【Chiba Jets】Jumbokun Terminates Contract with Team on April 1st and Appointed King of "Ichihara Elephant Kingdom"!! An Elephant King is Born from B.League!?

We hereby announce that Chiba Jets (Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture) has mutually agreed to terminate the contract with its official mascot character, Jumbokun, effective April 1, 2026.

Furthermore, it has been decided that Jumbokun will be appointed as the King of "Ichihara Elephant Kingdom" (Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture).

Since the team's establishment in 2011, Jumbokun has not only energized the arena with his adorable dances and passionate cheers but has also captivated boosters through real-life interactions and digital platforms like SNS, skillfully balancing "coolness" and "cuteness" as an invincible 5-year-old. For 15 years, he has contributed more than anyone to the growth of Chiba Jets.

Although Jumbokun is indispensable to Chiba Jets, he began to harbor a new dream: "To become the world's number one elephant!" He started wondering, "Shouldn't I live as a leader among elephants in a world closer to animals?" Around the same time, he received an offer to become king from "Ichihara Elephant Kingdom," his roots. After much deliberation, he made a request for contract termination in mid-March, stating, "If I'm going to be king, I can't juggle multiple jobs or do it half-heartedly!"

The team, paying utmost respect to the fact that "he is a regular elephant before being a team mascot," prioritized his "career advancement as an elephant." Although it is an unusual decision late in the season, the contract termination was reached.

We sincerely hope that everyone will cheer for Jumbokun's new challenge.

#AprilFools

*Regarding the "B.League Mascot of the Year 2025-26" currently underway, Jumbokun will participate until the very end as a representative of Chiba Jets, so please continue your enthusiastic voting. Let's achieve a glorious finish with "#PaonIchigan" and ascend to become the first-ever B.League Mascot King & Elephant King, achieving a double crown in the mascot world!!

Click here to vote for B.League Mascot of the Year 2025-26: https://www.bleague.jp/mascot/2026/

[Background of this matter] Jumbokun's journey with the club dates back to its founding 15 years ago. At that time, Chiba Jets picked up Jumbokun, who had nowhere to go, as an aircraft mechanic. His initial dream was to be a "pilot" for the Chiba Jets aircraft soaring through the sky. However, as he interacted with everyone surrounding Chiba Jets and spread smiles, a change began to sprout in his heart. A strong desire grew within him: "More than flying in the sky, I want to 'Break the Border' between humans and animals on the ground and become the world's happiest elephant." Behind his constantly bright smile, he deeply pondered his way of life as an "elephant."

Amidst these days, an offer to become king from "Ichihara Elephant Kingdom," his roots, arrived. His heart was fiercely torn between his gratitude to Chiba Jets, his foster parent, and his sense of mission to lead his own kind and bear the burden of a nation. He agonized until the very end, forced to make a difficult decision, but ultimately resolved to embark on a new path with the self-awareness and pride of an elephant, declaring, "I choose the destiny of living as an elephant!" Although the team faced an unavoidable significant loss with his departure, they understood his feelings and accepted his decision with gratitude for his past contributions.

The aim of this appointment as king is said to be "further prosperity for Ichihara Elephant Kingdom," "boosting Chiba Prefecture," and the greatest objective is "to raise the value of elephants and become the world's number one elephant." With the spirit of hospitality he learned as the Chiba Jets mascot, he ultimately hopes to expand "Elephant Kingdom" throughout Chiba Prefecture and make it a world-renowned elephant theme park. He also revealed his ambition to reshape Chiba Prefecture into the shape of an elephant, transforming it into "Elephant Island," and to further energize the entire Chiba Prefecture beyond the realm of sports with a "Paon Ichigan" (elephant united) spirit. Although they will now walk separate paths, Chiba Jets will push forward with the vision of "making Chiba Prefecture a basketball kingdom," and Jumbokun will advance with the vision of "making Chiba Prefecture an elephant kingdom."

[Comment from Jumbokun] To everyone involved with Chiba Jets, thank you so much for 15 years! When I had nowhere to go, you found me at Funabashi Arena and even gave me the dream of flying in the sky while being a mascot. I'm filled with nothing but gratitude, ZOU.

Every single day I spent at Chiba Jets was so happy, and it's my treasure. I will never forget the many memories I made here with the players, staff, STAR JETS, Flight Crew, partners, and boosters! And thank you for wholeheartedly supporting my decision to live as an elephant and become the King of "Ichihara Elephant Kingdom," ZOU.

I will definitely become the world's number one elephant and repay everyone. So until then, please take care of "Chiba Jets"! May everyone smile. Paon Ichigan!! Run♪

Jumbokun Profile: https://www.bleague.jp/mascot/profile/cj/ ■Jumbokun Official X: https://x.com/Jumbokun_GOJETS ■Jumbokun Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jumbokun_gojets/ ■Jumbokun Official LINE: https://page.line.me/505crloj

[Comment from Ms. Sayuri Sakamoto, Representative of Ichihara Elephant Kingdom] We are truly delighted and proud to welcome Jumbokun, who has long served as the official mascot character of Chiba Jets, as the "King" of our park.

First, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone at Chiba Jets and all the boosters. Thank you very much for warmly welcoming him as family when he had nowhere to go, and for raising him with so much love for such a long time. It is thanks to everyone's warm cheers that he has grown into such a bright and wonderful "elephant" who brings smiles to everyone.

When I heard Jumbokun's passionate desire to "become the world's number one elephant" and "Break the Border between humans and animals," I strongly felt that our park, his roots, must become the best stage to fulfill that dream, leading to this offer of kingship.

I am confident that the "spirit of entertainment" and "heart of hospitality" he cultivated in the world of professional sports and through interactions with everyone will bring an unprecedented new breeze to our park. Furthermore, regarding his grand ambition to "turn Chiba Prefecture into Elephant Island," we are committed to providing our utmost support as a nation, which only we can offer.

We hope that Chiba Jets' vision of "making Chiba Prefecture a basketball kingdom" and Jumbokun's vision of "making Chiba Prefecture an elephant kingdom" will work together as two wheels, making the entire Chiba Prefecture even more vibrant and full of smiles than ever before.

We kindly ask for your continued patronage and support for King Jumbokun, who is embarking on a new stage, and for "Ichihara Elephant Kingdom," which is beginning a new journey.

[About Ichihara Elephant Kingdom] https://zounokuni.com/ "Ichihara Elephant Kingdom" (Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture) is one of the prefecture's leading animal theme parks where visitors can interact closely with approximately 70 types of animals, including 9 elephants, the largest number kept in Japan, as well as capybaras and hippos. Since its opening in 1989, its proximity to animals has attracted popularity, bustling with many families. In particular, during the "Elephant Performance Time," visitors can witness the elephants' excellent abilities, showcasing soccer, dancing, and painting.

Experiential programs where visitors can directly feed snacks, touch elephants, or ride on their backs for a stroll are synonymous with the park and boast nationwide recognition. Furthermore, in the breeding of endangered Asian elephants, 5 out of 13 surviving individuals from 25 domestic breeding cases are growing steadily, and the park aims to achieve the only breeding pair of Japanese-born elephants in Japan. In recent years, it has been renovated into a complex facility "Animal Wonder Resort" along with its adjacent sister facility "Sayuri World." It is strengthening its appeal by focusing on coexistence with animals and animal welfare, and is expected to play a core role in tourism within the prefecture.