Fans can vote on which designs they want produced for the Choppertchi.
One Piece is hitting its 25th birthday next month, and rather than running out of steam the franchise is looking as robust as ever. The manga is taking a short post-Wano Country arc break, but there’s a new anime movie on the way before the summer’s done, and Netflix’s live-action adaptation team recently showed off some of the massive sets they’ve built.
And now One Piece has picked up yet another creative partner: toymaker Bandai’s Tamagotchi line.
Actually, One Piece is getting the Tamagotchi treatment in two different ways. Let’s start with the version pictured above, called the Choppertchi. The name is, of course, a mashup between “Chopper” and “Tamatotchi,” and so it’s the Straw Hat Pirates’ reindeer physician who stars in the virtual pet toy. While most Tamagotchis (even the Evangelion ones) start you off at the moment of your pet’s birth, the Choppertchi drops you into the story as Chopper parts with his mentor Hiriluk and sets forth on his journey to become a great doctor himself.
Depending on how you raise Chopper, he’ll take on other forms, such as Heavy Point, Guard Point, and even Kung Fu Point. You’ll need to supply him with One Piece-style gobs of meat on a bone for nourishment, and you can treat him to some cotton candy snacks too.
Between feedings and minigames, Chopper can even get visited by other members of the Straw Hat crew.
For those looking for a more literally colorful One Piece/Tamagotchi crossover, there’s also the Tamagotchi Smart x One Piece Friends addition to the higher-spec, higher-tech version of the Tamagotchi.
Here, the classic Tamagotchi characters can get dressed up in the costumes and hairstyling of the One Piece cast, for what feels like a truly hand-and-half mix of the two pop-culture phenomena. The One Piece Friends update adds One Piece graphics and mini games, including options to decorate your pet’s room in a Thousand Sunny aesthetic.
The Choppertchi is priced at 2,750 yen (US$21), and the Tamagotchi Smart One Piece Special Set, which bundles the Tamagotchi Smart unit, One Piece Friends content, and a special strap, at 9,020 yen (fans who already have a Tamagotchi Smart can opt for a memory card with the One Piece additions for 1,496 yen). Release dates are November 23 for the Tamagotchi Smart version and February 25 for the Choppertchi.
That doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do but sit around until next year if you want to take care of a virtual Chopper, though. Out of five possible designs for the unit, Bandai will be putting two into production, based on the results of a fan poll.
▼ Top row (left to right): Grand Line and New World designs
Bottom row: Going Merry, Thousand Sunny, and Pirate Flag designs
Voting for the poll is open here, and if you need a classic-style Tamagotchi with an anime theme before the year is over, Spy Family’s Anya is looking for a virtual parent.
Source: @Press via IT Media, Bandai (1, 2, 3)
Top image: Bandai
Insert images: @Press, Bandai (1, 2, 3)
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