As anime’s international popularity continues to exponentially grow, more and more major brands are starting to see the dollar signs. That’s capitalism, baby, and it’s coming for Jujutsu Kaisen.
The results are often surprising corporate tie-ins, or else ridiculous (but not not tempting) products made to quench the thirst of an excited fandom. We’re talking several perfumes on the international market dedicated to Gojo Satoru. And there was that time last year when French Burger Kings had a pretty mediocre One Piece tie-in, but we all got jealous anyway. Ah, capitalism!
So recently, on TikTok, excitement has exploded over a perceived collaboration between Nike and Jujutsu Kaisen. The partnership would make sense—JJK is one of the hottest series around, and the precedent exists. Puma even released an official One Piece collection earlier this year.
But is the Jujutsu Kaisen and Nike collaboration official, or is there more to the story?
Custom kicks for your Gojo fix
In November 2023, an account called Mr. Simply Custom posted a video on TikTok that showcased a series of Nike Air Force 1 sneakers, customized to show off various popular characters from Jujutsu Kaisen. There are eleven choices in all: everyone from Itadori, Nanami, and Gojo to villains like Tsukuna and Mahito.
The hype ballooned, to the point that a months-old post is still gaining momentum. But as that hype grew, the nature of this collection started to lose its context. This series of Air Force 1s is not an official Nike x Jujutsu Kaisen collaboration. It’s worth noting there has, to date, never been an official collaboration between Nike and Jujutsu Kaisen, either. (Nike has released some pretty sweet Gundam sneakers that are currently available, though.)
Rather, as their profile clearly states, Mr. Simply Custom is a fan artist (or, as seems more likely, a small group of fan artists). They customize Nike shoes to various popular series and films. One look at their social media, and you can see they’ve recently released designs celebrating everything from Pokémon to The Fast and the Furious. This Jujutsu Kaisen series on Air Force 1 sneakers was simply another series of designs this group of highly talented fans had offered.
It’s certainly possible that, one day, there will be an official Jujutsu Kaisen tie-in with Nike or some other shoe company, but for the moment, that’s not the case. In order to get JJK kicks, we have to rely on that most basic and trusted source: the fan community.
If you do want one of these unofficial custom sneakers, you can reach out to Mr. Simply Custom via. their Instagram or Linktree.
Published: May 28, 2024 01:00 pm