“One Piece” is a legendary anime, one whose popularity (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 informed 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 grow to be the king of the pirates. That is the muse upon which manga creator Eiichiro Oda constructed probably the greatest and most fleshed-out universes in all of contemporary 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 modifications and evolves even after we’re not watching. That is the key sauce of the anime, which might return and tie up unfastened 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 acquainted with 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 facility 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 the whole 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 unimaginable energy and no sympathy for his enemies. By flashbacks, we be taught of his backstory because the final member of his race, how he was pressured into slavery, noticed his dad killed in entrance of him, was despatched to a sadistic “Most Harmful Sport” state of affairs, and skilled much more struggling. The newest episode noticed Kuma fulfilling a deal he made with the World Authorities to actually sacrifice his free will and grow to be a RoboCop cyborg for the federal government with a view to acquire a remedy for his adopted daughter’s sickness.
Episode 1,136 is an excellent episode of tv. For the final couple of years, producer Toei Animation has allowed for extra particular person freedom in episode course 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 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 informed by reminiscences, Koyama and his crew apply a filter that makes the flashbacks seem like they had 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 virtually 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 best episodes by displaying 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 grow to be the person he’s right now.
That is the important thing to why this episode is so highly effective. It is not sufficient to simply give audiences a tragic story they’ll cry over. Relatively, 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 stay, or that anybody benefitted from him being right here. As Dr. Vegapunk tells him proper earlier than taking away his will, “To stay is to trigger others hassle,” and Kuma’s dying can be hassle for everybody who has ever beloved 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 pressured into working for the Marines. He turned a liberator of slaves through the God Valley Incident. He helped combat 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 talent 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 dropping their minds over the episode, and if you happen to 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.