One Piece: The Importance Of The Buccaneers In The Final Saga

This article contains spoilers for One Piece’s Final Saga.

Summary

The Buccaneers were wiped out by the World Government in One Piece, leaving only Bartholomew Kuma.
Other Buccaneers could reveal themselves in the Final Saga, like S-Bear who may carry on their legacy.
The Buccaneers are thematically important to Luffy’s journey, representing hope and freedom.

When it comes to the many races of the One Piece world, no other group is more mysterious than the Buccaneers. While other nearly extinct races, like the Lunarians, also have an air of mystery surrounding them, the Buccaneers seem to be special for several reasons. Between their unique history and biology, the Buccaneers seem to be an important part of the One Piece world that should be explored further.

Despite this, the Buccaneers have already been a very important part of One Piece’s Final Saga, providing interesting details of the history of both Nika and the World Government. Additionally, although the Buccaneers have been given time to shine during the Egghead Arc, it seems very likely that more information regarding the near-extinct race will come during a future arc in One Piece, like Lodestar. Once this information is revealed, fans will understand the full scope of why the Buccaneers are so important to the overall story of One Piece, both in terms of lore and thematically.

‘I Drew Manga Only To Be Rejected’: Oda Shares How He Came Up With One Piece

One Piece almost never existed as Oda kept getting rejected. This one shot saved his mangaka career.

The Buccaneers Were Wiped Out By The World Government In One Piece

Only One Buccaneer Remains To This Day

In One Piece, there is a nearly extinct tribe of people called the Buccaneers. Looking mostly like a large human, the Buccaneers are said to contain the blood of multiple different races, including that of giants. Additionally, the Buccaneers possess very high levels of natural strength and durability and are long-time worshipers of the Sun God Nika.

It is not the physical strength of the Buccaneers that makes them remarkable… – Vegapunk

Sadly, due to an unspecified crime committed in the past, the World Government set out to capture or kill all the Buccaneers, forcing them into hiding. However, over time, from this persecution, almost every Buccaneer in One Piece was wiped out, leaving only one left in the current story: Bartholomew Kuma. Although Kuma is only half Buccaneer on his father’s side, outside of his clones like S-Bear and the Pacifista, he is currently the last of their kind.

Other Buccaneers Could Reveal Themselves In The Final Saga

S-Bear Could Also Be The Future Of The Buccaneers In One Piece

The four Seraphs currently named; S-Shark, S-Bear, S-Hawk, and S-Snake

Other Buccaneers Could Appear In One Piece
S-Bear Could Be Important To The Survival Of The Buccaneers

Firstly, while there is currently only one revealed Buccaneer in the story, there could be plenty more members of the race hiding throughout the series of One Piece. For example, since most Buccaneers are indistinguishable from large humans, there may be some characters in the story that unwittingly carry the blood of Buccaneers. These characters, who could already be major characters in the story, like Blackbeard, could potentially realize that they are members of the Buccaneer race, unlocking an entirely new side of their character.

One Piece: Elbaf Is The Perfect Time To Upgrade The Thousand Sunny

Although there are more pressing matters currently, Elbaf could be a great time to give the Thousand Sunny an upgrade in One Piece.

However, if this isn’t the case, there is already a character who could carry on the legacy of both Kuma and the Buccaneers: S-Bear. While S-Bear is currently under the control of the World Government, possessing Kuma’s DNA, and thus the blood of the Buccaneers, it seems likely that if any of One Piece’s Seraphim were to fully break free of their orders, it would be S-Bear. Potentially, while there may be few Buccaneers left, if S-Bear were to fully learn the plight of the Buccaneer, he may join the side of the pirates fighting against the World Government.

The Buccaneers Are Thematically Important To Luffy’s Journey

They Represent The Hope And Freedom Luffy Strives For

Finally, the Buccaneers, even if the group does not return to the world of One Piece, symbolically represent the ideas of the Sun God Nika, and Luffy himself. Mainly, through their belief in Nika and the stories of the Sun God, thematically, the Buccaneers have already shown how important One Piece’s protagonist, Luffy, is to the people of the world. Through Luffy, although he isn’t Nika, there could be a new legendary figure that inspires the idea of hope and freedom, just like the Sun God did in the past with the Buccaneers. Although it would be sad to see Kuma remain as the last of his species, his belief in Luffy could be one of the most important aspects of his character.

The descendant of a clan that once committed a grave crime against the world! – Saint Saturn about Kuma

In the end, while it may seem like there isn’t much left to tell beyond learning their history, the Buccaneers could still be very important to the Final Saga of One Piece. Whether established characters will reveal themselves to be Buccaneers, or S-Bear will be forced to carry on the legacy of the group, there are plenty of stories to tell with this group of One Piece characters. Hopefully, if more of One Piece’s ancient history is revealed on Elbaf or Lodestar, fans will finally receive some answers.

One Piece

Release Date: October 20, 1999
Network: Fuji TV
Directors: Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
Writers: Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda