Toei Animation’s First Look at Kid Kuma has Fans “Already heartbroken” for the Sad Turn One Piece is About to Take
While One Piece fans are not unfamiliar with tragic backstories, Chapter #1095 shed light on Bartholomew Kuma’s backstory and it might be one of the saddest reveals in One Piece. Kuma’s past may be the most tragic one in the series to date.
Chapter #1095 finally revealed the nature of Kuma’s race, the extent of his horrifying past, and how he may have been entangled with the Revolutionary Army. Although Chapter #1074 briefly teased Kuma’s past, fans were not prepared for the extent of the tragedy Kuma had born.
While Chapter #1095 takes the fans back in the past and reveals his tragic story, anime-only fans are still not acquainted with Kuma’s backstory, so it is not an exaggeration to say that they are entirely unprepared for the emotional bomb they are going to be hit with.
One Piece Fans Are Not Prepared For The Tragedy Of Kuma’s Past
The official character design for kid Kuma has been released and posted on X by @pewpiece, and the fans have been blowing up X with their reactions. An X user claimed that the anime-only fans are not ready for what is about to come.
Official character design for Kid Kuma pic.twitter.com/CqFFtahuYW
— Pew (@pewpiece) May 24, 2024
Anime-Only's ain't ready for what's to come pic.twitter.com/zLiKDNVdiF
— Henry (@hgasca049) May 24, 2024
Toei bout to Make this backstory 10 time sadder 🥲🥲🥲 pic.twitter.com/oxlSq43VbR
— Paweeze33 (@Fellowmeman11) May 24, 2024
I’m already heartbroken again just by seeing this 💔
— knight (@official_kmv) May 24, 2024
Meanwhile, another X user stated that Toei Animation is about to make Kuma’s backstory even sadder, which cannot be refuted. While the manga might be tragic on its own, animation tends to highlight the subtler qualities of a manga with the sound effects, background music, and exaggerated depiction of emotions which effectively draws out the intended reactions from fans.
Given the extent of Kuma’s suffering and the pain he has born since an early age, there is no doubt that the One Piece episode is going to be a tear-jerker, as indicated by the fans’ reaction on X. At this point, many fans agree that there isn’t another character in the series who has been through more pain than Kuma.
What Makes Bartholomew Kuma’s Story So Depressing?
Chapter #1095 of One Piece, titled “Better Off Dead in This World”, revealed the full scope of Kuma’s tragedy. Kuma and his parents were forced into slavery when he was only four years old. He remained a slave for five years, during which his parents passed away. What makes it even more harrowing is that Kuma’s father was killed in front of him.
Kuma was ready to give up on life when fellow slaves Emporio Ivankov and Ginny offered him a way out using the Paw-Paw Fruit that was put up as a prize for the Celestial Dragons’ Hunting Game. The birth of Jewelry Bonney was simultaneously one of the best and worst things to happen to Kuma. Bonney was conceived by Ginny and a Celestial Dragon who kidnapped and took her as his wife, and Kuma only just made it in time to see Ginny die of Sapphire Scales and save the baby.
When Bonney came down with Sapphire Scales, Kuma found a cure for her in the form of Dr. Vegapunk, but the salvation only lasted until St. Jaygarcia Saturn intervened and further demanded that Kuma become a Warlord and a mindless cyborg to serve them. In a fashion typical of Kuma, he agreed to the conditions just so he could save his daughter.
The One Piece anime series is currently available to stream on Prime Video and Crunchyroll. The live adaptation of One Piece is available on Netflix.
