Ever since One Piece’s anime returned from its hiatus back in April, the one thing fans were looking forward to most was undoubtedly the big Kuma flashback, and it’s safe to say the flashback hasn’t disappointed in the slightest. Over the last three months or so, Kuma’s tragic backstory has taken fans on a rollercoaster of emotions ranging from horror at the Celestial Dragons’ cruelty towards Kuma and his family to excitement at seeing more of the mysterious God Valley Incident. All that said, One Piece’s latest episode has finally wrapped up Kuma’s flashback with an extremely emotional finale.
Episode 1136 of One Piece has concluded Kuma’s flashback at long last, and the finale is definitely one to remember. The episode sees Bonney escape from Sorbet Kingdom and set out to find Kuma, gaining notoriety as a pirate. Meanwhile, Kuma finally goes through with erasing all his memories and sense of self as promised, with his final request to Vegapunk being that he wish Bonney a happy tenth birthday on his behalf. The flashback finally ends with Bonney crying after having touched the bubble containing Kuma’s memories, finally bringing fans full circle to the moment Bonney first learned the truth about Kuma’s massive sacrifice.
One Piece Beautifully Concludes Kuma’s Flashback
While Kuma’s flashback has been adapted panel-for-panel from the manga for the most part, the anime has also taken the liberty of expanding certain scenes, and so far, it’s paid off greatly. In fact, since its return, One Piece’s anime has gotten more ambitious than ever before in terms of experimenting with different animation styles and original sequences, which have only enriched the series’ storytelling. Episode 1136 is yet another excellent example of this, with the anime adding a beautiful original sequence of Kuma’s life flashing before his eyes before his figurative “death.”
The scene of Kuma wishing Bonney a happy birthday with his final words was already an incredibly hard-hitting scene in the manga, but the montage of Kuma’s life somehow makes the sacrifice hit even harder. The scene also includes subtle yet beautiful instances of symbolism with Kuma reaching out his hand to his mother, father, and Ginny, only for their hands to disintegrate, that is, until Bonney’s little hand reaches out to Kuma, with the latter’s hand withering away into dust this time. As a whole, the episode is visually stunning, evocative, and the perfect conclusion to what is shaping up to be One Piece’s best flashback to date.
One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
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