The swoosh is taking a trip into the Grand Line. Sportswear giant Nike is bringing the world of hit Anime, “One Piece” into its footwear and apparel lineup, translating some of the manga franchise’s most recognizable mythology into a collection built around movement, imagination and adventure. Leading the collaboration are three Air Max Plus designs inspired by the series’ legendary Devil Fruits, alongside jerseys, T-shirts, caps and a vest that pull directly from its visual language.
For fans, Nike’s One Piece collection is less about simply putting a popular character or logo on a sneaker and more about turning pieces of the story into wearable design. Devil Fruits, manga panels, Luffy’s Jolly Roger and even the strange consequences of eating a Devil Fruit all find their way into the collection. It is a fitting meeting of two worlds that have long celebrated individuality, ambition and the idea of pushing beyond what seems possible.
Devil Fruits Become Air Max Plus Sneakers
The most inventive part of the collection starts with three Air Max Plus silhouettes, each shaped by a different Devil Fruit from the “One Piece” universe. The Gomu Gomu no Mi, Ope Ope no Mi and Mera Mera no Mi each inform the design and color treatment of a corresponding sneaker.
That distinction matters because Nike did not simply rely on colorways to communicate the concept. The Air Max Plus models feature completely retooled uppers created exclusively for the collaboration, giving the familiar silhouette a noticeably different identity.
In “One Piece,” Devil Fruits give their users extraordinary powers, turning ordinary characters into forces capable of bending the rules of their world. Nike approached that idea through the sensation of putting on a pair of performance footwear and feeling transformed by it.
“We were inspired by the superhuman abilities that are unleashed when One Piece characters eat the Devil Fruits, much like the feeling an athlete has when they put on a pair of Nikes,” Nick Remlinger, GM of Energy Gaming at Nike, said.
That concept gives the sneakers a purpose beyond fandom. They are designed to make the fantasy of the franchise feel physical.
Nike Digs Into the Manga’s Visual Language
The footwear may be the headline, but the apparel gives the collaboration even more room to tell its story. The lineup includes Air Max Plus jerseys and caps pulled from Nike’s archive, as well as T-shirts that incorporate manga-inspired artwork.
Some of the pieces use actual manga panels, bringing the source material directly onto the clothing rather than creating an entirely new interpretation of the franchise. A Nike and One Piece collaboration logo further connects the two brands.
There is also a particularly meaningful reference to Monkey D. Luffy, the series’ protagonist. One T-shirt takes inspiration from the Jolly Roger that Luffy himself drew as “a mark of a promise.” That detail gives the garment a connection to the emotional world of the story, where symbols often carry as much meaning as the characters themselves.
Other manga illustrations are reimagined through the visual style of classic Nike advertisements, creating a conversation between One Piece artwork and the brand’s own design history.
Even the Devil Fruits’ Drawbacks Become Fashion
Perhaps the most unexpected piece in the collection is the vest, which draws inspiration from the effects of consuming a Devil Fruit.
Within the “One Piece” universe, gaining a Devil Fruit’s extraordinary powers comes with a major trade-off: those who eat one become unable to swim and are described as being “hated by the sea.” Rather than ignoring that unusual piece of lore, Nike incorporates it into the collection’s design language.
It is the kind of detail that makes Nike’s One Piece collection feel deliberately built around the source material. The collaboration does not stop at the obvious symbols. It digs into the rules, mythology and visual details that longtime fans recognize.
That depth is particularly important for a franchise as established as “One Piece,” whose influence now extends well beyond manga and anime into fashion, entertainment and sport.
A Collaboration Built Around Adventure
The relationship between “One Piece” and sport is not entirely new. The franchise has become part of sporting culture in different ways, from athletes drawing inspiration from its characters to fans incorporating its imagery into celebrations and expressions of identity.
Nike is leaning into that existing connection by framing the collection around the qualities that define the “One Piece” universe: courage, creativity and ambition. In that sense, the collaboration is not just about dressing fans of the manga. It is about connecting the franchise’s adventurous spirit with Nike’s long-standing relationship with movement.
The Air Max Plus becomes particularly effective in that role. Instead of treating the sneaker as a blank surface for branding, Nike has used the silhouette to explore what it might look like if the powers of the Devil Fruits could be expressed through footwear.
Nike’s One Piece Collection Arrives in September
The rollout begins September 4, when the collection will appear through a series of pop-up and retail experiences in Tokyo. A global launch is scheduled for September 25 through SNKRS, giving fans around the world access to the footwear and apparel.
For Nike, the collaboration is an opportunity to explore what happens when performance culture meets one of the most influential fictional universes in modern pop culture. For “One Piece” fans, it offers something more tangible: a chance to wear elements of the story rather than simply watch or read them.
Nike’s One Piece collection ultimately makes its strongest impression by treating imagination as a design tool. From Devil Fruits transformed into Air Max Plus sneakers to manga panels, Luffy’s Jolly Roger, and a vest inspired by the sea’s curse, nearly every piece has a story behind it. And if the collection is anything like the adventure that inspired it, Nike is leaving room for a few surprises along the way.
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Featured image: Nike
