Naruto x Jordan Collaboration Is Teased by Nike

A new Naruto partnership will bring together ninjas and basketball players.

Nike's Jordan Brand and the renowned shnen series will reportedly cooperate on a new collection of Naruto-inspired footwear, as announced on Twitter. While no information regarding the nature of the partnership have been released, it has been announced that New Orleans Pelicans power forward Zion Williamson will be involved. On Twitter, Williamson stated, "Excited to share our tale with the world. The [Jordan] Zion 1 x Naruto Collection is inspired by our parallel paths of conquering hardship. Stay tuned!"

Williamson's post and Jordan Brand's official Twitter both tweeted a photo of the Jumpman emblem and Naruto Uzumaki making a slam dunk, with Jordans labeling the photo, "The Shinobi Way." According to Williamson's tweet, the future collection will feature the athlete's Zion 1 sneaker.

Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto manga series was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shnen Jump from 1999 to 2014, resulting in 72 volumes. It is one of the best-selling manga series of all time, with classics such as Eiichiro Oda's One Piece, Gosho Aoyama's Detective Conan, and Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball, with over 250 million copies sold worldwide. Naruto, which aired from 2002 to 2007 and covered the first half of the plot, and Naruto: Shippuden, which aired from 2007 to 2017 and covered the post-time jump section of the story, were two anime series adapted from the manga by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex. There are approximately 700 episodes between the two.

The Naruto franchise's new deal with Jordan Brand isn't the only recent cooperation. Hello Kitty and Chococat costumed as Naruto Uzumaki and his nemesis Sasuke Uchiha, respectively, were recently published by Sanrio as part of a unique collection of vinyl figures. Pre-orders are presently being taken for the figurines, which are priced at $94.99 apiece. In 2021, Mister SFC debuted a new line of rings, necklaces, pendants, earrings, and pendants inspired on Naruto's legendary weapons, like as Zabuza's sword and Asuma's chakra swords.

Nike isn't the only shoe company to release a Naruto-inspired collection. Mizuno, a Japanese sportswear brand, teamed with Naruto on a line of sneakers inspired by the anime's three major characters, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha, in January of this year. Mizuno's "Contender" collection, unlike the anticipated Jordan Brand collaboration, is exclusively available at select Japanese shops or on the company's website.