Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba comes to Dodger Stadium for fan night, first pitch, and drone show
Earlier this month, Luffy and the rest of the One Piece Straw Hat Pirates sailed across the ocean for a special fan night at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The Major League Baseball team's summer of anime fun isn't over yet, though, as they're getting ready for a special crossover with another of the biggest names in the anime/manga world, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba.
【 #ドジャース 】宿敵との対決『無限城編 第一章 猗窩座再来』が現在上映されている『鬼滅の刃』とのコラボとして、ドジャースは8月15日（日本時間16日）の試合で鬼滅公式限定キャップを来場者に配布します🤩
📷: @Dodgers pic.twitter.com/uLFPB1nYoI — MLB Japan (@MLBJapan) July 29, 2025
The event will take place before, during, and after the Dodgers game on August 15 against the San Diego Padres, whose rivalry with the Los Angeles team has been growing more intense in recent years as they've clashed in competition for their division championship and gone head-to-head in the playoffs. In addition to pre-game Demon Slayer festivities, there will also be a Demon Slayer -themed ceremonial first pitch, in-game promotions, and a post-game drone show hyping Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba–The Movie: Infinity Castle, the latest theatrical feature in the anime franchise which started showing in Japanese theaters earlier this month and will make its North American debut in September. The official Japanese-language MLB Twitter account also says that limited-edition caps featuring the Dodgers' LA logo and Demon Slayer protagonist Tanjiro, plus the distinctive checkerboard pattern of his coat across the hat's brim, will be given out to fans at the stadium, though with no details currently available as to quantities and conditions.
It wasn't all that long ago that conventional wisdom would have said there wasn't sufficient enough crossover between the anime fan and pro sports fan demographics to do an event like this. With anime continuing to grow more and more popular around the world, though, the Dodgers' chief marketing officer Lon Rosen recognizes that 'Without a doubt, there is an intersection between the two fan bases, and we look forward to celebrating that mutual fandom with what is sure to be an exciting night at Dodger Stadium.'
It's worth noting that Los Angeles sports teams have had very good results in games with anime tie-ins. Not only did the Dodgers win their One Piece game at the start of the month (with pitcher Clayton Kershaw reaching the 3,000-strikeout milestone on the night), anime promotions also coincided with wins for the city's Rams and Lakers professional football and basketball teams, and the Dodgers performed well in their games that featured a visit from Pikachu and the Sailor Moon theme song too.
Source: MLB, Twitter/@MLBJapan via Anime News Network/Ken Iikura-Gross
Top image: Twitter/@MLBJapan
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