"Hungry Days" is an advertisement campaign created by Japanese food company Nissin Foods to promote their instant noodle brands. Nissin collaborated with One Piece to release a series of animated commercials from May 2019 to February 2020.[1]
Four commercials have been released, with each of them featuring One Piece characters in a modern Japanese high school setting with the tagline One Piece: Youth (ONE PIECE 青春, Wan Pīsu Seishun?) Each commercial has two versions: a full 30-second version and a shortened 15-second version. The animations for the advertisements were also later compiled into a music video for a song by BUMP OF CHICKEN.
Zoro Saga
Zoro Saga.
Zoro Saga (ゾロ 篇, Zoro Hen?) is the first Hungry Days commercial. It was released on May 21, 2019.
A 17-year-old Roronoa Zoro loses to Dracule Mihawk in a kendo competition, and Mihawk tells him to get stronger. Zoro works to improve his swordsmanship skills at all hours of the day in order to fulfill the promise he made to Kuina. He continues to train as the seasons pass, and one day while training on the school roof he collapses from exhaustion, declaring that he would never lose again while holding his bamboo sword up like he did in the Baratie Arc. Zoro then hears Luffy laughing and sees him sitting on top of the roof exit with a Smoky & Spicy Sio instant noodles cup. Luffy then walks toward Zoro, saying that his declaration was cool, to Zoro's embarrassment.[2]
Nami Saga
Nami Saga.
Nami Saga (ナミ 篇, Nami Hen?) is the second Hungry Days commercial. It was released on October 1, 2019.
A 17-year-old Nami wakes up in the morning after having fallen asleep at her desk and realizes she has overslept. She desperately races to catch the bus, but ends up missing it. She studies to fulfill her dream of becoming a navigator, but once the school day ends she has to race to work her job as a dishwasher for the Arlong Pirates' restaurant. Her work forces her to stay up late at night studying, and she grows overwhelmed as she remembers her mother Bell-mère telling her to not push herself. This causes her to tear up in the classroom and ask for Luffy to save her; he immediately complies as he puts his straw hat on her head and invites her to eat Cheese Curry instant noodles with him, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji. Nami calls him an idiot, but quickly smiles.[2]
Vivi Saga
Vivi Saga.
Vivi Saga (ビビ 篇, Bibi Hen?) is the third One Piece-themed Hungry Days commercial. It was released on December 5, 2019.
While hanging out on the school roof with her friends, Nefertari Vivi reveals that she is going to transfer schools, to her friends' shock. As she boards a train to her new destination, Vivi remembers when she first met her friends. Nami had invited her to see the fireworks with her group, consisting of Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper. Since then, they had done many things together, which Vivi considered the springtime of her youth. One time at school, they had each held a different flavor of instant noodles in a circle as Luffy declared their friendship. In the present day, Vivi hopes that they can still be friends if they ever meet again as she opens a video on her phone. In it, she watches her friends lift up their instant noodle cups in a silent affirmation of their friendship, causing her to tear up.[2]
Summit Calvary Fight Saga
Summit Calvary Fight Saga.
Summit Calvary Fight Saga (頂上騎馬戦 篇, Chōjō Gibasen Hen?) is the fourth and final One Piece-themed Hungry Days commercial. It was released on February 6, 2020.
The Battle of Marineford is reimagined as a kibasen event, where the top members of the Whitebeard Pirates (White Team) and Marines (Red Team) each ride on three teammates and attempt to knock their enemies off their mounts. As Portgas D. Ace is fighting, he asks Luffy if he can keep going, unaware that Akainu's team has snuck up behind him. Akainu knocks Ace to the ground, defeating him. Whitebeard is then suddenly confronted by the Blackbeard Pirates, and he accepts his fate, deciding to leave the fight to Team Nissin as Luffy rides toward Blackbeard and thrusts an instant noodle cup toward him.[2]
Gallery
Characters
Trivia
The One Piece x Hungry Days color spread.
- Oda paid tribute to Hungry Days in the color spread for Chapter 972, in which he drew the Straw Hats with their high school counterparts from the commercials.