One Piece’s Anime Is About to Kick Off Its Next Big Flashback Arc

At this point, flashbacks are a staple of any One Piece arc, and the Egghead Arc is no exception. In fact, the latest arc in One Piece’s anime has been teasing a huge flashback for quite some time and after very long wait and an even longer hiatus, this highly awaited flashback is finally upon us, set to take off from the upcoming episode by the looks of things. The flashback in question that One Piece has been dangling in front of fans is of course none other than the tragic backstory of Bartholomew Kuma and the anime’s latest episode just gave us a few more teasing glimpses.

In Episode 1128 of One Piece, fans get to see a few teasing flashes of Kuma’s backstory through Bonney, who reminisces upon coming face-to-face with a Pacifista as well as St. Saturn. One Piece’s newest opening and ending themes also heavily features Kuma and Bonney, with the latter notably featured in child form, hinting at this flashback being a two-for-one situation with not just Kuma’s backstory but also Bonney’s. This reveal has been a long time coming ever since Bonney chanced upon Kuma’s memories in Episode 1106 and nearly twenty whole episodes later, fans will finally get to see the full truth of what Bonney saw within Kuma’s memories back then. As hinted by the preview for Episode 1129, the Kuma flashback will commence from the upcoming episode, and fans better strap in as this one is set to be a rollercoaster of emotion.

One Piece Kicks Off Its Big Kuma Flashback Soon

Besides the big battles against Kizaru and St. Saturn, the Kuma flashback has been one of the most highly anticipated aspects of part two of the Egghead Arc. Up until this point, One Piece has revealed very little about the former Warlord of the Sea and how he came to be used as the basis for the World Government’s cyborg unit known as the Pacifistas, and all of that is finally about to change.

Bartholomew Kuma is surrounded by mysteries such as his connection to Dragon and the Revolutionary Army, how he came to be Bonney’s father, and how he ended up becoming one of the Seven Warlords. Fortunately, fans can rest assured that these and any other questions fans may have about Kuma will all be answered in the upcoming flashback. From the few glimpses that fans have gotten in Episode 1106, where a young Kuma was seen in crying in a field, and in the latest episode, it is clear that Kuma hides quite a tragic story behind his stoic demeanor.

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More importantly, the fact these memory flashes were mostly triggered by Bonney seeing St. Saturn implies he may be closely linked to Bonney and Kuma’s backstory as well. This is also supported by a frame of the new opening theme where Saint Saturn is featured ominously in the background against a young Kuma.

One Piece’s Flashbacks Are Crucial to the Series’ Storytelling

Ever since the beginning of the series, flashbacks have been crucial to One Piece’s storytelling. Flashbacks are the primary means through which Eiichiro Oda fleshes out characters and their backstories as well as the world of One Piece. These flashbacks are also very often linked to the main antagonist of the arc, giving Luffy and the Straw Hats’ motivations for then taking down said antagonist. The earliest example of this is Arlong, while post-timeskip examples famously include Kaido and Doflamingo.

Interestingly, in the case of Oden’s flashback during the Wano Arc, this flashback and its placement right before the raid of Onigashima not only raised the stakes even further, but also perfectly set the stage for the big traitor reveal. As things stand on Egghead, Luffy and the Straw Hats have no inherent reason to want to defeat St. Saturn other than to ensure their escape from Egghead and by simple virtue of him being a Five Elder. As such, the upcoming flashback in One Piece will likely give both fans and Luffy said reason to want to defeat Saturn, while also setting the stage for the Final Saga.

One Piece is streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix.