Nike Draws on Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy and Fandom to Create Special-Edition Air Max 95

Joey Wheeler wasn’t supposed to win. Wasn’t the favorite. Wasn’t the guy with the shiny, rare whatchamacallit card.

Joey was a third-rate duelist with a fourth-rate deck. But he had his friends behind him — and the freshest shoes in the game. There was no way he could lose.

Now, more than two and a half decades after Joey first won the attention of anime and sneaker fans across the globe, Nike is introducing an Air Max 95 born from the footwear he wore in the classic Yu-Gi-Oh! series, bringing the iconic silhouette to life for the first time.

The Collaboration

The Nike Air Max 95 QS YGO meticulously replicates the original vision seen in Yu-Gi-Oh! and is joined by a complementary apparel collection that further reflects the authentic connection between Nike and Yu-Gi-Oh! The collaboration is additionally brought to life through a campaign that pays homage to the Yu-Gi-Oh! universe, featuring the anime series’ original English and Japanese voice actors in a trailer debuting the footwear.

“At Nike, we believe the future of sport is creative and unlimited in possibility, and we know that athletes draw inspiration from extraordinary sources in the video games they play and the anime they watch,” says Dave Vericker, Sr. Director, NBHD/Energy Merchandising. “We didn’t invent this lore: It was born organically from the community. Through our partnership with KONAMI, we wanted to show love to longtime fans and inspire the next generation by bringing a beloved mythical story to life through design with these special Air Max 95s and a limited apparel collection.”

The collaboration between Nike and Yu-Gi-Oh! is born directly from the community and is rooted in Joey’s underdog dueling journey, which bridges the worlds of sport and fantasy by giving athletes across generations an unreal source of real inspiration — encouraging self-confidence, partnership and a competitive spirit.

“The passion, care and attention to detail Nike brought to this Yu-Gi-Oh! collaboration has been extraordinary,” says Jennifer Coleman, VP, Licensing & Marketing, Konami Cross Media NY, Inc. “Their unique vision of Yu-Gi-Oh! characters and fans as athletes — combined with Nike’s iconic marketing, footwear and apparel design — will redefine how our audience connects with their favorites characters, especially Joey Wheeler.”

The Design

The re-envisioned Air Max 95 speaks to more than two and a half decades of Yu-Gi-Oh! fandom and the silhouette’s enduring influence on Japanese and global sneaker culture, mirroring the animation from the anime adapted from the manga while adding new, contemporary design details.

The global “Joey” colorway honors the iconic Yu-Gi-Oh! protagonist, who wears the Air Max 95 in the series. Awash in several shades of blue, as seen in the anime, the silhouette features paneling and lace loops that reflect the original art, an updated logo, scratch marks reminiscent of Joey’s sneakers in the Yu-Gi-Oh! universe, and a disguised lateral forefoot Air unit — in line with the original creator’s take on the Air Max 95. A Yu-Gi-Oh! logo adorns the outsole, a graphic inspired by the Yu-Gi-Oh! card series graces the heel, and the sock liner features a fitting sign of friendship alongside images of Joey and his infamous Red-Eyes Black Dragon dueling monster.

A second “Jonouchi” colorway, available only in Japan, applies a similar treatment to a grayscale silhouette that reflects Yu-Gi-Oh!’s beginnings and anime adapted from the manga.

Both styles come in exclusive packaging that includes custom, playable Nike x Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Cards, marking the first time a brand has joined KONAMI to co-create official Trading Card Game cards that feature within the dueling game.

The Air Max 95 QS YGO pairs with a Nike Destroyer jacket featuring a Domino High School varsity patch — reimagining the jacket as a competitive dueling team uniform, customized to reflect the school Joey attended in the Yu-Gi-Oh! series. The jacket features traditional varsity heavyweight wool with premium leather sleeves, 3D embroidery, a quilted satin lining and co-branded chenille patches for additional customization.

Alongside the Destroyer jacket are classic T-shirts featuring a heavyweight fabric and loose fit with co-branded graphics at the front chest and the Red-Eyes Black Dragon emblazoned on the back.

The Nike Air Max 95 QS YGO and complementary apparel will be available globally in the “Joey” colorway September 12 at SNKRS and select Nike retail partners. The Japan-exclusive “Jonouchi” colorway and apparel will be available September 12 at select Japanese retail locations. 

*If you have a body, you are an athlete.