One Piece Takes the Stage With K-pop Group Kiss of Life for a Special Performance

One Piece has come to life with a bit of magic and help from the K-pop group Kiss of Life.

By Megan Peters

One Piece has been sailing the seas for decades, and its reputation is nothing short of impressive. Series creator Eiichiro Oda has been guiding the Shonen Jump hit since the late '90s, and Monkey D. Luffy is more recognizable than ever. From its anime to its manga and live-action series, One Piece is thriving these days. But even so, no one expected one of K-pop's top new groups to hit the stage with One Piece on their side.

As you can see below, the viral performance went live this weekend overseas for The Fact Music Awards. The event brought the group Kiss of Life out to open the evening, and Kiss of Life did not disappoint. They performed a medley of their hits like "Sticky" all while dressed as One Piece characters.

What Does Kiss of Life's Tribute to One Piece Include?

As you can see below, this anime x K-pop crossover is bigger than some costume tributes. The Kiss of Life members are tapped into the Straw Hat crew as they're cosplaying various characters. From Luffy to Sanji and Zoro, the gang is all here. A slew of Marines are also brought into the performance as Kiss of Life had its background dancers dress up in costume. Plus, a slew of props were brought onto the stage like Zoro's swords.

In the background, a giant LCD screen brought the Thousand Sunny to life, but its Jolly Roger has been changed. Luffy's straw hat logo was dashed for the Kiss of Life logo. As the medley went on, Kiss of Life also paid homage to major moments in One Piece with their choreography. From Luffy's Gear 2 pose to the Straw Hats' farewell to Vivi, the performance captured it all better than One Piece fans could have imagined.

Anime Has a Long History with K-pop

This One Piece homage took the entire anime fandom by surprise, but K-pop fans shouldn't be too shocked. Over the decades, a number of K-pop stars have paid homage to anime either on stage, in songs, or through interviews. For instance, BTS brought global attention to the children's anime Anpanman with a song named after the superhero. Other stars like Jennie has tapped anime in their career as the BlackPink member teamed with Sailor Moon's creator to promote one of her solo comebacks.

There has also been a rise in K-pop acts performing opening theme songs for anime titles. TVXQ did an opening for One Piece way back in the day, and that tradition has been revived by other groups like TXT and Stray Kids. Other acts like BoA, 2PM, Younha, and Ateez have also jumped into the anime trend. So clearly, the synergy between K-pop and anime is booming these days.

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Only time will tell whether Kiss of Life brings any more anime collaborations to life on stage. The girl group debuted under S2 Entertainment in 2023, and it has put out a string of hits since. A band like Kiss of Life is definitely lively enough to record an anime opening, and honestly, a series like My Dress-Up Darling is begging for such a theme song. 

What do you make of this wild K-pop crossover with Kiss of Life? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on X (Twitter) and Instagram.

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