Anime crossovers are nothing new for the medium, with Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates having plenty of anime crossovers of their own. In one instance, the Straw Hats teamed up with Dragon Ball’s Z-Fighters to tackle some wild challenges, though this next crossover is unlike anything we’ve seen before. The crew of the Thousand Sunny is set to team up with the residents of Bikini Bottom as a One Piece x SpongeBob SquarePants crossover in a way that you might not see coming. While it might not be an animated project, the two universes are colliding all the same.
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McDonald’s is planning to create fusion figurines that smash together the Nickelodeon characters and the Shueisha heroes, set to arrive as Happy Meal toys. While the figurines have yet to receive an official release date, they are slated to arrive at the fast food restaurant chains in Australia and other countries. While these “other countries” haven’t been confirmed to be the United States, there’s a possibility that they might hit stateside, considering the popularity of both franchises. The fusions include SpongeBob and Luffy, Plankton and Usopp, Squidward and Sanji, Garry and Chopper, and more. You can see the first look at the fusion figurines below.
The Straw Hats’ Fast Food Reign
In Japan, Luffy and his Straw Hats have made countless appearances in McDonald’s restaurants, though the popularity of the shonen franchise has helped Luffy and his crew make their way to North American fast food chains. Earlier this year, One Piece teamed up with Popeyes to create original edibles and full meals focusing on the Straw Hat Pirates. While this collaboration was only for a limited time, it seems likely that we’ll one day see Eiichiro Oda’s characters make a comeback to America’s fast food eateries.
The earlier Popeyes collaboration arrived thanks to the second season comeback for Netflix’s One Piece. While anime has been expanding by leaps and bounds in the West, the live-action adaptation has introduced the Straw Hats’ story to new viewers who never watched the anime. With the third season set to arrive next year, getting another fast food crossover seems like a strong possibility in 2027.
Ironically enough, despite SpongeBob SquarePants being the biggest Nickelodeon animated series of all time, the franchise has never truly dipped its toes into the anime world. While there have been numerous examples of fan animators creating their own iterations of a “SpongeBob anime,” an official SquarePants anime project has never been made. Luckily, the Paramount franchise is already confirmed for multiple seasons in the future, meaning there will be plenty of time for this potential project to emerge.
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