The experience had many photo-op areas, including taking pictures in front of a Back to the Future DeLorean. Actors portrayed Marty McFly, Doc, Biff, Lorraine, and many more as they interacted with guests and reenacted iconic moments from the film. (We got to show Biff the Almanac.) They even recreated the Enchantment Under the Sea with music from the film, including “The Power of Love.”

Fan Fest 2025 also brought in franchises like One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, Star Trek, Dungeons & Dragons, and more.

This year, Universal Fan Fest Nights is back, and it will debut on Thursday, April 23! What can fans expect in 2026? Popular franchises include Scooby-Doo, Universal Monsters, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, One Piece, Dungeons & Dragons, and Super Mario Bros. More franchises will be announced soon.

The limited event takes place after-hours and will have all-new innovative experiences, including ones in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Super Nintendo World.

Tickets for the second annual Universal Fan Fest are now on sale at the Universal Studios Hollywood site. The event runs from Thursday, April 23, on select nights, through Saturday, May 16. (12 nights only: April 23-25; May 1-3, 7-9, 14-16, 2026.)

Here are the details so far from Universal Studios Hollywood:

Scooby-Doo Meets The Universal Monsters

Mystery on the Backlot. This all-new, immersive walk-through adventure is designed to give guests the sensation of stepping into a live-action mystery with the Scooby-Doo gang and the Universal Monsters. Guests will travel to the destination via Studio Tour tram where they have a chance to walk along a movie studio backlot with Scooby-Doo himself and his pals Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy. The exciting escapade will challenge them to solve a mystery involving the most legendary Universal Monsters in cinematic history, including Frankenstein, Dracula, Bride of Frankenstein and Wolf Man, as they navigate portions of Universal’s world-famous outdoor film sets, from the cobblestone streets of Little Europe to the iconic Court of Miracles, the original filming locations for historic Universal horror films Frankenstein (1931) and The Wolf Man (1941).

ONE PIECE: Grand Pirate Show

ONE PIECE returns to Universal Fan Fest Nights, but this time as a live show extravaganza at the WaterWorld show venue. Inspired by the success of the Universal Studios Japan production, ONE PIECE: Grand Pirate Show will invite guests to a whirlwind performance featuring a cast of ONE PIECE fan-favorite characters. With action, comedy and chaos taking center stage, guests will be transported to the very heart of the world of ONE PIECE – enveloped in friendship, freedom and mayhem.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

This new, unique, walk-through experience will take guests into the depths of the Forbidden Forest in search of a lost Hippogriff. With guidance from a Hogwarts Professor, they will encounter magical creatures and familiar beasts as they face a series of obstacles which will require the guests to summon their bravery and spell-casting skills to help a Hippogriff in need.

SUPER NINTENDO WORLD

Colorful Yoshi Celebration. This year’s Universal Fan Fest Nights introduces a vibrant, multi-colored Yoshi celebration in SUPER NINTENDO WORLD. This all-new adventure will welcome guests to explore the land, where they will have a chance to meet new, colorful Yoshis who can be found throughout the Mushroom Kingdom.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Secrets of Waterdeep

This fan-favorite immersive experience returns due to popular demand, along with some enhancements. Inspired by the World’s Greatest Roleplaying Game, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS (D&D), this epic walk-through experience will welcome guests and fans to partake in a one-of-a-kind adventure and explore the fantastic world of D&D. Guests will join the Harpers—a heroic spy network—to foil a plot by the legendary beholder Xanathar and save the city of Waterdeep.

This engaging experience features the legendary beholder Xanathar, uniquely created by the masterful puppeteer, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. For over 40 years, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop has been a world-renowned innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation.

Fan Fest 2026 will also have select theme park attractions open, including Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Flight of the Hippogriff, Jurassic World—The Ride, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, TRANSFORMERS: The Ride—3D, Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride, and The Simpsons Ride.

The post Universal Fan Fest Nights 2026 Brings One Piece, Dungeons & Dragons, Scooby-Doo, and More to Universal Studios Hollywood appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The third season will begin production later this year in Cape Town, South Africa. Ian Stokes will join Joe Tracz as co-showrunner for season 3.

It was a big weekend for fans during One Piece Day 2025 at Tokyo Big Sight in Japan on August 9th and 10th. Here’s a list of highlights for the event:

• Iñaki Godoy, the live-action Luffy, made a surprise on-site appearance, and Mayumi Tanaka (voice of Luffy) had a special video message.
• There was the The Egghead Arc voice cast live voice-over set as they talked about behind-the-scenes stories.
• A new anime is coming called One Piece Heroines.
• The event had a large LEGO One Piece showcase along with interactive fan mosaic. Additional immersive exhibits were present.
• There was a special live finale with Hiroshi Kitadani, muque, and CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE. There was a video message from GRe4N BOYZ (“ANGEL & DEVIL”).
• The winner was crowned for the 7th ONE PIECE Knowledge King Finals.
• Fans got to see the sneak peek of the official One Piece flagship store, One Piece Base Shop, which will open this winter.

About Netflix’s One Piece

ONE PIECE: INTO THE GRAND LINE Logline: Netflix’s epic high-seas pirate adventure, ONE PIECE, returns for Season 2—unleashing fiercer adversaries and the most perilous quests yet. Luffy and the Straw Hats set sail for the extraordinary Grand Line—a legendary stretch of sea where danger and wonder await at every turn. As they journey through this unpredictable realm in search of the world’s greatest treasure, they’ll encounter bizarre islands and a host of formidable new enemies.

The post One Piece Renewed for Third Season, Plus Season 2 Teaser Trailer appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

If you’re a One Piece fan, Funko has the Monkey D. Luffy Trains Kung Fu Dugong Pop! Moment figures. The Pop! Moment line captures iconic scenes from a movie or show, and this Crunchyroll exclusive (MSRP: $39.99) is available here.

The Pop Parade line by Good Smile Company is great for those who want detailed and beautifully painted figures without the crazy prices of larger statues. Crunchyroll has the exclusive Helsing OVA Alucard Pop Up Parade Figure for $60.99 here.

Perfect Blue is a 1997 anime movie by legendary Japanese director Satoshi Kon (Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika, Paranoia Agent). Mima Kirigoe is brought to life as a Crunchyroll-exclusive figure via the Pop Up Parade line and retails for $30.99. It’s available here.

One Piece – Luffy & Ace Portrait.Of.Pirates NEO-MAXIMUM Figure Set (Bond Between Brothers 20th LIMITED Ver.) is available as a Crunchyroll Exclusive for $252.99. You can get it here.

Bleach and Ichigo fans can get the Crunchyroll exclusive Pop! vinyl figure where he is in his Final Getsuga Tensho form. He’s available for $14.99 here.

Many anime are based on manga, and popular anime such as Blue Lock and Frieren are based on the manga by Muneyuki Kaneshiro/Yusuke Nomura and Kanehito Yamada/Tsukasa Abe, respectively. Crunchyroll Store has the exclusive variant cover for Blue Lock Manga Volume 1, which is available here. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Manga Volume 1 is available here.

The Crunchyroll Store has many collectibles and apparel for anime fans, and you can check them out at store.crunchyroll.com.

The post Crunchyroll Store Highlights Exclusive Merchandise Including Funko Pop! and Pop Parade Figures appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The premiere of One Piece – Egghead Arc English Dub will be held on Friday, July 5 at 11:30 p.m. in Main Events at the Entertainment Hall. It will be the start of the new arc with episodes 1090 and 1091.

The U.S. premiere of the One Piece Music Symphony – 25th Anniversary World Tour will be held on Saturday, July 6, at 8 p.m. at Shrine Auditorium. The ticketed event will feature a 50-musician orchestra and is the only officially licensed One Piece concert. The music is arranged and curated in collaboration with original composer Kohei Tanaka. Tickets are available here.

The pop-up store is a recreation of the retail concept known as the world’s largest official One Piece store with eight locations across Japan featuring over 10,000 items from the anime and manga as well as limited edition items exclusive to the shop. It’ll be located inside the Toei Animation exhibit booth and will offer exclusive One Piece merchandise that was previously available at Mugiwara stores in Japan.

Additionally, new and existing Digimon and/or One Piece merchandise are available from Dim Mak (for Digimon / Booth 1520 & One Piece / Booth 3706), Bait (for One Piece / Booth 4329), and Hypland (for One Piece / Booth 1614).

“One Piece” – Egghead Arc English Dub Premiere

Toei Animation and Crunchyroll present the English Dub premiere of “One Piece” Episodes 1090 & 1091, the start of the Egghead Arc! Be among the first to catch the Straw Hats’ arrival at the futuristic and mysterious Egghead Island.

Friday, July 5
11:30 pm – 12:20 pm

• L.A. Convention Center
• Entertainment Hall
• Main Events

One Piece Music Symphony – 25th Anniversary World Tour

Celebrate the 25th anniversary of One Piece with the One Piece Music Symphony, a special orchestra concert combining the most memorable moments of the beloved TV series and the sound of a 50-musician orchestra! The One Piece Music Symphony is the world’s only officially licensed One Piece concert, with music arranged and curated in direct collaboration with original composer Kohei Tanaka.

Saturday, July 6, 2024
8:00 pm – 10:20 pm

• Shrine Auditorium
• Doors open at 6:00 pm

The post One Piece Heads to Anime Expo 2024 with Orchestra Concert and Egghead Arc English Dub Premiere appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The drone show closed out the fun night for fans along with the Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel lighting up as the Jolly Roger. As the episode ended, a countdown timer started with the drones displaying the One Piece title. Different images created by the drones’ lights were shown including the Lord of the Coast Sea King, Shanks giving Luffy his hat, Luffy punching, the Straw Hats, the Going Merry ship, Buggy the Clown, and more.

“My Sails Are Set” featuring Aurora, the second single from Netflix’s One Piece, was played in the finale of the drone show. The song was written and produced by Sonya Belousova & Giona Ostinelli, the duo behind The Witcher’s “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher.”

Fans who were lucky enough to get tickets got exclusive access to the carnival games and go on rides. Food trucks, ice cream, and themed drinks at the bar were also available. Props were also on display including the telepathic snails, the Den Den Mushi. For photo lovers, there were a few photo opportunities.

The Los Angeles event kickstarted the fan celebration with 9 more to follow all over the world including Japan, Brazil, France, Indonesia, Italy, Philippines, Thailand, Germany, and Mexico. Click here for more information on the upcoming events.

The live-action One Piece series debuts on Netflix on August 31, 2023.

About One Piece

Based on Japan’s highest-selling manga series in history by Eiichiro Oda, ONE PIECE is a legendary high-seas adventure unlike any other. Monkey D. Luffy is a young adventurer who has longed for a life of freedom since he can remember. Luffy sets off from his small village on a perilous journey to find the legendary fabled treasure, ONE PIECE, to become King of the Pirates! But in order to find the ultimate prize, Luffy will need to assemble the crew he’s always wanted before finding a ship to sail, searching every inch of the vast blue seas, outpacing the Marines, and outwitting dangerous rivals at every turn.

Starring Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji, ONE PIECE is a live-action pirate adventure created in partnership with Shueisha and produced by Tomorrow Studios and Netflix. Matt Owens and Steven Maeda are writers, executive producers, and showrunners. Eiichiro Oda, Marty Adelstein, and Becky Clements also executive produce.

Additional cast includes Vincent Regan, Ilia Isorelýs Paulino, Morgan Davies, Aidan Scott, Langley Kirkwood, Jeff Ward, Celeste Loots, Alexander Maniatis, McKinley Belcher III, Craig Fairbrass, Steven Ward, Chioma Umeala, and Michael Dorman.

Featured image credit courtesy of Netflix.

The post Netflix Closes Out One Piece Fan Event with Impressive Drone Show appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The letter from Oda shows how excited he is in the live-action series. The excitement captures the spirit of Monkey D. Luffy, who wants to be King of the Pirates above all else.

The trailer features the original anime Straw Hat voice actors reprising their roles including Mayumi Tanaka, Kazuya Nakai, Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi and Hiroaki Hirata.

Netflix celebrates the upcoming release of the live-action show with 10 fan celebrations across the globe including the U.S., Japan, France, Indonesia, Italy, Philippines, Thailand, Germany, Brazil and Mexico. The fan events kicked off tonight in Los Angeles at the Santa Monica Pier where attendees got the chance to watch the first episode of the live-action show and had private access to rides and games.

About One Piece

Based on Japan’s highest-selling manga series in history by Eiichiro Oda, ONE PIECE is a legendary high-seas adventure unlike any other. Monkey D. Luffy is a young adventurer who has longed for a life of freedom since he can remember. Luffy sets off from his small village on a perilous journey to find the legendary fabled treasure, ONE PIECE, to become King of the Pirates! But in order to find the ultimate prize, Luffy will need to assemble the crew he’s always wanted before finding a ship to sail, searching every inch of the vast blue seas, outpacing the Marines, and outwitting dangerous rivals at every turn.

Starring Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji, ONE PIECE is a live-action pirate adventure created in partnership with Shueisha and produced by Tomorrow Studios and Netflix. Matt Owens and Steven Maeda are writers, executive producers, and showrunners. Eiichiro Oda, Marty Adelstein, and Becky Clements also executive produce.

Additional cast includes Vincent Regan, Ilia Isorelýs Paulino, Morgan Davies, Aidan Scott, Langley Kirkwood, Jeff Ward, Celeste Loots, Alexander Maniatis, McKinley Belcher III, Craig Fairbrass, Steven Ward, Chioma Umeala, and Michael Dorman.

Featured image credit: Casey Crafford/Netflix

The post Netflix Releases One Piece Trailer with Original Japanese Voice Actors appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The fan screenings start in Los Angeles at the Santa Monica Pier on Thursday, August 24, and it will be a fun adventure with games and food.

Check out the locations, dates and register links below:

AUGUST 24 – LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES

• Straw Hats Unite: Pirates on the Pier – A ONE PIECE Fan Celebration
• Los Angeles, California, United States
• Santa Monica Pier
• Want to attend? Click here to register.

AUGUST 29 – PARIS, FRANCE

• Straw Hats Unite: ONE PIECE Premiere in Paris
• Stay tuned for more info on @netflixFR

AUGUST 30 – JAKARTA, INDONESIA

• Straw Hats Unite: All Aboard the Going Merry
• Pantai Indah Kapuk, Jakarta, Indonesia
• Stay tuned for more info on @NetflixID 

AUGUST 30 – TOKYO, JAPAN

• Straw Hats Unite: ONE PIECE Special Screening
• Tokyo, Japan
• Stay tuned for more info on @NetflixJP

AUGUST 30 – MILAN, ITALY

• Straw Hats Unite: una ciurma, un’anteprima, ONE PIECE
• Stay tuned for more info on @NetflixIT

AUGUST 30 – METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES

• Straw Hats Unite: Our Journey To The Grand Line 
• Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines
• Stay tuned for more info on @NetflixPH

AUGUST 31 – BANGKOK, THAILAND

• Straw Hats Unite: รวมพลคนรักวันพีซ
• Bangkok, Thailand
• Stay tuned for more info on @NetflixTH 

AUGUST 31 – GERMANY

• Straw Hats Unite: Virtual Watch Party
• Want to join? More info soon on @netflixde

AUGUST 31 – RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

• Going Merry at Rio de Janeiro: A ONE PIECE Fan Celebration
• Copacabana Beach – near Lifeguard station #2
• Want to join? More info soon on @netflixbrasil

AUGUST 31 – MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

• ONE PIECE: México Fan Fest
• Mexico City, Mexico
• Frontón Inclán
  Stay tuned for more info on @NetflixLAT

About One Piece

Based on Japan’s highest-selling manga series in history by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece is a legendary high-seas adventure unlike any other. Monkey D. Luffy is a young adventurer who has longed for a life of freedom since he can remember. Luffy sets off from his small village on a perilous journey to find the legendary fabled treasure, One Piece, to become King of the Pirates! But in order to find the ultimate prize, Luffy will need to assemble the crew he’s always wanted before finding a ship to sail, searching every inch of the vast blue seas, outpacing the Marines, and outwitting dangerous rivals at every turn.

Matt Owens and Steven Maeda are writers, executive producers, and showrunners. Eiichiro Oda, Marty Adelstein, and Becky Clements also executive produce. One Piece is a live-action pirate adventure created in partnership with Shueisha and produced by Tomorrow Studios and Netflix.

It stars Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji. Joining the main cast are Vincent Regan, Ilia Isorelýs Paulino, Morgan Davies, Aidan Scott, Langley Kirkwood, Jeff Ward, Celeste Loots, Alexander Maniatis, McKinley Belcher III, Craig Fairbrass, Steven Ward, Chioma Umeala, and Michael Dorman as Gold Roger.

Featured image credit: Casey Crafford/Netflix

The post Netflix to Host One Piece Fan Events and Screenings Worldwide appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Episodes 989 through 1,000 of the English dub will be available on Crunchyroll starting tomorrow in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa).

About One Piece

Synopsis: Monkey. D. Luffy refuses to let anyone or anything stand in the way of his quest to become the king of all pirates. With a course charted for the treacherous waters of the Grand Line and beyond, this is one captain who’ll never give up until he’s claimed the greatest treasure on Earth: the Legendary One Piece!

One Piece’s animation studio is Toei Animation.

Here’s the list of the English dub cast of One Piece below:

• Monkey D. Luffy voiced by Colleen Clinkenbeard
• Roronoa Zoro voiced by Chris Sabat
• Nami voiced by Luci Christian
• Usopp voiced by Sonny Strait
• Vinsmoke Sanji voiced by Eric Vale
• Tony Tony Chopper voiced by Brina Palencia
• Nico Robin voiced by Stephanie Young
• Brook voiced by Ian Sinclair
• Franky voiced by Patrick Seitz
• Trafalgar D. Water Law voiced by Matthew Mercer
• Kaido voiced by David Sobolov
• Kozuki Oden voiced by Robbie Daymond
• Yamato voiced by Michelle Rojas

The post One Piece’s 1,000th English Dub Episode Coming to Crunchyroll This Week appeared first on Nerd Reactor.