Yu-Gi-Oh is reportedly getting an official LEGO set later this year, according to some newly shared details from a credible source. Should the rumored project materialize, it would mark LEGO's third high-profile anime collaboration in just over half a year.
LEGO's brick toys will be celebrating their 77th anniversary later in 2026. Since the late 1990s, the company has made licensed sets a significant part of its annual offerings. This strategy has produced hundreds of kits based on everything from Star Wars, Harry Potter, Spider-Man, and Super Mario to Batman, Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, and SpongeBob SquarePants. And while LEGO has embraced IPs from nearly all forms of media, anime has, for the most part, remained an exception to this expansive licensing approach, at least up until quite recently.
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Fans Will Reportedly Get a Chance to Design LEGO's Very First Yu-Gi-Oh Set
The longtime leaker believes the collaboration will begin with a LEGO Ideas challenge themed around Yu-Gi-Oh, with one winning design becoming a retail set. The insider advised submissions to focus on Duelist Kingdom and Battle City-era duels, characters, or monsters. That guidance appears to be tied to another detail shared by moose.with.a.goose: LEGO is reportedly planning to cap submissions at 2,000 pieces. While sufficient for recreating individual scenes or character-focused dioramas, the limit would effectively rule out sprawling, Hogwarts-scale builds.
LEGO Ideas Yu-Gi-Oh Contest Rumor Roundup
- Start date: February 3
- End date: March 10
- Objective: Design a Yu-Gi-Oh! LEGO set
- Piece limit: 2,000
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Main reward: Winning entry to be turned into an official product
- Additional rewards are likely
LEGO has technically dabbled in anime IP before, most notably with the 21311 Voltron set launched as part of the Ideas theme in summer 2018, as well as the 2008 Speed Racer line comprised of four products: 8158 Speed Racer & Snake Oiler, 8159 Racer X and Taejo Togokhan, 8160 Cruncher Block & Racer X, and 8161 Grand Prix Race. However, those were all isolated releases, and it wasn't until 2025 that the manufacturer started signaling a more consistent willingness to embrace anime IPs. It all started with the March 2025 announcement of LEGO's first Pokemon theme—which was only revealed this January—and continued with the launch of the One Piece theme.
Recently Launched LEGO Sets Based on Hit Anime
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One Piece theme
- 6 sets launched in August 2025
- 6 more rumored for summer 2026
Buy LEGO One Piece Buggy The Clown at Lowest-Ever Price
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Pokemon theme
- 3 sets coming on March 1, 2026
- 10+ more rumored for summer 2026
While LEGO's One Piece lineup is technically based on Netflix’s live-action adaptation rather than the globally popular anime series or the long-running manga that preceded it, the underlying IP remains firmly rooted in Japanese animation culture. As such, the theme still represents a notable departure from the company's historically cautious approach toward anime-based properties. Doubly so since LEGO is already heavily rumored to be launching a second wave of One Piece sets in summer 2026.
Taken together with the upcoming Pokemon range and the rumored Yu-Gi-Oh collaboration, these recent moves suggest that the company is increasingly willing to engage with anime franchises on a sustained basis, rather than treating them as one-off experiments. That said, there's currently no firm indication that this Yu-Gi-Oh contest will mark the start of a proper product range. As the name suggests, the LEGO Ideas theme is full of one-off projects and highly experimental designs. The vast majority of its offerings are adult-rated builds concocted for display instead of play. This allows LEGO's designers to deliver an intricate level of detail and challenging builds