The One Piece anime resumed in April this year after the longest hiatus in the series’ history. The anime resumed on a high note with the Luffy vs Kizaru rematch, followed by St. Saturn’s Demonic Form reveal. As the Egghead conflict escalated, the anime turned its attention towards the tragic past of Bartholomew Kuma. For the past two months, Kuma’s backstory unfolded with a graceful touch from animators, perfectly capturing the emotional heartbreak fans anticipated.
Kuma’s backstory began moving millions of lives around the globe during this period, and it finally concluded with Episode 1136 titled “Kuma’s Life” on July 13, 2025. The final episode of Kuma’s past is the culmination of the last-remaining buccaneer’s journey, filled with haunting tragedy and unwavering love.
The iconic sequence where Kuma’s memories flood his mind one last time before his humanity is stripped away to transform him into a soulless cyborg was beautifully adapted into the anime. And it hit home, leaving the fans devastated, but Kuma won the hearts at the same time.
One Piece fans began to reflect their love for this episode by sharing their perfect ratings on IMDb, the popular movie and TV show database. Just a day after, One Piece episode 1136, rated 9.9, has become the highest-rated One Piece episode of all time.
Numerous great shonen anime have been released this year, such as Solo Leveling season 2, To be Hero X, Apothecary Diaries season 2, Dandadan season 2, etc. But none of those come close to the greatness of One Piece, as One Piece episode 1136 is also the highest-rated anime episode of 2025 currently.
The One Piece anime has been delivering exceptional episodes with great animation quality in the Egghead Island arc, and they didn’t miss their mark with Kuma’s backstory as well. Previously, Toei Animation was infamously known for its dull pacing and subpar quality. However, with time, they have proven why they are a pioneering studio and continue to release the best One Piece episodes back-to-back like they did in 2024. The studios deserve all the praise from the fans for taking the One Piece anime to the next level.
That said, what do you think about the adaptation of Kuma’s backstory in the One Piece anime? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Shashank Shakya
