“One Piece” is a legendary anime, one whose fame (and extremely excessive variety of episodes) make it fairly an intimidating endeavor for newcomers. Nonetheless, now we have 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 notice there are literally not sufficient episodes. For 25 years, “One Piece” has advised 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 develop into the king of the pirates. That is the muse upon which manga creator Eiichiro Oda constructed among the best 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 once we’re not watching. That is the key sauce of the anime, which might return and tie up free ends a long time later seamlessly, introducing characters we have by no means seen earlier than and making them match completely within the tales we’re already very aware of 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 only saddest episode of your complete present, and one of many saddest episodes of TV this yr.
The lifetime of Bartholomew Kuma is pure emotional injury
“One Piece” has spent the previous few weeks telling the story of Kuma, a person we initially met as a stone-cold villain with unbelievable energy and no sympathy for his enemies. Via flashbacks, we study 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 develop into a RoboCop cyborg for the federal government as a way 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 route and visuals, with administrators getting to use their distinctive stamp and animators attending to go wild decoding and adapting the manga. This episode reveals arguably the most effective instance of why that’s a good suggestion, with Yasunori Koyama utilizing the medium of tv to finest translate the story. Since a lot of the episode is advised by reminiscences, Koyama and his crew apply a filter that makes the flashbacks appear like they have been shot on celluloid. They play with summary imagery to point out the subjectivity of Kuma’s reminiscences and spotlight the feelings he feels as he surrenders his free will and primarily his soul.
Eiichiro Oda has included a father/daughter story in nearly each story arc of “One Piece” since he turned 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 most interesting episodes by displaying Kuma did not simply obliterate the Straw Hats after 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 develop into the person he’s immediately.
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. Relatively, it is the truth that Kuma’s life, for a 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 bother,” and Kuma’s loss of life can be bother for everybody who has ever cherished him — and there are numerous, many individuals who did. What was initially launched as only a hulking, silent monster was a hero, a revolutionary, a good friend, 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 turned a liberator of slaves in the course of 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 best ability as a author is connecting dots the readers by no means thought have 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 dropping their minds over the episode, and in case you take a fast look at YouTube, you will 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.
