Luffy, Ace, and the Brotherhood Behind This USJ Necklace

One Piece USJ Exclusive Necklace with Monkey D. Luffy

A Park-Exclusive Necklace from Universal Studios Japan

This silver-tone metal necklace was produced exclusively for Universal Studios Japan (USJ) in Osaka. A rolled chain supports a rectangular pendant whose upper edge is cut into an irregular, torn-paper silhouette — a design motif that recurs across USJ’s One Piece merchandise line. The pendant face is high-gloss, with deeply engraved character silhouettes and lettering that create strong contrast against the polished surface. “MONKEY D LUFFY” appears in vertical embossed text, confirming the primary character. A second silhouette to Luffy’s left has been identified through image analysis as likely Portgas D. Ace, though that reading carries some uncertainty.

Unlike food toys, gashapon, or crane-game prizes — the main distribution channels for anime goods in Japan — USJ’s park-exclusive merchandise moves only within the venue itself, with no standard retail or online release. International buyers access these items through visitors or proxy purchasing arrangements.

Luffy, Ace, and the Arc That Defined a Generation of Fans

One Piece, written by Eiichiro Oda and serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump since 1997, has surpassed 500 million copies in worldwide circulation, per Shueisha’s published figures. The Toei Animation anime, running since 1999, remains ongoing as of 2025. A Netflix live-action adaptation in 2023 extended international reach for a franchise already well-established across North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia.

Monkey D. Luffy is the story’s protagonist — a rubber-powered boy pursuing the title of King of the Pirates, with his straw hat as his most recognizable symbol. Portgas D. Ace, if correctly identified here, is his sworn older brother — a pledge of brotherhood rather than a biological tie. That relationship comes to its devastating conclusion during the Marineford War arc (manga volumes 57–59, anime episodes approximately 459–486, broadcast 2009–2011), when Ace dies protecting Luffy. The emotional weight of that arc is precisely why the Luffy-and-Ace pairing continues to generate fan interest in goods produced long after those episodes aired.

The One Piece Premier Show and USJ’s Seasonal Goods Culture

USJ has staged the One Piece Premier Show — a live entertainment production with an annually updated story — approximately every summer since around 2007. Seasonal accessories, including necklaces, have accompanied multiple runs of the show. Because Ace appears on this pendant, the item most likely ties to a season in which his character featured prominently, placing it after 2009, though the exact year cannot be confirmed from the piece itself.

Park-exclusive goods from USJ occupy a distinct niche in Japanese collector culture, comparable to the equivalent category at Disney Resort Japan. They are not restocked through general retail after a season ends, and no ordinary online channel carries them. That distribution structure means obtaining one required either a trip to the park or contact with someone who made that trip. The One Piece franchise’s continued activity — both manga and anime ongoing — sustains interest in older park-only releases among fans who came to the series after the original goods were produced.