Every One Piece Backstory Uses THIS Formula… Except Kuma’s

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Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
2:31 The Formula
3:43 Chopper
5:06 Nami
5:37 Robin
6:12 Law
6:44 Brook
7:14 Noland & Calgara
7:41 Otohime
8:22 Kyros
8:46 The Importance Of The Pattern
10:12 Kuma’s Improved Formula

[@MrMorj]

Use code MORJ50 to get 50% off your first Factor box at bit.ly/3wvM86t

[@user-er5or7sj5f]

Zues being alive proves BM is alive and the other Hera Napoleon and Prometheas could be around too they were separated from her before the explosion They probably meet up with BM Pirates would explain why they were there but didnt do anything

[@tpsam]

Congratulations on 200k it's imminent at this point

[@TheSuperkooldude]

Sorry kuma soul is gonna be transferred into s-bear. Bible Jesus reborn etc.

[@TheSuperkooldude]

The only pacifista that the government can't control etc

[@madbuck2741]

Weird not to include Sanji’s backstory in this list don’t you think? Did you just not think it matched your thesis? Or for some other reason? If it didn’t, you could’ve used it as an example of how Oda started to change it up. Kinda seems deliberate 😂

[@TheDarkLasombra]

Dude, when you mentioned that we arent seeing a backstory, we are watching Kumas story from start to death, it made me tear up. I feel something powerful is coming.

[@tpsam]

When you realise Kuma backstory isn't finished yet because his tragedy is persisting till today

[@trying-to-learn]

We also saw Oden's full life.

[@orbboom6119]

Hopefully it will end bitter sweet thanks to Luffy

[@orangesilver4568]

Makes you wonder if Bonney is joining the crew.

[@bennett4789]

@@trying-to-learni think the point they are trying to get at is that we have never seen a backstory lead so climactically into a potential current day death

[@Raining_Potatoes]

Frankys backstory is so underrated, franky standing on the rails trying to stop the train was sad

[@user-er5or7sj5f]

Zues being alive proves BM is alive and the other Hera Napoleon and Prometheas could be around too they were separated from her before the explosion They probably meet up with BM Pirates would explain why they were there but didnt do anything

[@kata9balwa]

Yes. Also, Franky's backstory does follow that formula. Tom was found guilty and sentenced to death. He then earned the right for a pardon by building the sea train. Only to see it all come crashing down by Spandam's scheming.

[@user-rr7bu9fe3k]

I think Frankys strength is underrated too honestly everyone knows he hasn’t really needed a power up since timeskip but I feel like he’s a lot closer to Jimbe lvl than people think. Also I always remember him going toe to toe with pre TS Luffy at the beginning of Water 7 before they joined forces (although that could’ve easily just been the anime’s portrayal)

[@MrJoakyfran]

Yeah, Franky's backstory isn't the saddest but it's one of the most emotional ones for me. The lessons he learns from Tom always hit hard

[@AnonymousEnigma19]

​@@user-er5or7sj5fbeing that they're made from a piece of her soul, I theorize that Big Mom may have lost her body, but Prometheus Hera and Napoleon may have been lost in place of them becoming Big Mom's new form.

[@scottaddington3873]

Believe it or not, Oda’s approach really reminds me of a quote from Cars 2. “To truly crush one’s dreams, you must first raise their hopes very high” -Francesco Bernoulli (the evil Italian car)

[@tpsam]

Spoilers for chainsaw man

[@meatbleed]

@@tpsam not til u said it

[@royalfun1031]

​@@tpsameh

[@lordlook]

(the evil italian car)

[@PaulJarzecki]

I think this started as Kuma's backstory, but it has become Bonnie's backstory. Using your pattern, the "tragedy" in Kuma's story is the "dark" in Bonnie's story, and Kuma's death will be the tragedy in Bonnie's story.

[@royalfun1031]

Rev story too

[@Deathmare235]

I think Bonny’s tragedy was Kuma becoming a slave

[@stepharcnciel]

It also makes sense we’re getting Kuma’s entire life story considering Bonney just saw all of his memories in the lab. So those memories of his life are been revealed to us just as they were revealed to Bonney.

[@AnthonySands566]

Another addition. In Oda's formula, the important person who dies in the flashback usually passes on their will to the focal character. (Bellamere to Nami, corazon to Law, etc.) In the case of Kuma, HE is the one who in the end will die and pass on his will to the important person, Bonney.

[@sebastianmartinez5508]

I wonder if he could transfer his fruit just like he does with pain

[@scheve1994]

My theory is that Kuma will additionally pass his will on to Luffy, as Kuma's faith seems to revolve around Nika. What better way for him to go out, then knowing that not only his daughter, but also the god he idolized will be able to carry on his will?

[@jdsd10]

Good catch. That is one of my arguments for why I'm thinking Bonney is joining the crew!

[@brolybsavage]

Classic Morj breaking down Oda’s writing like no one else

[@user-er5or7sj5f]

Zues being alive proves BM is alive and the other Hera Napoleon and Prometheas could be around too they were separated from her before the explosion They probably meet up with BM Pirates would explain why they were there but didnt do anything

[@smartlearning6390]

⁠@@user-er5or7sj5fno because soul powers might work even after death and your reply is totally unrelated to comment

[@laningsmith9163]

@@user-er5or7sj5fWasn’t Zeus separated and disowned by big mom? So it may not be proof.

[@jaycod2076]

Fr he is truly the best

[@smartlearning6390]

@@jaycod2076 morj is bad with theories but good in post analysis

[@YukonJon]

This year was probably the GOAT for weekly reading. We got all the Shanks and Garp stuff earlier this year, we finally met the Gorosei and new characters like Garling, ending it out with Kuma flashback… so good

[@tpsam]

That's the One Piece effect You think a serialisation since my entire life means that it's dragged out and declining instead each saga you keep telling yourself damn that was peak but the NEXT saga will be better One piece is truly the only thing in this world that I can say I followed with decades and instead of losing enthusiasm over time it got only more and more interesting imo

[@sagecoder8802]

Just realized Luffy meeting Bonny could be a good reason for him to finally take on the WG. Especially if he finds out how Kuma actually helped the SH. Luffy always takes on his friends enemies.

[@AnonymousEnigma19]

He did, Franky told him when they were going to Fishman Island.

[@driakos]

Oda could be giving it more attention and depth, because it's doubling as Bonnie's backstory as well. The overlap in pattern is the Bonnie backstory. She will prob play a continuing role in the story.

[@Chillaxorita]

I already made a similar comment on the last video, but I will reiterate. I think people are underestimating the level of tragedy Oda will bring to Kuma's sacrifice for Bonney. Oda is lulling us, the readers, into a false sense of security, since we've already known the end result for well over a decade now. Kuma is enslaved, turned into a mindless puppet of the government despite his good heart, and he can't even tell anyone why (but we now assume it's for Bonney's cure). Oda is not the type of writer to make the climax of the tragedy that straightforward. Besides the classic dark-light-dark reversal, there is another technique Oda uses to milk our tear glands dry, and that is to prepare us to expect a certain level of tragedy only to greatly exceed that expectation with something no one could see coming. There will be some tragic twist to Kuma's sacrifice that no one has talked about, and I guarantee it will be the saddest, most tragic thing we have read in all of One Piece so far.

[@krashdevaughn5360]

you yapper bruh😭 you dragged out all these sentences to just say nun, no theory on the type of tragedy or nothin

[@f13rro37]

By that logic, the only think I can think of is that Bonnie dies and he survives somehow.

[@wisdommanari6701]

Oda wants us to suffer

[@gokukakarot5246]

Kuma is next straw hat tho

[@Chillaxorita]

@@krashdevaughn5360 Yeah, my whole point is that no one will see it coming, and that includes me, sorry, lol

[@grendel7716]

It makes the parallels between Sabaody and Egghead even better. Luffy couldnt save his crew and ends in tragedy but the second loop will give him a chance to make it up. Get the feeling Kuma's death won't be the only tragedy at the end of egghead now though

[@playboijonnycarter1306]

I hate clone piece, but I’m in fear of the death of the original Bonney and her present self being a clone, so Kuma lost even his daughter, so now he wants to forget everything and gave up.

[@MCedit0r]

Could also be a reversal since Kuma technically saved the strawhats from being annihilated by the Buster call so this time they’ll be the ones saving Kuma

[@playboijonnycarter1306]

And another thought is that’s why Vegapunk didn’t want Bonney to know Kumas story because he wanted her to feel like she is a real human and the blood daughter of Gilly

[@royalfun1031]

​@@playboijonnycarter1306Kuma and Ginny's

[@Yuh_zhimmy]

I respect you for not sugar coating what happened to Ginny.

[@10397bighead]

Same. Caught me off guard because I thought he was going to beat around the bush like everybody else did.

[@nichoudha]

Same. It shouldn't be sugarcoated.

[@AVAgustusCeaser]

Technically Marineford (specifically Luffy) follows this steps: Step 1 - Dark Beginnings = Saboedy Step 2 - Ray of Light = Saving Ace Step 3 - Trajedy - = Aces death

[@scheve1994]

Step 4 - New Ray of Light = "I still have my friends"

[@cl5rys]

@@scheve1994step 5 he sees a future where his crew dies from blackbeard

[@marcospina162]

​@@scheve1994 In every Strawhat or island sad backstory, step 4 is Luffy himself. After Robin's tragedy Luffy makes her want to keep living. Chopper finds a group that don't care if he's a monster. 400 years later he rings the golden bell. Etc. One Piece is a story of steps 4 being accomplished by Luffy, the warrior of liberation who can brighten the darkest dark.

[@TheeKing7]

I think he always planned to save this level for the final saga.

[@JayJoel97]

For Kuma, Oda specially prepared a double decker tragedy sandwich, as illustrated by Morj

[@spennyspectacular353]

A tragedy lasagna, if you will

[@greatestcait]

I'm not sure that Kuma's backstory will be the final backstory we get in One Piece (I think it's fairly likely we'll see something from Dragon's point of view), but honestly I think it's deliberate that he's been saving this formula for Kuma, specifically. The man's seemingly been set up since Day 1 to be a tragic martyr sort of character, so it's only fitting that he would have the most heartbreaking backstory of all.

[@maik6516]

I don’t think Dragon‘s backstory will be the last, since we also miss Joy Boy‘s. Kuma might be the darkest and heaviest though, but if anything can top it, it might be Joy Boy‘s. Anyway, Oda is the Goat in Storytelling.

[@scheve1994]

Imu, the Gorosei, Blackbeard, Akainu, Shanks, Mihawk, Roger, Rocks, there are still plenty of characters that haven't had their backstory yet.

[@jackdslime]

The old tragedy sandwitch

[@calvinnguyen1870]

My favorite aspect of this formula is how well it fits into the overall narrative. The One Piece world isn’t just a world of endless, meaningless cruelty; it’s a world where happiness can exist but is quickly snuffed out by those in power.

[@wagnerdepena2267]

Kuma has become one of my most beloved characters. To see such a beautiful soul a true saint in the OP world dragged out through the vileness that is the WG. Bravo Oda, you have created the most despicable villains ever.

[@Haze_in-bw7ff]

i can't help but feel like sanji's Back Stories follows a peculiar and unique pattern unless its one that hasn't ended yet like Kuma's can't help but feel like there is yet another cyborg being written for gloom and tragedy

[@tuvillo]

Yeah Zeff is gonna die any day now.

[@BrosWatchChannel]

What about the formula for the Wano analysis ?

[@EnjoyDDMusic]

Xd

[@BrosWatchChannel]

😂😂😂😂 even the anime is over now brooo

[@ProfessorJabir]

Let it go. he was wrong on the internet. It happens.

[@Chillaxorita]

@@ProfessorJabir it's not about right or wrong, he doesn't care about the raid fail debacle anymore. The reason he's so reluctant to release the Wano analysis is because he's afraid of the rabid Wano defenders cancelling him for an objective literary analysis criticizing the writing of Wano and explaining why it sucks ass.

[@TheKrigeron]

​@@Chillaxoritaactually he said he doesn't want to attract the bitter hater piratefolk type of readers into his base.

[@Jonjonrenzo]

FREE MY BOY KUMA HE AINT DONE NOTHING WRONG 😤

[@VinnyRidgeMedia]

The only thing he did wrong was he didn't raw dog Ginny while he had the chance 😢

[@silverbum3960]

​@@VinnyRidgeMedia💀 u right tho

[@ZetaMoolah]

@@VinnyRidgeMediafacts😭

[@AnonymousEnigma19]

​@@VinnyRidgeMediawhy not? Bonney could be his biological daughter, if Portagaz D. Rouge can hold Ace in her womb for a year and 8 months then why not Ginny?

[@alanalsei6616]

​@@AnonymousEnigma19 you just said it yourself, Rouge was a D and Ginny wasn't, simple as that.

[@mzako7448]

Finally a good old analysis again.

[@PirateKingGoofy]

I have a feeling Blackbeards backstory is gonna be the one to take this formula even further than Oda is taking it with Kuma. I have a feeling it’s gonna be pure tragedy. It would be fitting that the man made of darkness never had any rays of light in the first place.

[@AVAgustusCeaser]

I wonder if this structure of Dark ---> small light -----> very dark will be used for the Void Century/ Ancinet kindgok flashback

[@SrMissileMonkey]

Given that the Void Century led to the creation of the WG as we know it today, with Imu at the top. Almost guaranteed. I'm not sure what a break in the formula (not adding to it like with Kuma) would look like or even be possible in doing while still being an effective and *memorable* backstory.

[@PROPAROXITONO]

there's an eps of South Park that one character says "If you want to make a child cry, you give them a lollipop, then take it from them." that's what Oda does. take a sad character, give them some happiness then retake it.

[@ReiseLukas]

As an aspiring writer I feel like If I did this I'd hurt myself more than I'd hurt the audience.

[@deephantom7234]

i think the reason it's look like oda double down on kumas, but it's actually bonney backstory that started after kuma's one ended with ginny dying. this one is bonney back story, and will ended with tragedy which kuma dying.

[@Azur_Vita]

your analyses are usually very good thx

[@arjunabazaz1006]

An interesting thing is that even in other stories, some of the best backstories such as Kakashi or Pain from Naruto follow that same format

[@TotallyAtopiaYT]

Yep! I love these kind writing honestly

[@D__634]

But Naruto's backstories are repetitive. In a team there's always a version of Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. Even the outcome are almost the same.

[@xDemangrlicxx]

I think another point woulr be Kuma is the first character we've had active in the story and not a figure we've just heard about. He's interacted with the straw hats and now we can figure out why he was and why he did the things he did in the story.

[@saileshrachapudi8486]

Can we appreciate Morj for doing this video and he isn’t gonna be able to monetize it 😢

[@Tommy0140]

Kuma has already had another tragedy: Boney's death diagnosis. Now, if he makes a deal with the World Government and that's the only way to save Boney, it probably won't make him unhappy. I think it's important to note here that we have Boney's flashback at the same time. For Boney, Kuma's sacrifice will be the great tragedy. This would be especially fitting if she actually becomes a part of the Straw Hats.

[@kentekuzan]

genuinely one of the most impressive videos you've made, dude. damn.

[@t.kersten7695]

from all the dark backdtories so far, the one of Brook hit me the most. everytime seeing them d-i.e.ing one fazer another while playing a last song together made me always almost cry. can´t even tell, why this specific backstory hurt me more than the other ones.

[@tannermarkland5214]

sanjis complete backstory is still the hardest hitting one for me

[@leojustine8817]

You forgot to Mention Sanji's Backstory. It also has a similar Multiple Layer Approach but not as Intense as Kuma. But just Imagine the number of Episodes that Oda has Invested in the Characterisation of Sanji.

[@swizzles1875]

oda really doubled it and gave it to the next person 😂

[@spacemonkey3432]

Morj this is why you're my favorite OP creator when it comes to story analysis. You always find metaphor, symbolism and highlighting character substance.

[@ramsinghal5608]

5:00 love the way he says that

[@candiedskull9841]

I highly doubt this is our last backstory in either this style or his typical one, but I do think he was saving these more complex backstories for the final stretch. We're reaching the last parts of the story where Oda can delay revealing stuff about characters & events (possibly, Blackbeard, Roger, various Celestial Dragons, JoyBoy/Nika, God Valley, whatever) that have been around this long. Flashbacks are highly efficient but still interesting for a lot of this, and there's only so many Oden-esque flashbacks he can do to spoonfeed us adjacent stories. Great breakdown!

[@gaminginfarside]

What is the background music you're using? It's so so good. Please let us know!

[@AVAgustusCeaser]

I love the hidden 4th/Final Step to all this, 'The Very Bright' Not jsut a small ray of light but the full brightness of the Sun God Nika 😂

[@stempest7218]

Morj you said you were talking about the the best backstories but you completely ignore Sanji's backstory from whole cake. Also the fact he has two backstories making his backstory as whole so unique is just wierd to overlook.

[@RapThorX4]

This is just a step above everything else because unlike most characters we get a backstory for it has been unfolding for hundreds of chapters

[@wyldercoyo7023]

even just the very beginning of kumas story is a microcosm of this formula: death of his mother, comfort from his father and belief in nika, immediate death of his father in front of him

[@rcwlson1]

I think that fact that he had so long to tell this one is what naturally led to the double tragedy. Oda had this character he still needed to wrap up while considering what he'd already written about him. He needs a past, a present, and a will he will propel into the future. Bonnie.

[@GomuGear4]

Ahh the Big Mac formula. Two light patties and a dark bun in the middle

[@TheWarmachine375]

"Chichi Wo Motomete" would be a fitting song for Jewelry Bonney and her beloved father Bartholomew Kuma, and how she wanted to reunite with him.

[@OneMegaPiece]

This analysis had me crying

[@evansmith2832]

Kuma's backstory is really a 2 in 1 with Bonney's, but the twist is he took Bonney's initial darkness onto himself and never let it touch her despite her *literally* being trapped in darkness.

[@nickgates4259]

You make Oda sound like a mad scientist who’s brewed a horrific plague just for Kuma

[@lmonarkl1158]

Wow, remebering all those backstories plus kuma's... I almost cried again.

[@willyjacobs5418]

I’d love to see your thoughts on both of Sanji’s backstories

[@stempest7218]

I like morj but he is a zoro fanboy who often ignores sanji

[@synaesthesia888]

I feel like the last part of Kuma's story isnt going to be full tragedy, Luffy is now involved with the last part. I doubt it will end happily, but Im holding out hope that Kuma will have a bittersweet ending. A Gray ending.

[@kushagrapandey8898]

I wonder oda thinks of these patterns while writing or it just unconsciously amazing writing 😮

[@Glatier]

You could legit make a feature-length film with this flashback

[@AngelDame17]

So the Oreo Cookie Method. Dark cookies with a sweet middle.

[@The4thBen]

Oden's backstory is the closest thing we got to having a character's full life story being told in a flashback, similar to Kuma's, however it definitely wasn't this heartbreaking. (Oden's final hour was definitely comparable in terms of emotional intensity though)

[@PaszerDye]

3:42 is that the Bicycle Thief?

[@woundedidiot429]

Yea the skeleton dark,light,very dark, is just how you write a tragedy, which a lot of good and great tragic stories use

[@KGUYDOG]

'The One Piece Special' sounds like it should be one of Sanji's finishing moves.

[@funkmasterhexbyte1684]

Love this, now I think Oda's setting up this flashback to be Kuma's "base-level of tragedy" or his "dark beginning" like you said, because darkness accumulates. Also, this is the first time a tragic flashback character is still "bleeding", as akainu put it, in the present (dunno if I count Saul). Usually they're extremely dead. But we know what happens to tragic flashback characters. I think teleporting to Bonney is the final "ray of hope" in his life, because it's the final opportunity they have get any semblance of a happy ending. But Oda is going to rip off our toenails... I really do think this'll become Oda's magnum opus, idk how ready I am to cry that hard though

[@porky1118]

4:56 "Tragedy" fits the situation better than "Very dark". Chopper isn't necessarily in a worse position than before. He knows there can be people who accept him. For Law it fits even less. First he is about to die in three years. And in the end he has the ability to heal himself. So if you strip away Corazon, it's an improvement.

[@TheElectrikCow]

I just realized that the cross Kuma is kneeling before with Ginny in arms has the same patern of 8 suns around a single sun that keeps popping up throughout the series like with the kozuki crest

[@javiermetal66]

Bonney's tragic bacstory: dark: born with a deady disease with no cure that keeps her from the light of day light: her pops tells her about nika and hopes for her disease to be cured at age 10 darker: gets healed but the goverment takes away her dad to turn him into a mindless weapon/slave

[@poenpotzu2865]

Conclusion: Oda is a sadist.

[@moeinkhademi3469]

Everybody after dark past , having better life but not kuma , darkest life .

[@ReiseLukas]

Everyone after dark past: still living in shadows until Luffy shows up. Kuma needs to see Nika

[@Daltonlk27]

Factor > Hello Fresh? Bigger betrayal than Blackbeard killing Whitebeard

[@Ctrooper2011]

We've also witnessed the formula in several other characters throughout the story. It's just more subtle since they're not condensed into several chapters. Rebecca Dark Beginning: Doflamingo took over her home and she lost both parents (her mother died by Diamante's sword and her father was unpersoned by Sugar). She also gets a small tragedy when the latter's unpersoning gets undone and she feels guilty for not remembering him. Ray of Hope: in a unique way, she gets three, the first from having a father in the Thunder Soldier, the second from when she reunites with Kyros as daughter and father, and the third when Luffy defeats Doflamingo and frees Dressrosa from his tyranny. Tragedy: this is not specified yet, but since Mother Flame destroyed Lulucia and caused the ocean's level to rise a few meters, Dressrosa has likely flooded, so Rebecca is unlikely to be able to return home. Carrot (this is part of why people thought she'd join the Straw Hats at some point) Dark Beginning: Jack's crew invaded Zou thanks to Kanjuro's intel and the entire population was nearly poisoned. Ray of Hope: not only does the Curly Hat crew come to Zou's rescue, but Carrot also takes the opportunity to explore the world with the Straw Hats. Tragedy: Carrot witnesses Pedro sacrifice himself to rescue Chopper and Brook from Perospero. Despite her chipper veneer and Perospero's defeat at _Nekomamushi's_ claw, it's clear from Carrot's last canon word onscreen that she's still not over Pedro's death. Vivi Dark Beginning: Alabasta is infiltrated by Crocodile. Ray of Hope: Luffy saves Alabasta. Tragedy: two years later, Imu kills Kobra and the WG gets a hold of Alabasta while Vivi has to temporarily ally with Wapol and Morgans.

[@MohamedAli-bn7in]

What about Sanji's backstory-as he has two and may also follow this same double layered formula but more sporadically throughout the series, being one in Zeff''s backstory and then Whole Cake Island.

[@squeakinjoe]

Morj cookin with Oreo diagrams🔥

[@MinutelyHipster]

So much talk of flashbacks yet no mention of the Odem flashback and what level of tragedy it's on

[@y4notu236]

youre forgetting the light at the end with luffy joyboy, it ends with luffy and the strawhats arriving

[@sethmamintod2373]

Oda writing Kuma's backstory: hmmmm let's do it one more time, let's crush this man one more time

[@shawndesjardins4141]

I mostly do think we are going to see Kuma sacrifice himself, with a smile and complete faith in Luffy fulfilling Nika's will. If he died where else would his spirit and fruit go, but to spawn on the tangerine tree on the Sunny. To continue his will to protect them even after death. Would be funny if the fruit got eaten by accident. I hold out a small hope that this might be the moment Luffy starts to "turn the world upside-down." like Roger said he would. Upsetting the scales. what if Kuma is supposed to die, fated even. But Luffy somehow breaks the cycle showing that nothing in this world is set. Luffy has Conquered death itself, maybe next is fate, and will. But those moments could be down the line too.

[@Fabo__HD]

On that note, would be funny if Usopp was to eat it, as it would be kinda like his previous uses of impact dials (though idk what became of those)

[@verussadap]

I feel like Oda had the concept of Kuma and his role in the story in his backpocket since the beginning. Great analysis btw!

[@payasdandekar2950]

I think its kuma who will join straw hats after he is treated by chopper and vegapunk.

[@omabang5002]

"Double it and give it to the next person", Oda probably.

[@KimonoKenny]

Interesting breakdown. Seems like the 'ray of light' will come with his death as he sees Nika and hears the drums of liberation

[@cbzc1035]

More story for a man who takes on the memories / pain of many other people, fitting.

[@skycrawler5352]

I think the final touch of light at the end that will come from the darkness is Kuma seeing Joyboy before he dies.

[@rollthed20]

And then, after those darkest moments, the Sun shined on all of them

[@x-treme9248]

I genuinely cried when tom was taken away i thought he was dead

[@mobslayer2023]

With the latest chapters it seems like Kuma is happy with having his mind stripped away so long as Bonney is cured so for Kuma the formula doesn't double around. But now Bonney has to deal with losing her father which could mean that the tragedy is passed to her. Now that the Strawhats have met her after she faced the tragedy, she will be the one who will get the tragedy resolved by them. Kuma is still out there and has unfinished business he is dealing with so somehow he will play a role as well to change things up.

[@gaminginfarside]

Please can someone help me find the background music here?

[@ultimatehaki1]

20 second crew is here!

[@skycrawler5352]

I think a big part about his backstories is that the character in question does some kind of mistake before the big tragedy hits, which leads to their parental figure dying.

[@amarchunduru]

perhaps the history of the void century may be the only flashback left tragic enough to top this

[@alphastar5626]

Kuma's backstory has been focused on mainly one thing for all his life that is to revenge Ginny/ cure Bonney.. And it's still going on. I almost feel that I grew up with Kuma. Oda managed to make us feel having lived ~30 years in a few months

[@jonathansiles5120]

Works every time

[@danielsmall4025]

Why is tears coming out my eyes 🥲

[@ReiseLukas]

I think you're forgetting one crucial factor in Oda's formula. It actually ends with Luffy being the light that destroys the character's greatest darkness. After each backstory is over Luffy brings light back to these people's lives. I think this is why Oda doesn't kill many characters in the present time, because the present time is for the Dawn to come and bring light to the dark world. Darkness is the Past, the Light is the Future.

[@Himolino]

I would add that there may be even an additional layer: It seems like kuma in the current timeline is aware enough to to go to egghead, meet his daughter and his savior-figure sun-god Nika. We'll see what tragic end he'll meet there or if Oda will provide a happy ending twist (it's Oda, so i can see both).

[@joshysquashy4439]

I think that Kuma's final tragedy/sacrifice will revolve around getting Bonnie her devil fruit. Maybe he sells himself for the fruit that Bonnie needs to stay alive. The other possibility that I think is that Vegapunk actually made or recreated her fruit. Because of Kumas connections with Vegapunk. He did so much research for the world government, but that might've just been his excuse to be able to work on creating a devil fruit that can save Bonnies life.

[@ZackdasBohne]

3:14 Step 4: Luffy punches the one who, as we now know had it coming for a long time!

[@smilypirates3423]

I think last of us part 2 has same formula too. In part 1, the adapted daughter ellie is about to be sacrificed for scientific experiment for cure. the father joel saved ellie from the experiment, then he dies in front of her in part 2. The difference is, the execution of this formula dont make sense, Joel's character dont allow strangers to get near him, but writer randomly made him trust the stranger for once who ends up killing him. They spared ellie for no reason, even though she directly said she is going to kill those strangers.

[@TheElectrikCow]

I hope that Kuma will end his story not with another tragedy, but with his final ray of hope with Nika. I think the worst possible outcome is Kuma getting there just to watch Bonney die, which I find unlikely, or dying before he can ever get to Egghead to see Nika for himself. However I think it's more likely that Kuma will make it in time, and he will see Luffy/Nika bring the dawn by defeating Saturn and saving Bonney, allowing him to die peacefully with a 'D' smile on his face.

[@zulmisuli5767]

the conclusion, oda is psychopat who's enjoy the tear of his audience