Demon Slayer and My Hero Academia Voice Actor Joins One Piece for the Most Tragic Role Possible
One Piece will soon adapt the tragic backstory of Bartholomew Kuma and fans are not ready for it. A reliable source shared the character design of young Kuma, and if Eiichiro Oda intended to tug at the strings of the fans’ emotions, he was successful at it.
One Piece anime is currently adapting the Egghead Arc of the Final Saga and it will soon dive into Kuma’s backstory. Kuma, a former Revolutionary, has been one of the fan-favorites ever since the truth about him helping the Straw Hats came to light. Although he was considered their enemy at the beginning, he made a lot of sacrifices for the Straw Hat Pirates.
Nobuhiko Okamoto Will Voice Young Kuma During His Flashback
X user @pewpiece revealed that voice actor Nobuhiko Okamoto will be the voice of young Kuma during his flashback in One Piece. Okamoto is a well-known Japanese voice actor affiliated with Raccoon Dog. For those unfamiliar with this dynamic voice actor, he voiced Katsuki Bakugo in My Hero Academia and Genya Shinazugawa in Demon Slayer.
GOOD NEWS !
Okamoto nobuhiko will be the voice actor for Kuma in his flashback pic.twitter.com/5duINN59ud
— Pew (@pewpiece) May 24, 2024
For those questioning if he’s capable, he’s already done it pic.twitter.com/ZfnaKI1Mef
— Mocap (@Mocap4K) May 24, 2024
Okamoto is known for the other voice acting roles: Accelerator in A Certain Magical Index, Shin Kanzato in Persona: Trinity Soul, and Ryuji Kuhoin in Kure-nai. At the 5th Seiyu Awards, he won the award for best actor in a supporting role for his roles as Takumi Usui in Maid Sama!, Eiji Niizuma in Bakuman, and Accelerator in A Certain Magical Index.
He has also voiced Yū Nishinoya in Haikyu!!, Himmel in Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End and Rin Okumura in Blue Exorcist, to name a few. Already, fans have given him the thumbs-up for the role, seeing as he is capable of voicing so many dynamic characters.
He’s got crazy range I will trust in him
— KaiyoBreeze ☀️ (Fly High King 🕊️💔) (@KaiyoBreeze) May 24, 2024
Okamoto has insane voice range, he can do soft-spoken characters too, trust the casting team as they've rarely missed 🫡 pic.twitter.com/HksQxEKDme
— Artur – Library of Ohara (@newworldartur) May 24, 2024
X users have shed light on his performing abilities, erasing any doubts about whether he will be able to voice the emotions of young Kuma and breathe life into his character. The diversity in his roles already speaks a lot about Okamoto and his abilities.
A Glimpse Into Bartholomew Kuma’s Role In One Piece
Formerly feared as a pirate known as the “Tyrant”, Kuma was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. With a bounty of 296,000,000 berries, it indicated his notorious reputation and danger as a pirate. However, Chapter 1103 of One Piece titled “I’m Sorry, Daddy” unravels the aftermath of Kuma’s life story in the Egghead Arc.
Kuma’s status as one of the Warlords contrasted with his being a former Revolutionary and taking secret measures to protect the Straw Hat Pirates. The Egghead Island arc shifted focus into a flashback of Kuma’s history, which fully explained Kuma’s place in the world, and how he became the man he is.
He was turned into a Pacifista and then became a slave. However, fans didn’t know his entire past and the fact that he’s Bonney’s father until the Egghead Arc. Kuma’s backstory shocked the fandom as it featured the darkest side of the Celestial Dragons.
