'One Piece' Raises the Flag on Licensing Gains as It Embarks on 25th Anniversary

Legendary studio and anime industry leader, Toei Animation, has reported on the success of “One Piece” licensing efforts over the past year since last year’s Licensing Expo. “One Piece’s” 2024 franchise report provides its licensing results, highlights notable collaborations and details a selection of new agreements.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the “One Piece” franchise. Toei Animation has revealed plans to celebrate the show in a larger-than-life display on the Exosphere – the exterior of Sphere in Las Vegas from June 10-16, which coincides with launch of the franchise’s new official English Channel on YouTube. 

During the last year, Toei Animation executed a total of 43 “One Piece” licensing agreements, many of which have or will be launched in 2024. With 29 new licenses and 14 license renewals, these agreements will engage One Piece fans across an array of products from apparel, accessories, toys and boardgames to collectibles, housewares, lighting, books and new location-based entertainment. 

“‘One Piece” is now celebrating its 25th anniversary on the heels of last year’s explosive global brand awareness, which was due to the overwhelming success of the franchise’s new productions and marketing efforts,” says Masayuki Endo, president, Toei Animation.  

“Toei is excited to commemorate the occasion and bring the world of ‘One Piece’ to Las Vegas in June. Toei invites fans to join the company next month for a live entertainment experience and subscribe to the new ‘One Piece’ English Channel on YouTube.” 

Now that it has been 25 years since the premiere of the original episodic series created by Eiichiro Oda and produced by Toei Animation, “One Piece” has taken its place as part of mainstream pop culture and attracts fans of all ages. The franchise encompasses 15 feature films, video games and a trading card game. It also has a constantly growing catalog of licensed apparel, footwear, accessories, toys and games, video games, sporting goods, stationery, gifts and novelties, household goods, publishing, food and beverage and location-based entertainment. 

Apart from the first “One Piece” live-action series, the anime franchise has achieved three production milestones. The first milestone is the release of “One Piece Film: Red,” which is the series’ 15th feature film with a successful release and a record global box office gross of $189.5 million. The next milestones are the exciting conclusion of the episodic series “Land of Wano Arc” and the launch of the show’s new “Egghead Arc.”  

These initiatives included several significant direct-to-consumer marketing achievements, including a Monkey D. Luffy giant character balloon at Macy’s 97th Thanksgiving Day Parade and an immersive “One Piece” location-based entertainment experience at New York Comic Con 2023. 

Apparel and accessories were the top-performing categories for the franchise in 2023. This resulted in three product collaborations that were launched earlier this year. Last October, Dim Mak x “One Piece” debuted its second drop with an exclusive pre-release of new Gear Five apparel and skate decks as part of the aforementioned “One Piece” experience at New York Comic Con 2023.  
This collaboration was followed last December with the launch of Cloud9 x “One Piece,” the first-ever “One Piece” collection targeting esports fans. The collection consists of T-shirts, hoodies, joggers and shorts, as well as totes, computer keyboard keys and a mouse pad. 

Finally, this past March, “One Piece” launched a collaboration with PUMA that features a limited-edition collection of four-pack suede sneakers and essential apparel and accessories, including jackets, hoodies, pants, joggers, shorts and T-shirts. 
New “One Piece” license agreements includes: