Series: Dragon Ball Z & One Piece (crossover)
Company: Banpresto
Year: 2008
Size: 26cm
Main distribution: Japan (as price only)
This is a very special collaboration between Dragon Ball Z and One Piece to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Weekly Shōnen Jump. It’s a large figure of Dragonball Z’s Goku, dressed up as One Piece’s Luffy. This figure was released in a limited run and could only be won in the arcades. There were 4 different figures; Goku style Luffy, Luffy Style Goku, Goku style Nami and Luffy style Bulma.
For the 40th anniversary of Weekly Shōnen Jump the 2 most popular manga collaborated and did a crossover. Dragon Ball Z and One Piece got special, limited edition merchandise, including this figure.
The figure came in a big orange and red box, showing both shows and both figures. The front showed the figure that was inside.
Sadly the box does not show the other 2 figures of the girls.
Goku is wearing Luffy’s trademark outfit, a red open vest and jean shorts, with a straw hat hanging off his back. He’s still wearing his blue sweatbands around his wrists, and has his own signature hair.
He is barefoot, like Luffy. Mine tends to lean a bit forward, due to the curvature of the feet and the short pins, but it’s not really noticeable from the front.
He has a windswept look to him, which makes the figure look dynamic.
Due to Goku glancing sideways, I find him best displayed on 3/4 angle. This means the logo on the base is not at the front though.
The base is a simple black circle, with the Dragonball Z X One Piece logo’s on it, and 2 holes for the pegs of the feet.
The bottom of the base simply reads 2008 MADE IN CHINA.
I remember the 40th anniversary of Weekly Shōnen Jump well. I was getting pickier with my anime merchandise, but Dragon Ball Z remained a high favourite. I hadn’t seen much Dragon Ball merchandise anymore lately though, so seeing these had me ecstatic.
I also admired the magazine that has been running since 1968! No small feat, especially in a day and age where online and digital reading is becoming more and more a thing. On its 40th anniversary, the American Shōnen Jump had its 5th anniversary. Although technically neither of these were available in my country (except I later found one comic book store in Utrecht selling them for a high mark up), my uncle who worked at NATO, an American base, was selling the American Shōnen Jump in their convenience store. He bought me them whenever he saw them, as they didn’t always arrive in that shop every month. From 2007 to 2009 I got it, with a few months missing here and there. As I can’t read Japanese, getting this magazine made me feel closer to the Japanese distribution of Manga. I also loved how it was a platform for my favourite mangaka when they were starting out.
In 2009, I temporarily moved to Sydney, Australia. Much closer to Japan, and a major city as well, there was just so much more stuff I suddenly could get my hands on. I found a massive bookstore that stocked Weekly Shōnen Jump and I loved looking at the pictures. There were several arcades with many prices, and the first time I encountered an UFO crane machine! I won the Dragon Ball Z X One Piece Chopper Plush from it!
I later found this figure in a store for $65 Australian Dollars, which was about €32.50 at the time. I love the Dragonball Z characters in more casual clothing, and found the limited merchandise of the crossover interesting, so I bought it. Goku looks like he’s ready to chill at the beach!
Over a decade later, and he’s still with me. It has travelled over 3 countries so far! As much as I like Dragon Ball Z, I don’t like One Piece. And Goku isn’t exactly my favourite character. Still I quite like this one. And it remember me of my time in Sydney, and the amazing beaches it has!
Maybe one day I will get rid of him, for now, while I can, I’m keeping him.
Got any more details / information you think I should add? Or did I get something wrong? Do you own the same figure? Do you agree or disagree with my findings? Let me know in the comments below!