BANDAI SPIRITS
STORY

Capturing the history and memories of ONE PIECE

LUFFY’s is a figure series designed to chronicle the various memories and events surrounding ONE PIECE.

Beyond the original manga and animation, the series aims to incorporate every ONE PIECE milestone into its designs—from events like ONE PIECE DAY to live-action dramas, theatrical films, and corporate collaborations. Currently, products featuring various ONE PIECE memories applied via water-transfer printing and color design are on sale, with a collaboration featuring the NBA professional basketball league set to follow in 2026.

A defining characteristic of LUFFY’s is its silhouette, which was inspired by the shape of the letter “I” in the ONE PIECE logo. Another reason for its popularity is the 1/20 scale of the protagonist Luffy’s height (standing approximately 8.6 cm tall), a size that feels natural to display or keep close at hand.

A project born for long-time fans

The concept for LUFFY’s originated in 2022, the 25th anniversary of the ONE PIECE serialization. The project began with a proposal from Shueisha, the rights holder, and 8%, a design company that has long handled the design and direction for ONE PIECE products and events.

Following twenty-five long years, fans who were students when the series began have grown into adults, and their memories of ONE PIECE have undoubtedly multiplied. Shueisha and 8% poured their vision into this project, wanting to create a way for fans to keep a physical record of the ONE PIECE events and collaborations they have experienced. They envisioned a collection that was easy to collect and could be enjoyed for years to come alongside those memories. LUFFY’s is the embodiment of that sentiment.
The goal was to create a figure that makes fans feel nostalgic when they look at the patterns, connecting them with memories of past events like a cherished photograph and tracing their own journey with the series.

Three years of uncompromising quality

Because LUFFY’s was designed specifically with the fans in mind, we could not afford to compromise on quality during development and production. The major hurdles on the path to productization were finalizing product specifications (such as designs, lineups, and size variations), and establishing a mass-production system. Among these, the most difficult challenge was determining how to print the patterns cleanly onto the unique LUFFY’s form.

The original author, Eiichiro Oda, resonated with the concept of recording every memory of ONE PIECE and granted permission to use illustrations from the original manga. Because we wanted to deliver Oda’s artwork to customers with the highest possible fidelity, we were more meticulous about quality than ever before.

However, we struggled to find a factory capable of printing on the complex areas of the LUFFY’s form, such as the hands, the base of the legs, the brim of the hat, and under the chin, while meeting the high-quality standards required by Bandai Spirits. Without a factory, we could not produce prototypes or finalize the designs, and the project remained at a standstill for some time.

It was not until two and a half years after the initial concept that we finally found a factory capable of meeting our requirements. When we consulted a factory that produces other products for us, they sympathized with the project’s intent. As fellow ONE PIECE fans, they offered to help us in our search. Ultimately, we were able to begin manufacturing at a facility that cleared our quality standards and even established a dedicated production line for LUFFY’s. In the end, we were saved by the passion of the fans themselves.

Achieving one-of-a-kind products through hydrographic printing

One of the primary reasons we struggled to find a production factory was our goal of using hydrographic printing for the ONE PIECE designs on the LUFFY’s series. Since the LUFFY’s body has a rounded silhouette, hydrographic printing was the ideal method to ensure the patterns were applied beautifully.

Hydrographic printing is a technique where a special film printed with a design is floated on the surface of water and transferred to an object using water pressure. This method is used to apply patterns to three-dimensional objects with curved or uneven surfaces and requires exceptional craftsmanship. The artisans must precisely judge the timing, angle, and speed at which they immerse the parts into the film floating on the water. Even the slightest deviation can cause the pattern to stretch or shrink. The factory artisans went through extensive trial and error to determine the best printing methods and establish a reliable mass-production system.

While the search for a factory was difficult, our insistence on hydrographic printing ultimately gave birth to the unique identity of LUFFY’s—because every piece is printed by hand, no two items have the pattern in exactly the same position.

An unprecedented challenge: Standardizing print positions in hydrographic printing

As mentioned, because hydrographic printing is performed entirely by hand, the placement of the patterns is typically random. However, we took this exceptional craftsmanship a step further with the LUFFY’s ARTCANVAS 1/8 -1000LOGS Anniversary -released in December 2025.

This model stands approximately 21.5 cm tall (1/8 of Luffy’s height) and features the color spread illustration drawn to commemorate the 1,000th chapter of ONE PIECE in 2021. For this release, we ensured that the iconic image of Luffy stuffing his face with meat would appear around the stomach area on every single unit. Achieving this requires incredibly high technical skill. We were determined to make it happen because that scene is such a symbolic part of the 1,000-chapter commemorative illustration. This achievement was only possible thanks to the factory artisans who shared our passion.

Recording the entire history of ONE PIECE

Thanks to the fans, “LUFFY’s: Archive of Adventure [Vol.1]” has been a huge success not only in Japan but also across North America and Asia. Customers seem to be enjoying the excitement of not knowing exactly which pattern they will get. It has been wonderful to see the fan community grow as people share photos on social media, showing off their unique designs to one another.

Moving forward, our first priority is to strengthen our sales system to ensure that LUFFY’s is easily available to all customers who want them. Looking further ahead, we want to increase opportunities for collaborations with other brands, similar to our partnership with the NBA. Ultimately, through LUFFY’s, we aim to represent all ONE PIECE content, including the original manga, the anime, live-action dramas, theatrical films, and events. Together with the designers at 8%, we are dreaming big. We want LUFFY’s to be recognized as a true icon within the massive ONE PIECE franchise and to become a series loved by many fans. Nothing would make us happier than a world where LUFFY’s is always there by the side of every ONE PIECE fan.