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The Kuma and Bonney flashback in the One Piece anime felt vintage on purpose

At NYCC 2025, the One Piece series director explained how they recreated the vintage feel in the most recent flashback in the anime.

One Piece Episode 1133 Preview — Image credit: Toei Animation

News by Trent Cannon, Senior Contributing writer

Published on Mon Oct 13 2025

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Flashbacks have always been a big part of One Piece, but normally, they look pretty similar to how the rest of the anime looks. However, fans have noticed that the recent flashback that showed the long and tragic story of Kuma and Bonney had a very different feel to it. It felt old. Almost vintage. And, according to the series director, that was completely intentional.

Fans are first introduced to Kuma in the Thriller Bark Arc, but his story starts years earlier. Without diving too deeply into spoilers, Kuma has played a big part in the story of One Piece even before the events of the manga began. During the New York Comic Con 2025 One Piece panel, Wataru Matsumi, the series director of One Piece, explained how they gave this important flashback a unique look and feel.

“On a technical note, some people commented that the processing of the flashback on Kuma’s life reminded them of the sort of traditional classic cel animation,” Matsumi said. “And, in fact, it was designed to emulate the 8mm camera footage, recreated using today’s compositing technologies. And in fact, this idea, this inspiration came from, you know, director [Yasunori] Koyoma’s memory, his own memory with his father. Yeah, so hearing that, it really reminded me that, you know, how each director’s individuality, as well as memories and personal experience, is reflected in what they make.”

This small detail, which hadn’t really been done before in the other flashbacks in One Piece, makes Kuma’s life story, all the joy and tragedy of it, feel more real and alive in the anime than we ever expected it to.

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