Manga Meets March Madness with One Piece Campaign

Building on its live-action success on Netflix, One Piece is bridging the gap between anime fandom and American sports culture at university campuses across the US.

The globally dominant Japanese anime franchise One Piece has announced a historic collaboration with men’s college basketball starting January 23^rd, marking a bold expansion of its presence in American sports.  The “US Voyage” campaign spans 15 games across five major universities – Gonzaga, Houston, Illinois, Rutgers, and St. John’s – integrating the Straw Hat Pirates into the high-energy world of collegiate athletics.  

Participating universities will hold pre-game screenings of One Piece videos and feature halftime shows in which marching bands and cheer squads perform the series’ anthemic opening, “We Are!”

Created by Eiichiro Oda in 1997, One Piece is the best-selling manga series of all time, with over 500 million copies in circulation worldwide.  The franchise has seen accelerated growth in the U.S. recently following the success of Netflix’s 2023 live-action adaptation.

The college basketball collaboration provides large in-person audiences, national exposure, and access to young, culturally influential fans.  This also allows One Piece to reach beyond its core audience, further solidifying its appeal in the American mainstream in a space typically reserved for domestic brands.

The initiative builds on previous sports partnerships with the NBA, MLB, and NFL – most recently to promote its Christmas day games.  The aggressive marketing will continue in 2026 with a Nike collaboration featuring Devil Fruit-themed sneakers.

The schools were chosen for their strong basketball identities, with three Top 25 programs, geographic reach, and adaptable licensing policies.  The cohort also reflects a commitment to diversity, including four schools with Asians comprising over 15% of the student body.

Beyond marketing, this initiative signals a definitive shift in how western sports leagues view anime – no longer as a niche hobby, but as a shared cultural language – furthering the growing influence of Asian creators and culture in mainstream American life.