Here we report the complete mitochondrial genome of the emperor dragonfly, Anax imperator (Odonata: Aeshnidae) as the first of its genus. Data were generated via next generation sequencing (NGS) and assembled using an iterative approach. The typical metazoan set of 37 genes (13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, and 2 rRNA genes) was detected in the same gene order as in other odonate mitogenomes. However, only three intergenic spacer regions are present in A. imperator lacking the distinct s5 spacer, which was regarded as informative feature of the odonate suborder Anisoptera (dragonflies) but absent in Zygoptera (damselflies). With 16,087 bp, it is the longest anisopteran mitogenome to date, mainly due to the long A + T-rich control region of 1291 bp.