BODY: Straw Hat fans in Japan have a new way to celebrate the upcoming second season of Netflix's live-action ONE PIECE — by gambling on plushies. Sega Lucky Kuji has rolled out a tie-in lottery campaign that turns one of Eiichiro Oda's most beloved creations into something you can cuddle on your couch.
The lottery is currently available at Ministop convenience stores and various hobby retailers across Japan, with each draw priced at 790 yen including tax. Starting May 11, a limited quantity will also be sold through the Sega Lucky Kuji Online platform, expanding access to fans who'd rather not hunt down physical stock.
Headlining the prize lineup is the A Prize: an oversized, fluffy "lying-down" Chopper plush (nesobel nui) that leans hard into the reindeer-doctor's marketable cuteness. The campaign promotes Season 2 of the live-action series, with original creator Eiichiro Oda continuing in his dual role as source author and executive producer — a creative oversight arrangement that's been credited with the show's surprisingly faithful tone.
For collectors, kuji lotteries like this are a staple of Japanese pop-culture merchandising: every ticket wins something, and the chase for the top-tier prizes drives repeat purchases until the boxes are emptied at participating shops.
The insider take
Sega Lucky Kuji campaigns are practically a cultural ritual in Japan — Ministop's freezer aisle in Shibuya often shares floor space with a kuji display the moment a major IP drops, and ONE PIECE moves units like nothing else. The pivot to a live-action tie-in (rather than the long-running anime) is telling: Netflix's adaptation has earned enough trust from Oda and Toei-adjacent licensors to anchor mainstream merchandise. Expect the A prize Chopper to vanish within hours of online sales opening on May 11, and resale prices on Mercari to roughly triple by week's end.
Originally reported by コミックナタリー - 最新ニュース (Japanese).