Thousands of straw hats came together in 10 countries around the world for a sneak preview of Netflix’s highly anticipated live-action One Piece adaptation and to celebrate the series’ 31 August premiere.
Based on Japan’s highest-selling manga series in history by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece is a sprawling tale of adventure on the high seas that centres on the character of Monkey D. Luffy, an enthusiastic young man whose singular aspiration is to become King of the Pirates. One Piece is both the name of the manga series and the legendary treasure that Luffy hopes to find so he can become the King of the Pirates.
The celebration details are as follows:
Los Angeles, US: The festivities kicked off on 24 August with Pirates on the Pier in the US. Los Angeles’ Santa Monica Pier was taken over by One Piece — including the famed ferris wheel lit up as Jolly Roger. Guests enjoyed multiple photo opps, tunes by DJ Pee.Wee, a screening of the first episode and a drone show, which brightened the evening with beloved characters including Luffy, Buggy, dancing straw hats, and even a tribute to Oda-Sensei, who made a special appearance at the event.
Paris, France: On 26 August, French fans participated in a gum-gum treasure hunt around Paris, following clues on social media to find the 20 hidden treasures around the city, including one unique gum-gum. The treasure hunters won special One Piece treasures, as well as in-person and virtual tickets to the fan premiere at the Grand Rex theatre on 29 August, where they screened the first two episodes.
Jakarta, Indonesia: In Indonesia, fans joined a flag hunt on foot that spanned several central Jakarta spots on 27 August. Three days later, they screened the first episode and visited the ship at Pantai Indah Kapuk — decked out to look like the Going Merry — that featured several photo opps from the series. The ship is open to the public now through 3 September.
Tokyo, Japan: On 30 August, the celebration travelled to Japan where fans screened the first two episodes at Tokyo’s United Cinema Aqua City Odaiba before visiting a special One Piece exhibition. The space, which is open to the public through 3 September, features real-life props and costumes from the series, One Piece-inspired games like the straw hat toss and a cast memory game, as well as a special installation titled ‘Journey to the One Piece with Oda-Sensei,’ detailing the working relationship between Oda-Sensei and Netflix during production through letters and videos.
Milan, Italy: On 30 August, the festivities migrated to Italy. Fans enjoyed photo opps, iconic gifts, and gum-gum fruit macarons, among other themed snacks, while watching the first two episodes from atop the swimming pool at Milan’s Bagni Misteriosi.
Metro Manila, Philippines: Later that day in the Philippines, several famous One Piece landmarks were brought to life at Taguig in Metro Manila, including Zoro’s iconic cross at Shells town, the deck of the Going Merry with the Straw Hat crew’s Jolly Roger, the famous barrel where guests could showcase their hopes and dreams, and a wanted board filled with the bounties of all the attendees. The experience is open to the public through 5 September.
Mexico City, Mexico: To cap off the day, guests in Mexico City screened the first episode before boarding ship-themed buses to an exclusive sneak peek of the fan experience at Fronton Inclan. The activation, which is open to the public through 17 September, features a One Piece-inspired circus, skills games, photo opps, a virtual reality experience and a special musical mariachi performance of the One Piece song “We Are.”
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: On premiere day in Brazil, the Going Merry docked at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, where fans could replicate Luffy’s poster and take part in other photo opps aboard the ship. The activation is open to the public through 3 September, and 7-10 September.
Bangkok, Thailand: The Going Merry made a final stop in Thailand at Bangkok’s IconSiam, where attendees could recreate Zoro’s iconic opening scene and take the stern at Nami’s tangerines garden (among other photo opps), and compete against other fans in a One Piece trivia game before screening the first episode. The Going Merry free boat shuttle is available through 3 September, and the fan event space is open to the public through 10 September.
Germany: To round out the festivities, fans in Germany joined a virtual watch party hosted by singer, voice actress and influencer Lara Loft.
One Piece is streaming now on Netflix. The show is created in partnership with Shueisha and produced by Tomorrow Studios and Netflix. Matt Owens and Steven Maeda are writers, executive producers, and showrunners. Eiichiro Oda, Marty Adelstein, and Becky Clements also executive produce.