The following article contains spoilers for chapter 1102 of One Piece.
Have you been missing the chance to have a good cry? I’ve got you covered. Read the entire One Piece Egghead arc in one go and get ready to bawl your eyes out, especially because of Kuma.
For years, we’ve been aware of Oda’s remarkable ability to reduce grown men to tears. Still, none of us could have anticipated that the Egghead arc would be one of those times. As we delve into Kuma’s heartbreaking past as a slave, and witness his undying devotion to his daughter and Ginny, we realize that the word “tyrant” never truly described the kindest character in One Piece.
However, in Chapter 1102, we’re hit with the realization that everything we thought we knew about the Pacifista, up until now, was a lie. He was always fully aware of his actions, until his free will was stripped away from him after Marineford. This begs the question: does this mean that Kuma is, in fact, dead, and that his body is merely a weapon?
Is Kuma dead in One Piece?
All in all, the simplest way to answer this is that he is mentally dead, but physically alive. Ultimately, Kuma’s status comes down to what you would consider to be “alive.” While Kuma’s body exists, even if it is used as a weapon, his free will and humanity are taken away from him the moment Saturn orders Vegapunk to turn Kuma into a puppet in chapter 1102.
Now, you may be wondering, “But where did his free will go?” Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer for you. We don’t know that either. There is a small chance that Vegapunk has managed to store Kuma’s “soul” the same way they stored his memories; however, in the end, it all seems to point to the fact that Kuma is nothing but a body. Therefore, he might be considered dead.
In the end, we still have no exact answer from Oda on whether Kuma is alive or dead. Or, better yet, whether there is a chance that he would ever regain his conscience. Per the One Piece Wikia, many fans consider him to be alive, purely because his body is still intact — even if he is more of a robot than a human. After all, this was Saturn’s intention all along.
For now, all we know is that this insight into his life has truly changed our entire notion of the entire series. And if you want to have your world shattered, the new One Piece chapter 1102 will be released on Viz Media on December 24.
