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Nike Offers New Yu-Gi-Oh! Shoes

American athletic footwear and apparel corporation Nike announced on August 12 that its new Yu-Gi-Oh! collaboration Nike Air Max 95 QS YGO shoes with launch on September 12. The announcement features a short video with voiceover by Yu-Gi-Oh! character Katsuya Jōnouchi (Joey Wheeler in the English dub). The voiceover appears to have new dialogue created for the shoes' promotion with Japanese voice actor Hiroki Takahashi and English voice actor Dwayne Tan reprising the role.

The shoes are “a special-edition design inspired by Joey Wheeler's footwear in the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime series.” They boast "anime-accurate" craftsmanship with “shades of blue, paneling, lace loops, scratch marks mirroring Joey's sneakers in the Yu-Gi-Oh! universe, and a hidden Air unit match the look from the original series.”

The Yu-Gi-Oh! collaboration shoe will also come with custom and playable Nike x Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game cards. Nike notes this is the first time KONAMI, the producers of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game, has partnered with a brand to co-create official cards. As of press time, neither Konami nor Nike have shown the collaboration cards in full. However, the cards are briefly visible in the promotional video.

Nike also plans to release complementary apparel, including a Nike Destroyer jacket styled after Domino High School varsity wear and heavyweight tees featuring co-branded graphics and Red-Eyes Black Dragon artwork. (As of press time, Nike has not previewed how the apparel looks.)

Dave Vericker, Nike's Sr. Director, NBHD/Energy Merchandising, described the collaboration: “At Nike, we believe the future of sport is creative and unlimited in possibility, and we know that athletes draw inspiration from extraordinary sources in the video games they play and the anime they watch,” He continued, “We didn't invent this lore: It was born organically from the community. Through our partnership with KONAMI, we wanted to show love to longtime fans and inspire the next generation by bringing a beloved mythical story to life through design with these special Air Max 95s and a limited apparel collection.”

Jennifer Coleman, Konami's VP, Licensing & Marketing, Konami Cross Media NY, Inc., echoed Vericker's statement, “The passion, care and attention to detail Nike brought to this Yu-Gi-Oh! collaboration has been extraordinary. Their unique vision of Yu-Gi-Oh! characters and fans as athletes — combined with Nike's iconic marketing, footwear and apparel design — will redefine how our audience connects with their favorites characters, especially Joey Wheeler.”

The shoes' “Joey” colorway will be available globally at SNKRS and select Nike retail partner stores. The Japan-exclusive “Jōnouchi” colorway and apparel will be available at select Japanese retail locations. As of press time, Nike has not announced the shoes' retail price.

Sources: Email correspondence, Nike Japan's X/Twitter account, .SWOOSH's X/Twitter account, Nike