett comes seeking revenge against Iva for his father becoming an okama after visiting Kamabakka Kingdom 15 years ago. He shot a cannonball at Iva, but pretending to be scared, he winked at the cannonball and launched it back. Then he transformed his attacker with female hormones into a woman. After he informed Bon Kurei that Luffy is in the healing process from the poison and will be finished in 2 days.

After injecting Luffy with his Healing Hormones, he had a talk with Bon Kurei about Impel Down and the New Kama Land, explaining that it actually exists between Level 5 and Level 6, having been dug out long ago by a former prisoner possessing a digging Devil Fruit power. After explaining to Bon Kurei the mechanics of Level 6, he asked him to go rest, which he refused, as he would rather spend his time cheering on Luffy to not give up. After seeing Bon Kurei's efforts, he and everyone in New Kama Land started cheering for Luffy as well. He was last seen completely astounded by the fact that Luffy had managed to heal in just 20 hours, instead of the over 48 he had predicted it would take.

Iva showed great (albeit delayed) surprise after Luffy told him Dragon was his father, which lead Iva to understand Luffy's incredible willpower and Dragon's past habits. He then assumed that Ace was also Dragon's son and came to the conclusion that the Government didn't know this "fact". He then went with Luffy and Inazuma to save Ace (and possibly keep the Government from making a big mistake which, he believes, could lead to invoking Dragon's wrath). He also advised Luffy to be careful about who he tells his parentage to. He left New Kama Land with Inazuma and Luffy, believing that as Dragon's comrade it is his duty to help Luffy in his task.

When the trio managed to enter Level 6, they found that Ace has already been transferred to the custody of the Marines. Worse yet, both the lift and the stairs out of Level 6 was blocked all of a sudden. With seemingly no possible way to save Ace, Iva told Luffy to just leave the rest to Whitebeard, as perhaps the more veteran pirate would have better luck at succeeding where the three of them had failed, and that they would try to get Luffy out of Impel Down. Luffy, however, stated he would rescue Ace or he would regret it for life, and decided to go to Marineford to do so. Iva claimed that is beyond dangerous, with so many powerful opponents there, but also sensed a powerful sensation when Luffy spoke, much like in the presence of Dragon. When some of the rowdy prisoners made snide remarks and told them to release them from their cells, Iva used his Death Wink to silence them. When Crocodile spoke up and offered them assistance, Iva persuaded Luffy to agree, and decided to use a "precious weakness" of Crocodile to hold him in control. Also, Jinbe requested for the chance to participate in the battle as well. With that, the five of them are in the process of breaking out.



When they arrive back in Level 5, he calls up all his faithful Okama to join him in the battle, and instructs them to free as many prisoners they can on the way from Level 5 upwards. While there, he gives Mr. 2 tension hormones to be able to fight alongside with them. He then makes his way up to Level 4 to fight the gaolers there. He uses Face Growth Hormones on himself then uses Hell Wink to defeat the Bluegori. As the prisoners get closer to the stairs to Level 3, he changes into a woman and fights Sadi-chan. Ivankov managed to easily dispatch Sadi-chan by restraining the Chief Guard with her own whip.



After finishing with Blackbeard, Magellan comes after Luffy himself, refusing to allow him to tarnish Impel Down's reputation. In order to buy them time, Emporio and Inazuma decide to stay and battle Magellan himself, though both efforts ultimately proved to be futile against the Chief Warden, ending in Iva's prompt defeat.

After reviving himself with Tension Hormones and Healing Hormones, Ivankov takes the unconscious Inazuma with him and uses his face-growth hormones and Hell Wink to reach the Main Entrance of Impel Down, where Luffy and the other prisoners were escaping Magellan. Thanks to his Hell Wink technique, the whole group managed to reach the sea, where Jinbe's whale sharks saved them.

War at Marineford
Once they reach the ship, Iva tells some of the prisoners to fetch medical supplies for Inazuma. Iva reveals he used Healing Hormones and Tension Hormones to save himself from the poison, but he does not want to put Inazuma through the same thing.

After going through the Gates of Justice, Luffy told Iva that Ace was actually the son of Gol D. Roger, which shocked him. Regardless, Iva seems to be willing to continue to support Luffy, and at Luffy's request, used the Hell Wink to launch the entire ship into the air and into Marineford.



He was seen, alongside the other Impel Down fugitives, falling from the sky down upon Marineford, in order to support Luffy in his rescue of Ace. Upon splashing down in the bay of Marineford, and after being rescued by Jinbe, he muses aloud that a battle of the great powers is certainly a force to be reckoned with.

Later on, he's stunned to see Luffy speaking so cavalierly with Whitebeard, even going so far as to compete with him to save Ace. He is later seen using a Death Wink to propel Luffy, who was charging towards the platform where Ace was on, away from a laser fired at him by Admiral Kizaru. When Luffy yelled his gratitude, Ivankov's only reply was that he sees it as his duty to not let Luffy die while in his presence.

Ivankov is later attacked by another laser, only this time, it came from Royal Shichibukai Bartholomew Kuma, which Ivankov managed to evade with an acrobatic rolling move. He was then seen panting and thinking to himself that while he could tolerate it if it's Kuma desire to retain his Shichibukai status, to fire directly at an old acquaintance like himself is quite another matter.



He's later seen fighting with Kuma, trying to talk some sense into him, saying that if Kuma doesn't stop attacking Ivankov will be force to fight back. Doflamingo says it's no use talking to Kuma as his modification into a full Pacifista was recently completed, erasing all of Kuma's memories and making him a heartless killing machine. Ivankov, outraged, says he will hold back no longer. When the army of Pacifista is unveiled, with Sentomaru apparently commanding them, a stunned Ivankov can only sputter Kuma's name repeatedly.

His battle with Kuma is apparently postponed, for he's later seen with Jinbe talking about the proceeding of the battle. He soon realizes, along with the fishman, that the Marines are planning something big, as they prepare to raise the steel wall in order to surround all the pirates. Iva is seen jumping to avoid Akainu's massive attack.

He is later seen together with Jinbe on top of the siege wall, with his face grown by the Emporio Face Growth Hormones, scolding Luffy of his former warnings about joining the war and Luffy' role in it. He asks Luffy if he is still alive after being attacked by two vice-admirals and Kizaru. He then gives Luffy another shot of tension hormones and follows Luffy into the fight again.



As Ivankov and Luffy continue running to the platform, Ivankov asks Luffy where he got that kind of power, Haoshoku Haki, but he realizes Luffy is unaware of it, and says its no wonder he attracts people. Ivankov and Luffy pummel through the Marines, and he asks Luffy if he's got what it takes to live up to the expectations of Whitebeard's faith in him, but Luffy says he's never known Whitebeard, and states he's only here for one reason, to save Ace. Once they near the platform, Ivankov asks of Inazuma to use his power for a way to allow Luffy to reach Ace, and he keep the Marines from getting closer to Luffy as he runs to the top.

After Luffy freed Ace, Ivankov comments with tears of joy that Luffy is the man that can get the job done. Later, a tragic event occured in which Admiral Akainu kills Ace. As Luffy goes into shock over Ace's death, Ivankov shows great concern, knowing Luffy is suffering from a mental breakdown. After Whitebeard's death, Akainu appears in front of Jinbe and once again tells him to give straw-hat to him, in which Jinbe replies back that he would rather die than giving up on Luffy. As Akainu prepares himself to attack, Ivankov appears overhead with his head enlarged by the Face Growth Hormones, and saying that he won't let the boy come to harm's way, attacks the admiral with his signature Hell Wink, causing a massive explosion. This attack did not stop the admiral. Akainu takes down Ivankov and continues to pursue Jinbe and Luffy.

Post-War Arc
Iva is next seen onboard Hancock's commandeered Marine ship (apparently managed to survive his ordeal against Akainu), having snuck on-board along with his fellow okama brethren. He boards Law's submarine and comments about the strength and will Luffy displayed since Impel Down and laments about the pain Luffy accumulated during his ordeal. He then asks Law if he is a friend of Luffy's. When Law tells him they are not allies, and offers to make up an excuse for treating him, Iva says he doesn't need one, as Law was simply following his instincts. Once Hancock's crew arrives to take Luffy to Amazon Lily, Ivankov declares that his duty to protect Luffy was now complete and decides to leave everything else to Jinbe, Hancock and Law. Ivankov and his followers then depart to Kamabakka Kingdom. The Okama states that he hopes to meet Luffy again.



Returning to his queendom, Ivankov encounters Sanji, who was forced to endure time with the other okama thanks to being sent there by Kuma. Sanji tried to convince him of his connection to Luffy, but because of his badly-drawn wanted poster, Ivankov doesn't believe a word Sanji says. Ivankov declares that he will refuse to tell Sanji anything about Luffy since there is the slightest chance of Sanji being a spy for the Marines and the government.

Sanji attempts to win a boat off him by defeating him in combat but fails to defeat the queen. Later, Ivankov decides to tell Sanji about Luffy since the news of the Straw Hat captain has been made public. The okama queen gives Sanji the newspaper showing what is happening with his captain at this time.

When Sanji starts reading the newspaper, Ivankov goes to a communication room with Inazuma and speaks with Revolutionary Dragon through Den Den Mushi. Ivankov informs Dragon about the newspaper article concerning Luffy and comments on how much he is like his father. Ivankov then asks Dragon about what happened to Kuma as he is no longer the Kuma that Ivankov once knew. Ivankov adds that Kuma even tried to kill him.

Later, when Sanji was reading the article about Luffy going back to Marineford, Ivankov was looking over his shoulder inquiring what he was reading about. While eating in the dining hall, Ivankov once again asks Sanji about the article. Sanji won't answer much to the okama's annoyance. When Sanji inquires about the food they're eating, Ivankov proceeds to tell Sanji the enhancing properties of the "Attack Cuisine". Sanji then tells Ivankov to give him the recipe, but the okama bluntly says no to the request. Iva says that Sanji needs to learn Newkama Kenpou in order to learn the recipe. Since Sanji refuses to become an okama, Iva then gives Sanji a challenge to earn the recipe. The challenge is that Sanji needs to defeat the 99 masters of Newkama Kenpou while evading the island's inhabitants. If Sanji wins, Iva will grant his wishes including a boat and if he loses, there is no guarantee that Sanji will keep his manhood.

Two Years Later
Two years have passed, and Sanji succeeded in conquering Ivankov's challenge. As promised, Ivankov gives Sanji a boat for him to return to Sabaody Archipelago.

Major Battles

 * Emporio Ivankov vs. Bellett
 * Emporio Ivankov, Luffy, and Inazuma vs. Impel Down Guards and Wolf Unit
 * Emporio Ivankov vs. Blue Gorillas
 * Emporio Ivankov vs. Sadi-chan
 * Emporio Ivankov vs. Magellan
 * Emporio Ivankov, Luffy, and Jinbe vs. Marines
 * Emporio Ivankov vs. Bartholomew Kuma (PX-0)
 * Emporio Ivankov and Inazuma vs. Admiral Akainu
 * Emporio Ivankov vs. Sanji

Anime and Manga Influences
The inspiration for Ivankov and most of the Okama in Impel Down came from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Specifically, Ivankov's look is based on Tim Curry's Dr. Frank-N-Furter role. His tendency to call people "candies" could be a reference to a line from the Rocky Horror song 'Sweet Transvestite', "...he thought you were the candy man." Another similarity the two have is the fact that they can both turn men into transvestites.

Ivankov is also notably based on Norio Imamura, a real life Okama and a member of Mayumi Tanaka's acting troupe whom Oda met. In relation to Ivankov's large head and name, when Oda met with Imamura, he noted that Imamura had a face that looked like a boulder (iwa) and even mistook Imamura's name for Iwamura. When Imamura heard that there was a character based on him, he immediately auditioned for the voice role of Ivankov in the anime and got the part. Imamura was arrested on July 2010 for posting indecent pictures of himself on the internet. Because of this, he stepped down from voicing Ivankov, who is now voiced by Mitsuo Iwata.

Hell Wink
While in the manga, it was mentioned (Crocodile was blaming Ivankov for using his wink move while they fell from the sky) that Ivankov's Hell Wink was responsible for launching the entire Marine battleship from the frozen wave, while in the anime, Luffy, with Jinbe, Buggy, Ivankov, and Crocodile himself who did the act (even, in the anime Crocodile blames just Ivankov).

Meeting Sanji
In the anime Emporio Ivankov is seen returning to his kingdom, meeting Sanji. Sanji instantly falls in love with his female form, despite knowing "she" wouldn't be interested in men. He attempts to ask about Luffy through gestures of romance. He snaps out of it when Ivankov turns back into a man, angering Sanji and crushing his hopes of meeting a real woman.

Their fight is shown, with Sanji attacking Ivankov with Diable Jambe. Ivankov pretends to be defeated by this but then effortlessly overpowers Sanji, surprising his Okama followers. Iva then unleashes a barrage of "44 - Aesthetic Technique! Hair Removal Fist", "Death Wink", "Hell Wink", and "Galaxy Wink" leaving Sanji on the ground bloodied and beaten to an inch of his life. Ivankov then hands Sanji a newspaper since the news of Luffy has already been made public.

Early One Piece
In One Piece Green: Secret Pieces, an early concept of Ivankov is shown. In Oda's sketchbook, a drawing of Ivankov with a more realistic-looking face was found. He had a much thinner, longer face and black hair, but his facial make-up doesn't seem to have changed much.

Translation and Dub Issues
His surname could be derived from Italian, where the word "Emporio" roughly translates to "store" or "general store", or from Russian, "Ivankov" are resembles Russian surname "Ivanov". His given name, "Ivankov" is actually derived from Japanese. According to the SBS for volume 58, "Ivankov" (Which is written "Iwankofu") is derived from the Japanese word "Iwa" which means "A Boulder" or a "Stone". The name comes from a nickname given to an actual crossdresser and friend of Oda named "Norio Imamura".

Trivia

 * His jolly roger, at first glance, looks like a skull with two arrow-headed swords behind it that curve to resemble horns. However, it also shows both the male and female sex symbol twice on it (the female sex symbol consists of the skull's eye socket and the sword's hilt while the male symbol is the arrow shaped sword blade and the skull's eye socket).
 * Iva refers to himself as a "Newkama", as opposed to an "Okama". This is a double pun made by mixing words. It basically goes "Newhalf" (Transsexual) + Okama (Crossdresser) = Newkama (Newcomer).
 * His face paintings looks like the face paintings of the members of KISS glam metal band. This make-up is so thick on his face that it was able to withstand a direct attack from Magellan's Hydra.
 * In an SBS, Oda jokingly stated that Ivankov will rent out his hair to up to three people for 5000 a night. When he is moving, the people in his hair see an ocean, they are charged extra for an "ocean view." He also has a very comfortable room in his crown. There is also a "Face Growth Hormone" service for up to thirty people.
 * Like many other characters, Ivankov has a distinct speech style. He has a tendency to put "buru" at the end of a sentence (like many other cathcphrases in the series, it has no actual meaning other than a distinct way of talking). As well as pronounce "watashi" (I, me, myself) and "anata" (you -very polite-) with a v(vatashi and vanata), this goes too for words with "w", where he changes it for a "v".
 * Also, when Mr.2 was talking to him, the members of Newkama Land were mad at him for "-san" rather than "-sama". Ivankov then claims that its fine to call him whatever. This could be a reference to famous drag queen, Rupaul; who doesn't care if people say he or she.
 * It is stated that he will appear in One Piece: Unlimited Cruise SP along with Boa Hancock.
 * His appearance and manner of speech somewhat resemble the character Dr. Frank-N-Furter from the 1975 film "Rocky Horror Picture Show".
 * His prisoner number in Impel Down was 6582.

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Emporio Ivankov Emporio Ivankov Emporio Ivankov 安布里奧·伊娃克夫