On May 28, the Dodgers and Toei Animation announced a theme night based on the long-running hit anime, One Piece. The first 40,000 fans who attend the home game on July 3 against the Chicago White Sox will get a co-branded straw hat.
The theme night does not require a special ticket.
That night, Monkey D. Luffy and his crew of Straw Hat Pirates will take over Dodger Stadium with various features around the ballpark.
I would not be surprised if organist Dieter Ruehle cut loose with some classic songs from the anime, including Bink’s Sake, Run Away!, and Overtaken before and during the game.
The night’s festivities will conclude with a themed drone show featuring the show’s animated characters after the game.
“This exciting partnership between the Dodgers and Toei Animation will bring a fun-filled event to Dodger Stadium,” said Lon Rosen, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, Los Angeles Dodgers. “It’s great to showcase ONE PIECE, one of the most popular franchises in the world, to the best fan base in the world.”
“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,” said Lisa Yamatoya, Senior Director, Head of Marketing at Toei Animation Inc. “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!”
Since 1999, anime has delighted millions of fans worldwide. The franchise now includes 15 feature films, numerous video games, a burgeoning trading card game, and an expanding catalog of licensed merchandise, theme park entertainment, and adaptations (both live-action and animated).
I was quite giddy until the Dodgers released a mock up of the promotional straw hat on May 29th. It’s fine.
This drone show better be spectacular is all I’m saying.
When we last discussed the intersection with the Straw Hat Pirates and MLB, we were commenting about the birth of the Ohtani Swipe and Michael Kay attempting to describe the hit anime to Paul O’Neill during a Jazz Chisholm at-bat on April 2nd.
Since that night, two subsequent One Piece theme nights have been in Seattle (April 8) and Boston (May 3). Given the apparent growing Japanese influence in the Dodgers’ fanbase and the team’s tendency to monetize just about everything, it seemed likely that it would be a question of when the Straw Hats took over Dodger Stadium rather than if.
One might be forgiven for forgetting that the Los Angeles Lakers collaborated with One Piece in late February. I am not a basketball person, but I did chuckle at this intersection a few months ago.
One Piece is the story of a pirate and his merry band of lunatics who arrive on every new island and ultimately dismantle every local government they come across (while shouting his name, address, and Social Security number) for the cost of someone’s leftovers.
The above description is reductive, but it is not inaccurate. An ongoing story that is reaching its climax after almost 30 years almost guarantees that One Piece’s presence in the cultural zeitgeist will only grow.
Considering current trends, you will likely see fathers dancing online with their children very soon, from a dance that recently debuted in One Piece.
Do you need context to understand what is going on in the clip? Not really. However, considering how often the Dodgers have been borrowing from anime for celebrations in 2025, I would not be surprised to see Shohei Ohtani dancing like that with his child in the near future. Hence, I am trying to preempt the “Why is Ohtani hopping like Super Mario?” discussion.
