in the 1980s the império would face its most lackluster decade yet - in those years they would be either champions among their peers, or tumble down in the rankings almost to the point of being declassified to lower divisions.

the 1990s, though, would be even worse - faced with several internal conflicts, the school would fail to win in the special division although it managed to do so when it was demoted to the access group.

this trend would be maintained in the very next decade, although, in all fairness, the império never fell from the top tier - today the group is still among the most well-known of the samba schools, due to its rich and ancient history, unique democratic internal organization and surprising parades.