Lily Huynh/The Cougar
On Jan. 19, the official One Piece Instagram account made a post that shocked the college basketball world. The post announced their college basketball voyage, where fans of the Houston Cougars, Gonzaga Bulldogs, Illinois Fighting Illini, Rutgers Scarlet Knights and St. John’s Red Storm will be able to view special shows featuring the cast of One Piece, with custom themes and promotional items for both students and spectators alike.
One Piece is a manga series created by Eiichiro Oda in 1997 featuring the Straw Hat pirates and their adventures to far-off lands in search of a treasure known as the “One Piece.” It has garnered a lot of fame in the modern day, with Toei Animation celebrating the long-running One Piece anime’s 25th anniversary and a Netflix show that will release its second season in March 2026.
The five selected schools have their own schedules and timings for their shows, as only some games have the exclusive halftime show. For Houston, the game that will feature the special show will be the game against Kansas State on Jan. 14 at 8 p.m., so mark your calendars if you plan on going. If you would like to view updates regarding the status of the game, it is also helpful to view the University’s website for information on the current state of the game. The other four schools will also have their events posted on the official One Piece Base website, so please view the website for up-to-date information regarding those other special events.
Throughout the night, fans can expect a huge amount of fun off and on the court, as many events and giveaways are planned to occur. During halftime, there will be T-shirt tosses featuring the star character Luffy with a special design featuring the location of where the game took place. For example, if you manage to get one at the Houston Cougars game, it will feature Luffy with a UH logo, which will be a prized possession for many fans. Also at these events, there will be giveaways for student season ticket holders who get a free T-shirt and casual fans will be able to get a special poster and a promotional card for the One Piece trading card game featuring Luffy himself.
Overall, the announcement has broken the college basketball landscape as many fans scramble to get tickets to view this once-in-a-lifetime event. The voyage seems to be a major brand move for the series as well, as other popular series and franchises may copy this tactic and offer their own halftime shows for college basketball. Whether or not One Piece is something ticketholders enjoy, the night will definitely be one to remember.
sports@thedailycougar.com
Great Job Daniel Contreras & the Team @ The Cougar for sharing this story.
