To commemorate the release of the Splatoon 3 UT, a graphic T-shirt made in collaboration with Nintendo’s action-shooter Splatoon 3, a launch event with Splatoon 3 exhibition matches took place at one of UNIQLO’s flagship stores at Harajuku on March 24. Professional tennis player Kei Nishikori and world-famous wheelchair tennis legend Shingo Kunieda, who both passionately love Splatoon franchise, were invited to the event to play special matches with selected families who are all Splatoon fanse. The heated battles were projected on a large screen at the store. The following is a report of the event, including comments from the two tennis players and families!
Nishikori, Kunieda, and participating families all wore Splatoon 3 UTs, bringing each team’s togetherness to the maximum!
Nishikori and Kunieda are huge fans of Splatoon 3 so much so that they sometimes play together online during their free time. At this event, they had Turf War matches between Team Nishikori, and Team Kunieda, led by Kei Nishikori and Shingo Kunieda respectively. In addition to these two leaders, each team consisted of six families of three people each, selected by a preliminary drawing, for a total of 18 participants, and three rounds were played. Both leaders and the families on their teams wore Splatoon 3 UTs, which had just been released on the same day as the event.
When announcer Shohei Taguchi, who facilitated the event , asked Kunieda about the T-shirts, he responded, “I’m happy to be able to wear a UT featuring a game I play a lot at an event like this. The design I selected today strongly represents the feel of this colorful game.” Nishikori added, “I have been wearing UT for a long time, but I am especially happy to be able to wear a T-shirt that was made in collaboration with one of my favorite games. For today, I chose a fun design featuring Inklings and Octolings from the game.”
During the matches, warm cheers of “Do your best!” arose from the families in the audience. The result of the three rounds was a 2-1 win for Team Kunieda. It was the first time for Nishikori and Kunieda to play Splatoon 3 with an announcer commentating their play and teammates cheering them on.
When asked how they felt after the matches, Kunieda said, “I felt a sense of unity with my team as we wore the same collaborative T-shirts. I was able to enjoy my hobby as much as possible thanks to this collaboration between Splatoon 3 and UNIQLO.” Nishikori said, “What makes UTs remarkable is that you can share a sense of togetherness with people having a mutual interest. I am glad to be able to enjoy my hobby together and share the moment with Kunieda and UNIQLO customers.”
The game was projected onto the large screen at UT section on the first floor of the UNIQLO Harajuku store. Families selected as team members were also able to watch the heated battles on the large, impressive screen.
Customers who participated in the event had this to say about the T-shirts, “I like the one-point designs and splashes of color on the sleeves, so I want to wear them on a daily basis. The embroidered design of my favorite characters is so cute.” Not only did the families enjoy the event, but they also had fun choosing which T-shirts to pick up.
PROFILE
Shingo Kunieda | Kunieda is a former professional wheelchair tennis player. He was born in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, on Feb. 21, 1984. He began playing wheelchair tennis when he was 11. Kunieda competed in five Paralympic Games in a row starting with the 2004 Games in Athens, winning three gold medals in singles and one in doubles. In the Big Four, he has won 28 singles and 22 doubles competitions. He has placed 1st in the World Rankings 10 times. In 2022, Kunieda finally achieved a lifelong dream: a Golden Slam. In 2023, he announced his retirement.
PROFILE
Kei Nishikori | Nishikori is a professional tennis player. He was born in Shimane Prefecture on Dec. 29, 1989. Nishikori won his first victory in the 2008 ATP Tour. In September 2014, he became the first Japanese player to reach the US Open final. In 2016, he became the first Japanese tennis player in 96 years to win an Olympic medal when he earned bronze at Rio; in October, he became the first Japanese male player to enter the top four of the World Rankings. In 2018, Nishikori became the first Japanese player in 23 years to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals. He is currently rehabilitating from repeated injuries and is focusing on making a comeback.
Release dates and prices may vary. Some items might be limited to certain stores or countries of sale or may be sold out.
© Nintendo
