“One Piece” is a legendary anime, one whose repute (and extremely excessive variety of episodes) make it fairly an intimidating endeavor for newcomers. Nonetheless, we have now advocated in favor of embarking on this unforgettable journey earlier than. This can be a present that appears too lengthy at first, till you begin catching up and understand there are literally not sufficient episodes. For 25 years, “One Piece” has instructed the humorous, thrilling, epic, action-packed, lore-filled story of Monkey D. Luffy as he units out on a journey to seek out the legendary One Piece treasure and turn out to be the king of the pirates. That is the inspiration upon which manga creator Eiichiro Oda constructed among the finest and most fleshed-out universes in all of recent fiction.
Certainly, “One Piece” is a universe that feels lived-in and fleshed-out, one that may maintain numerous numbers of tales and feels prefer it adjustments and evolves even after we’re not watching. That is the key sauce of the anime, which may return and tie up free ends many years later seamlessly, introducing characters we have by no means seen earlier than and making them match completely within the tales we’re already very accustomed to from 15+ years in the past. For an anime with over 1,100 episodes, the truth that “One Piece” can nonetheless shock audiences even after 25 years is a testomony to the ability of this epic anime.
And shock it did in July 2025, when it launched what followers on-line are calling the one saddest episode of your complete present, and one of many saddest episodes of TV this 12 months.
The lifetime of Bartholomew Kuma is pure emotional harm
“One Piece” has spent the previous few weeks telling the story of Kuma, a person we initially met as a stone-cold villain with unimaginable energy and no sympathy for his enemies. By way of flashbacks, we be taught of his backstory because the final member of his race, how he was compelled into slavery, noticed his dad killed in entrance of him, was despatched to a sadistic “Most Harmful Recreation” state of affairs, and skilled much more struggling. The latest episode noticed Kuma fulfilling a deal he made with the World Authorities to actually sacrifice his free will and turn out to be a RoboCop cyborg for the federal government with a purpose to achieve a remedy for his adopted daughter’s sickness.
Episode 1,136 is a superb episode of tv. For the final couple of years, producer Toei Animation has allowed for extra particular person freedom in episode path and visuals, with administrators getting to use their distinctive stamp and animators attending to go wild deciphering and adapting the manga. This episode reveals arguably the perfect instance of why that’s a good suggestion, with Yasunori Koyama utilizing the medium of tv to finest translate the story. Since many of the episode is instructed by reminiscences, Koyama and his workforce apply a filter that makes the flashbacks appear like they had been shot on celluloid. They play with summary imagery to indicate the subjectivity of Kuma’s reminiscences and spotlight the feelings he feels as he surrenders his free will and basically his soul.
Eiichiro Oda has included a father/daughter story in nearly each story arc of “One Piece” since he grew to become a father himself within the present’s post-timeskip period, however none are as heartbreaking because the story of Kuma and Bonny.
One Piece can nonetheless shock audiences
This can be a present with some extraordinarily emotional episodes, however none get half as emotionally devastating as episode 1,136. It even recontextualizes one of many present’s best episodes by exhibiting Kuma did not simply obliterate the Straw Hats once they first fought for enjoyable, however to show them, and assist them get higher. Kuma silently positioned all his hopes on Luffy and helped him turn out to be the person he’s in the present day.
That is the important thing to why this episode is so highly effective. It isn’t sufficient to simply give audiences a tragic story they’ll cry over. Reasonably, it is the truth that Kuma’s life, for the way unhappy it was, touched each side of the world of “One Piece” that makes it such a tragedy. Kuma by no means thought he deserved to reside, or that anybody benefitted from him being right here. As Dr. Vegapunk tells him proper earlier than taking away his will, “To reside is to trigger others hassle,” and Kuma’s loss of life shall be hassle for everybody who has ever beloved him — and there are various, many individuals who did. What was initially launched as only a hulking, silent monster was a hero, a revolutionary, a pal, a king, a pastor, a father, and a martyr. He helped save numerous lives, even when he was compelled into working for the Marines. He grew to become a liberator of slaves throughout the God Valley Incident. He helped struggle injustice with the Revolutionary Military and Luffy’s dad. He is the explanation the Straw Hat Pirates are alive. And in his final act of free will, he asks to be programmed to guard the Straw Hats’ ship till they get again to it, committing one final act of selflessness to assist them on their journey.
Oda’s biggest ability as a author is connecting dots the readers by no means thought had been meant to go collectively. He can and has woven an in depth, huge thread of lore and historical past, and with episode 1,136, it turns into clear that Kuma is near the middle of all of it. Followers are shedding their minds over the episode, and in the event you take a fast look at YouTube, you may see dozens of individuals crying their eyes out reacting to it. Even after 1 / 4 of a century, even after greater than 1,100 episodes, “One Piece” can nonetheless shock audiences.
