One Piece Day Dallas -Card Game Celebration- was recently held from March 8-9 as the first-ever overseas One Piece Day event, and it proved to be a very memorable spectacle during that weekend. Fans of One Piece had the opportunity to hear from the talented voice actors responsible for the performances of the anime series, and the event was the stage for the first regional qualifier of the One Piece Card Game Championship 25-26 tournament.
One Piece Day Dallas -Card Game Celebration- Event Day 1 Highlights
On Day 1 of One Piece Day Dallas -Card Game Celebration-, offline regionals for the One Piece Card Game Championship 25-26 tournament drew over 3,000 participants. In addition, Brina Palencia, the English voice of Chopper, appeared for a special talk session following the event’s One Piece anime screening. After being moved by the audience, Palencia had the opportunity to speak on her role as Chopper.
“His development has been incredible,” Palencia said. “Just seeing how much stronger he is, and more confident he is, more trusting than he ever was at first. Chopper healing people is him at his best. And it’s when I’m just the most proud of him. It’s that special moment that he really gets to shine.”
Sanji’s Japanese voice actor, Hiroaki Hirata, and producer Ryuta Koike were also present for a talk session. Hirata performed his signature role on stage, and fans in the audience were certainly moved by his performances.
“As far as my personal hopes, I just want to be cooler than Zoro,” Hirata said while drawing laughter from the audience. Koike shared his enthusiasm and concluded the session, stating “Thank you so much again for coming today. Our story will continue and I hope everyone enjoys it.”
Further into Day 1, musical artists Hiroshi Kitadani and Maki Otsuki performed a concert in front of the Dallas audience. While performing, Otsuki called out to the fans, saying that she’s happy to be in Dallas for the first time and asks them all to sing a song with her. After the concert, Kitadani added, “I couldn’t hear the sound of the songs because your voices were so loud! I felt that everyone’s love for One Piece is so great.”
Day 1 ended with the release of a new campaign movie for the One Piece Card Game. The campaign movie commemorates the start of One Piece Card Game Championship 25-26 Offline Regionals and features the song “I Had Some Help feat. Morgan Wallen” from Post Malone’s latest album “F-1 Trillion,” which released in August 2024 and spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Day 2 Highlights
Day 2 of One Piece Day Dallas -Card Game Celebration- began with a special screening of One Piece episodes 1100 and 1101, which featured the battle between Luffy and Lucci in the Egghead Arc.
After the screening, producer Koike and Lucci voice actor Jason Liebrecht took to the stage for a talk session to reveal behind-the-scenes insight into the episodes. Liebrecht explained, “It’s very difficult to choose. I mean, he’s got a lot of cool stuff. Lucci is kind of a dark and understated character…but, there’s a lot to choose from.”
Similarly to Day 1, Hirata took the stage for a live voice acting performance, recreating scenes from One Piece episodes 763, 825, and 1061. To cap off the incredible performance, the audience experienced a world premiere of an exclusive, never-before-seen preview for the next One Piece episode, set to release on April 6.
When speaking on the Egghead Arc preview, producer Koike said, “It has all the charm of anime, from action to drama to suspenseful developments, not to mention even more action. I hope you’re looking forward to the series’ return.”
Hirata added, “Having the opportunity to see and talk to you all in person made me
truly realize how popular One Piece is around the world. I hope you’ll continue to
support us!”
Kitadani and Otsuki hosted a grand finale performance for the event’s second day, including a special duet of “We Are!” On stage, Kitadani stated, “Just like yesterday, you guys are amazing,” and Otsuki added, “Yesterday was amazing, but today was so overwhelming that I forgot about the stage-talk!” At the end, the duet sent a powerful message: “I’ll be back soon!”
The first offline regionals for the One Piece Card Game Championship 25-26 tournament came to a close at the end of Day Two. After many intense matches, the final six winners emerged, and offline regionals will continue onward.
The One Piece Day Dallas -Card Game Celebration- event was held on March 8-9, 2025 at Fair Park (Centennial Hall, Automobile Building and Esplanade Fountain) in Dallas, Texas. For more One Piece, the official One Piece Links website is the directory to all things One Piece.
