Bartholomew Kuma is another mysterious character in Eiichiro Oda's One Piece, matching up to an intimidating physique and really influential to the main storyline of the series. Having been a Shichibukai, one of the influential people in the Revolutionary Army, and the former King of the Sorbet Kingdom, Kuma has made huge waves in the world of One Piece, changing it considerably and largely affecting the Straw Hat Pirates.
Background
Born 47 years before the Egghead Island arc in the Sorbet Kingdom of the South Blue, there is a plethora of tragedy and transformation that has come upon Bartholomew Kuma. The outline of his life was seemingly set by hardship and slavery, even from the point at which he had been born as a direct bloodline descendant of a "special" race in this One Piece world.
Having been spent with his father Clapp, Kuma's early life was consumed by the harsh realities of their status. This background gave Kuma the global outlook and later drew him into the activities of the Revolutionary Army, intending to change the power structure in the world. From slave to king to Warlord, to a human weapon, the journey of Kuma was reflective of the darker themes and the moral ambiguities that exist within One Piece.
Physical Appearance
Kuma is probably one of the most unique characters present in all of One Piece. Standing tall, he is much taller than most of the other characters in this series. His giant physique goes well with his signature outfit, consisting of a black jacket with a white fur lining, a black hat resembling bear ears, and a Bible he is often seen carrying. Probably the most striking feature about him is the paw pads on his hands, which are really trademark because of his Devil Fruit ability, the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi. With these physical characteristics and cybernetic enhancements as a Pacifista, he now makes for an imposing, quite memorable visual presence.
Personal Information
Name: Bartholomew Kuma
Epithet: "The Tyrant"
Age: 47
Affiliations: Former Seven Warlords of the Sea, Revolutionary Army, Former King of Sorbet Kingdom
Devil Fruit: Nikyu Nikyu no Mi (Paw-Paw Fruit)
Type: Cyborg (Pacifista)
Personality
Kuma's personality has varied greatly throughout the series, due to his captivating history and all of the modifications made on him. Kuma was initially portrayed as a stoic, expressionless man but his actual disposition proved to be kind and selfless.
From the notorious pirate deemed "Tyrant," most people feared Kuma, but he evolved into a personality of deep dedication to saving others—the Revolutionary Army and indirectly, the Straw Hat Pirates. This dimension in his personality is reflected in his actions on Thriller Bark: he let the Straw Hat crew go, and he bore Luffy's pain and exhaustion, thus revealing an unsuspected level of compassion beneath the frightening exterior.
Goals and Motivations
Among other things, Kuma's motivations and goals range from societal change to the protection of those dear to him. Being one of the original members and senior officers in the Revolutionary Army, his overall goal had been the overthrow of the corrupt World Government and establishment of a new, fair world order. Contrasting this, becoming a full Pacifista for the World Government after cybernetic modification portrays a very complex tale of sacrifice and long-term strategy.
Fighting Styles
Most fighting techniques used by Bartholomew Kuma focus on the abilities that he derives from the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi, which allows him to push away everything he touches. This ability will become central to Kuma's way of fighting and hence allow him to perform many different styles and modes of offense and defense.
One of Kuma's signature techniques is the "Pad Cannon", in which he fires compressed air with his paw pads. With this, it can strike with great distance and deal massive damage, making it a rather versatile attack. More importantly, these attacks are really fast; Kuma has boasted that they can travel at light speed, though it may be a bit of an exaggeration on his part.
His stance is almost sumo wrestling, so that speaks much about his designing and fighting details. In position, he is very low, with a wide stance, much like the shikiri stance assumed in sumo. From this position, it puts him in a balanced stance for him to be able to launch attacks of pure power. Open-palm strikes are another characteristic of Sumo techniques best suited for Kuma's use of his powers with his Devil Fruit.
Other variously devastating techniques are the Ursus Shock. The attack has Kuma compressing air between his hands to form a giant paw-shaped bubble. This burst will then cause a great spherical shock that can destroy quite a large area. Really, the technique unleashes Kuma's Devil Fruit's destructive potential when used in such a creative way.
Other than being an attacker, Kuma's powers from his Devil Fruit also grant him extraordinary defensive and utility skills. He can push the air around him to cover a vast amount of space in just a very short time, which would give off an effect of teleportation at short distances. This would thus pose difficulties in fighting, both at close and long-range, since this is combined with his skill of being able to reflect attacks.
One of the most unique abilities of Kuma is the power to "push" abstract concepts, such as pain and fatigue, out of a person's body. This was dramatically evidenced when he extracted all of Luffy's accumulated pain and fatigue on Thriller Bark, showing both the versatility of his powers and the complex character motivations.
Worth noting, Kuma's fighting style evolved after being turned into a Pacifista. As he is now a cyborg, he can use laser beams from the mouth and hands alike, similar to the light-based attacks of Admiral Kizaru. This again expanded the range of his options in combat, and he can engage enemies effectively at any range.
One of the best examples of how he uses his powers strategically is Kuma's technique, which sends people flying to different locations by "pushing" them with his paws. This goes to prove that he does not always have to use his powers in a direct fighting sense, since it just goes on proving Kuma's tactical thinking and multi-facetedness in the use of the powers conferred on him by his Logia-type Devil Fruit. This technique was used to separate the Straw Hat Pirates and send each member to a location that would ultimately benefit their personal growth.
It's worth noting, though, that by the time Kuma became a full-body Pacifista, he lost that fluidity and turned into quite a more rigid fighting style. Though it was a strong one, he no longer had that adaptability and strategic thinking that formerly made him a great opponent. This shift in his combat potential becomes a rather poignant storytelling component: one underlining the personal sacrifice that Kuma has done for his ideals.
Role in the Plot
Kuma's first major appearance was during the Thriller Bark arc. Here it is shown that he actually is a strong Warlord of the Sea, defeating Perona without much problem and even being a threat to the Straw Hat Pirates. His true intentions, though, were to give up the crew in exchange for an exemption in the case of Luffy. This leads into a clear leading thread to the enigmatic nature of Kuma and what he is really working toward.
Its actual defining moment to Kuma's role comes in the Sabaody Archipelago arc. Right about when the Straw Hat Pirates are about to be beaten by Admiral Kizaru and Sentomaru, surprisingly, Kuma saves them, only instead of taking these pirates either as a prisoner or killing them, he sends each of the Straw Hats all off to very different parts of the world using his powers from the Devil Fruit.
Although this act is rather aggressive in nature, it later transpires to be an act of protection, saving them from the definite defeat or capture of the crew by the Marines. This event is crucial because it initiates the two-year timeskip. In the period of time that passes, each of the Straw Hats becomes stronger, and the course of the story changes greatly.
Kuma's role becomes rather more complicated during the Marineford arc. He joins the Warlords to fight the Marines against Whitebeard's army but displays obvious restraint, thereby showing clearly his conflicting loyalties. This era also programs the progress of Kuma into a full Pacifista, something that was gradual and enabled him to preserve some autonomy until the final stages.
After the time skip, Kuma is barely physically present within the story, but his impact remains immense. He has been turned into a slave by the Celestial Dragons, which is in great contrast to his former standing as one of the strongest pirates. This goes on even further to underline the brutality that is the World Government and to put more meaning into themes such as justice and freedom in One Piece.
The Reverie arc gives more light on the actions and motives of Kuma. He was the king of Sorbet Kingdom but later became a critical member of the Revolutionary Army. Making himself a science experiment for Dr. Vegapunk was all part of a greater plan: to protect both his kingdom and the secrets of the Revolutionary Army from the hands of other powers.
Specifically, during the recent Egghead Island arc, much more of Kuma's past is revealed: his tragic descendant heritage of buccaneers and his enslavement at the hands of the Celestial Dragons. This just adds a great deal of emotional depth to the character and finally explains his motivations for joining the Revolutionary Army.
Major Battles
Certainly, one of Kuma's more memorable confrontations was during the Thriller Bark arc. In that fight, he alone defeated the Straw Hat crew to show the gap between a Warlord of the Sea and the upcoming pirates. He mostly used the powers of Nikyu Nikyu no Mi during this fight, though. He used his "Pad Cannon" in which compressed air is shot at great speed, proving to be powerful enough to take his opponents down. He finally leaves off by offering to spare the crew if Kuma is handed Luffy's head, setting up a gripping standoff that says more about the complexity of his motivations.
During the fight, Kuma also reveals that he can "push" abstract concepts, as he extracts all of Luffy's accumulated pain and fatigue. Dramatically, Zoro asks to take on this pain instead of Luffy, who had been through immense suffering to protect his captain. This clearly shows the loyalty of Zoro to his captain but also foreshadows that there is more to Kuma, that there are mysterious traits and hidden agendas.
Another major fight including Kuma is in the Sabaody Archipelago arc. When Luffy attacks a Celestial Dragon at the Human Auctioning House, it puts the World Government in an uproar to launch an attack force consisting of Sentomaru, Admiral Kizaru, and Kuma himself. Amidst this commotion, Kuma once again demonstrates just how overwhelmingly powerful he is. He sends off his "Ursa Shock," which is a huge, paw-shaped shock that obliterates everything in its way. But the most important thing about this fight is not the fight itself; it's the powers Kuma uses to split the Straw Hat crew into different parts of the world to save them.
Kuma also joined in the Summit War as part of the Seven Warlords of the Sea during the Marineford arc and fought against the Whitebeard Commanders. This fight portrays Kuma as he is slowly becoming a machine since he had been gradually changed into a Pacifista. His fighting style in this battle, therefore, represents that change as well, incorporating elements of the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi and weapons from his Pacifista form, such as mouth-fired lasers. Finally, although Kuma is extremely powerful in his abilities, he actually shows very self-restrained actions in this fight, which more signify inner conflict and divided loyalty.
Worth noting, quite often Kuma's battles have been more than just fighting. For example, his fight against the Straw Hats in Sabaody was, despite all hostile appearances, a measure to ward off Admiral Kizaru and the Marines from attacking them. This strategic use of abilities demonstrates the complex role that Kuma plays in the series.