The One Piece/Los Angeles Dodgers collaboration has yet to take place, set to hit the field later tonight, but this isn’t stopping the Straw Hat Pirates from making big gains for Major League Baseball. In a new press release, the collaboration between the two unexpected partners has already brought in some big ticket sales and you might be surprised to learn just how big said sales are. Needless to say, based on these surprising statistics, it seems that anime and North American professional sports are looking at the start of a beautiful partnership.
According to a new press release, ticket sales for the Dodgers’ One Piece night are 225% higher than normal, even going so far as to overcome a pivotal moment for the baseball team’s history. The ticket sales for the event even overtook a previous event that featured pitcher Clayton Kershaw notch his 3,000th career strikeout. With the special event featuring exclusive merchandise and even live-action Nami actor Emily Rudd throwing out the first pitch, the July 3rd game is looking to do a big service to both the Straw Hats and the Dodgers alike.
One Piece Steps Up To The Plate
Lisa Yamatoya, Toei Animation’s Senior Direct and Head of Marketing, shared the following statement regarding the union, “We’re thrilled to partner with the Los Angeles Dodgers to bring the global hit series ONE PIECE to Dodger Stadium on July 3 for a very special one-day promotion. We invite fans to join us for ONE PIECE Night, which will offer a truly memorable, one-of-a-kind entertainment experience, complete with a not-to-be-missed ONE PIECE drone show after the game!”
If you’re in the Los Angeles area and want to check out the game itself, here’s how Major League Baseball describes the major anime event, “During ONE PIECE Night at Dodger Stadium, which will include a variety of ONE PIECE activations in and around the stadium, the Dodgers will give away ONE PIECE co-branded straw hats to the first 40,000 ticketed fans in attendance, while supplies last, at the guest’s point of entry. Following the game, ONE PIECE Night will conclude with a special drone show featuring fan-favorite characters from the series.
The Straw Hats Step Up To The Plate
While the Z-Fighters might have had their own baseball skirmish in Dragon Ball Superthe same can’t be said for the Straw Hats in the official One Piece anime. In a surprising twist however, there was a Japan-only Gameboy Advance game released in 2004 titled, “One Piece: Going Baseball” Never finding its way to North America, the Nintendo game might be the only time that we get the chance to see Luffy and friends hit the field, aside from their partnership with the Dodgers that is.
Want to see what future sports fusions take place between the anime world and Major League Baseball? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on all things One Piece and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
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