About

Nika Dance refers to a story in the manga and anime One Piece in which Jewelry Bonney's father, Bartholomew Kuma, recounts how his father told him the legend of Nika, a mythical warrior revered as a Sun God by the Buccaneers. Kuma shows Bonney the "Drums of Liberation" dance, where he hops on each foot and makes a running motion with his hands while mimicking the sound of a steady drumbeat. The Nika dance first appeared in Chapter 1095 of the One Piece manga and episode 1129 of the anime, which aired on May 18th, 2025. In late May 2025, videos of fathers doing the "Nika Dance" with their children began going viral on TikTok as a trend spread online.

Origin

The Nika Dance is a symbolic ritual in the anime One Piece, associated with the legendary figure Sun God Nika, who is revered as a liberator who brings joy and freedom to the oppressed. The dance was first introduced in Episode 1129, titled "Kuma's Past – Better Off Dead in This World," which aired on May 18, 2025.

In a flashback to Bartholomew Kuma's childhood, his father, Clapp, performs the Nika Dance to uplift young Kuma amid their enslavement. This act of defiance leads to Klap's execution by a Celestial Dragon.

YouTuber^[1] Looking for one piece posted a clip of the scene on May 19th, 2025, gathering over 300,000 likes in a week.

Later in the same episode, Bonney remembers Kuma doing the Nika Dance for her when she is captured by St. Saturn. The hazy animation shows a small, pink-haired Nika jumping and clapping with joy while Kuma hops on one leg at a time while mimicking a drum beat with his voice.

YouTuber^[2] Toei Animation posted a clip of Bonney remembering her father's dance on May 19th, gathering over 90,000 likes in a week.

Spread

On May 23rd, 2025, TikToker^[3] @storehuv posted a video mimicking the Nika Dance with his daughter in a park, gathering over 1.7 million plays and 200,000 likes in five days.

On May 25th, TikToker^[4] @manuelpace12 posted a video doing the Nika Dance with his baby, gathering over 2 million views and 390,000 likes in three days.

Also on May 25th, 2025, TikToker^[5] @ricardo_fuentes93 posted a similar video doing the Nika Dance with his daughter, gathering over 800,000 plays and 100,000 likes in three days.

On May 27th, TikToker^[6] @dok..ja posted a video compilation of various father-daughter Nika Dance videos, gathering over 1 million plays and 320,000 likes in a day.

The video was then reposted to X^[7] by @OnePieceDefend that same day, where it garnered over 1 million views and 27,000 likes in a similar timeframe.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References