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North American esports organisation Sentinels has announced a new collaboration with anime streaming giant Crunchyroll, releasing a fresh apparel collection inspired by the hit volleyball series Haikyuu!!

This marks the first time Sentinels have ventured into anime-inspired merch, and the timing couldn’t be better. The collection launched on 22 August, lining up perfectly with the team’s VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Americas Stage 2 Playoffs run.

What’s in the collection?

Fans can pick from two hoodies, a short-sleeve graphic tee, two performance jerseys, two sets of athletic shorts, and even a custom water bottle.

Sentinels’ red-and-black branding naturally fits with Nekoma, one of the rival schools in Haikyuu!!: The Dumpster Battle, the anime’s latest film, which has already made more than $125 million worldwide. The drop also includes merch celebrating Karasuno, the main team in the series.

Jerseys are priced at around £59, with the rest of the range available now via the Sentinels’ official website.

Why this collab works

Sentinels’ CEO Rob Moore explained the crossover:

“This partnership with Haikyu!! and Crunchyroll is a celebration of two communities built on passion, teamwork, and competition. Anime and esports share the same cultural energy, and we’re excited to give our fans a collection that unites those worlds in an authentic and meaningful way.”

It’s an authentic match-up. Anime and esports communities overlap heavily, with many players and fans equally invested in both cultures.

Anime and esports crossovers are on the rise

While it’s a debut for Sentinels, anime x esports collabs are nothing new. Crunchyroll has been at the forefront, teaming up with FURIA and TSM for My Hero Academia collections, and running activations at the Esports World Cup earlier this year.

Other big names have joined in too. Cloud9 released a collection with One Piece, while Team Liquid has partnered with Naruto Shippuden and Death Note for both clothing and gaming gear.

Popular esports titles are no strangers either. Overwatch 2 has rolled out anime-inspired skins from Gundam, One Punch Man, Cowboy Bebop, and My Hero Academia. PUBG Mobile launched an Attack on Titan update earlier this year, and Call of Duty Mobile has featured Gundam collabs as well.

A wider cultural trend

This kind of crossover reflects the bigger picture, esports mixing more and more with mainstream pop culture. Just recently, League of Legends legend Faker appeared in a Stray Kids K-pop music video, proving how gaming and wider fandoms are increasingly intertwined.

For Sentinels, this debut anime partnership is more than just merch, it’s a signal of how esports teams are embracing the shared passions of their fans. And given the hype around this collab, it likely won’t be their last.