One Piece Announces Groundbreaking Partnership With Five U.S. College Basketball Teams
Tokyo, Japan, January 9, 2026 – Japan's globally celebrated and beloved franchise ONE PIECE is set to launch a major collaboration titled ONE PIECE COLLEGE BASKETBALL: US VOYAGE with five leading college basketball teams competing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
ONE PIECE will partner with Gonzaga University (Washington), Rutgers University (New Jersey), St. John's University (New York), University of Houston (Texas), and University of Illinois (Illinois) for this collaboration. Across fifteen official collegiate basketball games, fans will get to experience special ONE PIECE-themed activations.
The colleges will each host three participating games. Each game will feature ONE PIECE–themed screenings of new promotional videos and arena-wide displays. Attendees will receive an exclusive, limited-edition poster co created with each college, along with a unique ONE PIECE card from the official ONE PIECE CARD GAME produced to commemorate the collaboration.
Each college will host a special ONE PIECE Halftime Show, providing an energetic and engaging experience for local fans. Highlights include a limited-edition T-shirt toss and a performance of “We Are!” by the colleges' marching band and cheer team, arranged exclusively for the collaboration. *St. John's University will present a ONE PIECE show during timeout.
Additionally, shout-out videos from the cast of the Netflix live action series, ONE PIECE, will be shown before the game on January 23 (Fri) at Rutgers and during a timeout on February 6 (Fri) at St. John's.
A dedicated webpage featuring the full collaboration schedule, event details, and a comprehensive
overview of all related ONE PIECE information is now available here.
COLLABORATING SCHOOLS
● Gonzaga University (Gonzaga Bulldogs)
● Rutgers University (Rutgers Scarlet Knights)
● St. John's University (St. John's Red Storm)
● University of Houston (Houston Cougars)
● University of Illinois (Illinois Fighting Illini)
GAME SCHEDULE (ALL GAMES SCHEDULED FOR NATIONAL BROADCAST)
● Rutgers University (Rutgers Scarlet Knights)
○ Friday, January 23, 6:00 PM ET - vs Indiana University — ONE PIECE Halftime Show
○ Tuesday, January 27, 6:30 PM ET - vs Michigan State University
○ Saturday, February 7, 12:00 PM ET -vs University of Nebraska
● Gonzaga University (Gonzaga Bulldogs)
○ Saturday, January 24, 5:00 PM PT - vs University of San Francisco
○ Saturday, January 31, 7:30 PM PT - vs Saint Mary's College of California — ONE PIECE Halftime Show
Tuesday, February 10, 8:00 PM PT - vs Washington State University
● St. John's University (St. John's Red Storm)
○ Friday, February 6, 8:00 PM ET - vs University of Connecticut — ONE PIECE Special Show
○ Monday, February 9, 6:30 PM ET - vs Xavier University
○ Saturday, February 28, 8:00 PM ET - vs Villanova University
● University of Houston (Houston Cougars)
○ Saturday, February 14, 8:00 PM CT - vs Kansas State University — ONE PIECE Halftime Show
○ Saturday, February 21, 2:00 PM CT - vs University of Arizona
○ Wednesday, March 4, 8:00 PM CT - vs Baylor University
● University of Illinois (Illinois Fighting Illini)
○ Sunday, February 15, 12:00 PM CT - vs Indiana University
○ Friday, February 27, 7:00 PM CT - vs University of Michigan — ONE PIECE Halftime Show
Tuesday, March 3, 8:00 PM CT - vs University of Oregon
*Schedules are subject to change. Please check each school's official website for the most up-to-date information.
ATTENDEE EXCLUSIVE GIVEAWAY ITEMS
<EXCLUSIVE COLLAB T-SHIRT>
Each college will distribute its T-shirts exclusively to the student sections on the day of its Halftime Show.
<ONE PIECE CARD GAME Promotion Card ONE PIECE COLLEGE BASKETBALL US VOYAGE
Monkey.D.Luffy>
*Giveaway items will be distributed while supplies last.
*Please note that details are subject to change, and events may be modified or canceled without prior notice.
ABOUT ONE PIECE
ONE PIECE, created by Eiichiro Oda, began serialization in "Weekly Shonen Jump," issue 34, 1997 (Shueisha), released on July 22nd, 1997. Still going strong, it celebrated its 25th anniversary in July 2022. The cumulative worldwide print circulation of the manga exceeded 510 million copies as of August 2022, and it is published in over 60 countries and regions worldwide. The anime produced by Toei Animation began airing in Japan in 1999 and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2024. The series will enter a new arc, the “Elbaph” Arc, starting in April 2026. Netflix's live-action adaptation of ONE PIECE debuted in 2023, becoming a global phenomenon, spending eight weeks on the Global Top 10, reaching #1 in over 75 countries and making history as the first Netflix English-language series to debut at #1 in Japan. The show has nearly 100M views and is one of Netflix's most downloaded shows of all time. ONE PIECE returns for its highly anticipated second season on March 10, 2026, and has been renewed for Season 3. The show is created in partnership with Shueisha and is produced by Tomorrow Studios (an ITV Studios partner) and Netflix. The franchise continues to expand through a wide range of media, including films, games, and merchandise.
SERIES SYNOPSIS
A high-sea adventure revolving around the quest for “ONE PIECE” - the ultimate treasure. The story follows Monkey D. Luffy and his loyal crew as they hone their unique abilities while adventuring across the world's oceans in pursuit of their dreams. For Luffy, that means becoming "King of the Pirates” !!
OFFICIAL LINKS
◆ Official App "ONE PIECE BASE": https://en.onepiece-base.com
◆"ONE PIECE" Official Global YouTube Channel (@OnePieceOfficialENG)
◆"ONE PIECE" Staff Official X Account (@Eiichiro_Staff)
◆"ONE PIECE" Staff Official Instagram Account (@onepiece_staff)
◆"ONE PIECE" Staff Official TikTok Account (@onepiece.staff.official)
©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha
©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, Toei Animation
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