One Piece Did What Star Wars Couldn’t With Its Clone Army

Spoilers Ahead for One Piece’s Egghead Arc!

The Egghead Incident Arc of One Piece finally unveiled Kuma’s highly anticipated backstory and it’s one of the most heartbreaking parts of the story. Introduced as a villain, Kuma later turned out to be a secret ally of the Straw Hat Pirates. However, we didn’t know anything about his tragic past before the Egghead Incident Arc. At the age of four, he was taken away as a slave in Mariejois along with his family, because of his father’s special bloodline. After his parents’ deaths, he spent years working for a Celestial Dragon before he finally got an opportunity to escape during the God Valley Incident. The backstory follows his life since his birth to the point where he abandoned his humanity for the sake of his daughter, Bonney.

Kuma was more useful to the World Government as a mindless tool instead of using him as a prototype for the army of Pacifistas. Although One Piece isn’t the only series that came up with the idea of a “Clone Army.” It’s a popular concept in fiction, even to the point of being added in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a 2008 animated series, which ran for seven seasons. While The Clone Wars was incredible in its own right, One Piece goes beyond the concept of a Clone Army by highlighting the sacrifice of one of the series’ best characters.

Kuma Is a More Tragic Character Than Jango Fett

Both characters were used as models for their respective Clone Armies, but that’s about the only similarity they share. Jango Fett was chosen as the template for the Republic’s clone army because he was an ideal genetic specimen for creating a loyal and skilled force. He chose to be cloned and was compensated for it. Following Fett’s death on Geonosis, his legacy lived on through the millions of clone troopers created after him. These soldiers later became the foundation of the Grand Army of the Republic, which operated under the command of the Jedi Order. The clones remained loyal to both the Republic and the Jedi, who, in turn, encouraged them to value their individuality instead of functioning with uniform thought.

On the contrary, Kuma was chosen because of the blood of the Buccaneer flowing in his veins. The World Government persecuted and enslaved the Buccaneers for centuries until Kuma’s father was the last one remaining. Kuma is only half-Buccaneer, but he proved to be a valuable specimen in Vegapunk’s research. In exchange for saving his daughter from a fatal illness, Kuma agreed to help Vegapunk. However, things took a turn for the worse when Saturn got involved. He forced Vegapunk to turn Kuma into a mindless puppet, abandoning his humanity in the process. The Pacifistas, which were created as a result, were all simply weapons of mass destruction, which helped the Marines strengthen their army. Kuma is still alive, devoid of any feelings, acting on pure instinct, and doing everything he can to protect his daughter even after losing everything.

Kuma’s Story Serves a Powerful Narrative Purpose in One Piece

Kuma’s backstory isn’t just for the sake of creating a tragic character; rather, it highlights the centuries of oppression, racism, systematic abuse, corruption, and literally everything that’s wrong with the world. He and his father were turned into slaves simply for belonging to a certain race, while his mother was taken away for being an accomplice. When the Celestial Dragons had no need for him, they discarded him and left him to die in God Valley during the Native Hunting Tournament. Kuma’s story of resilience, his fight for the freedom of those around him, the loss of losing a loved one, and sacrificing everything just to see his daughter live, were all because he lived in a broken world.

Even after everything he went through, Saturn still decided to take whatever he had left. By keeping his daughter hostage, he ensured that Kuma wouldn’t run away during the long and painful period of dehumanization. Even though it meant he would have to leave his daughter alone in the world, he had no other choice. We learn that there isn’t anything the World Government won’t do if it satisfies their interest. This is why his suffering felt more profound than Jango Fett’s.

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