The San Francisco Giants and one of the most popular anime series of all time, Naruto Shippuden, revealed their first collaboration at Anime Day later this month.
Via VIZ Media's official X (formerly Twitter), Naruto is teaming up with the San Francisco Giants for a special Anime Day featuring the popular anime series. The event takes place on Sunday, September 28, 2024, at Oracle Parkwhere attendees could receive a special Naruto Shippuden jersey. The jersey features Naruto’s signature orange color, a running character, and the number “7” on the back, possibly a reference to Naruto’s Team 7. Readers can see an image of the jersey in the official announcement artwork below.
Naruto has an official MLB jersey for the SF Giants vs. St. Louis Cardinals event in September
The upcoming Anime Day is officially described as follows: “Naruto Shippuden fans, gather! The Giants are excited to host the first-ever Anime Day at Oracle Park to celebrate the iconic Japanese manga series, Naruto Shippuden. Make sure you wear your best Naruto Shippuden gear and join us for an exclusive Naruto Shippuden-themed game day experience as your San Francisco Giants take on the St. Louis Cardinals.” Fans can present their tickets to receive a jersey at View Reserve 334; ticket information and updates closer to the event can be found on the MLB website.
Hello Kitty, hololive, My Hero Academia & One Piece all get special MLB events
Anime Day at Oracle Park follows several other collaborations by MLB with popular Japanese IPs; Hello Kitty Night and hololive Night took place earlier this year, with the latter event prompting some attendees to describe it as having the longest lines they'd ever seen. The first My Hero Academia night took place at the Texas Rangers' Globe Life Park just this week, while another major shonen anime, One Piece, held a One Piece Night at the Boston Red Sox's Fenway Park in March.
With global franchises already partnering with MLB, it's no surprise that Naruto is next. In 2023, Google revealed that Naruto was the most searched anime series in the last 25 years. VIZ Media is naturally keen to capitalize on the series' success, recently announcing plans to stream Naruto for free 24/7 in partnership with Amazon. VIZ licenses the series in North America, with major streaming services like Crunchyroll and Hulu (which also dubs the series) offering the series in English.
Source: VIZ Media via X (formerly Twitter)
