Kuma -- Shichibukai -- Biography

Kuma is a Shichibukai. He is additionally a former Revolutionary whose bounty was Bsymbol.gif296,000,000. He was once feared as a pirate so vicious, he earned the title "Tyrant". He is a type of cyborg called a "Pacifista" ( パシフィスタ, Pashifisuta ) developed by Dr. Vegapunk. Once Vegapunk finished his modifications on Kuma, the Shichibukai was converted into the first complete Pacifista cyborg with the serial PX-0, figuratively dying in the process. He was a very influential character during the Whitebeard War Saga, setting the stage for Luffy's appearance in Amazon Lily, Impel Down, and Marineford. He has saved and defeated the Straw Hat Pirates on two occasions, and protected the Thousand Sunny during their two-year absence by making a deal with Vegapunk to have that mission programmed as his primary objective.

Kuma is an enormous man, nearing 7 meters tall, he is the tallest remaining Shichibukai (being one inch shorter than former member Moriah) and is usually seen carrying a Bible. His overall appearance resembles that of a bear, though there are a few key differences. His eyes are strangely covered by either a pair of glasses or clear-mirrored lenses. While initially he will give the impression of wearing glasses, it seems that, based on the Pacifistas that were destroyed, those are actually his own eyes.

His hat features a pair of rounded ears, and, along with the fabric of his pants, is covered in brown spots. His jacket contains a large white design reminiscent of a target crosshair or a coda (musical term). There are also several paw prints lining the bottom hem of his coat. He also has a long protruding chin. He bears the tattoo "PX-0" on the left side of the base of his throat.

In the anime, Kuma's hair and jacket are black, and his hat is gray. The covering of his Bible is also shown to be intricately colored purple. In the manga, Oda originally intended for Kuma to have a completely different color scheme. Kuma's hair was shown to be brown, his jacket bright orange, his hat yellow with green spots, and his Bible a solid gold color. Later in the manga chapters, his coat was changed to more closely resemble the one in the anime, though the rest of his design remained untouched.