ZONe TOUGHNESS

Posted on February 14, 2022 | Last updated February 3, 2025

ZONe TOUGHNESS ウマ娘コラボ

Released on February 15, 2022, the ZONe Toughness Uma Musume collaboration. On February 15, 8 different designs were released, followed by another 8 designs on March 1, making a total of 16 unique Uma Musume collaboration cans available.

As a new flavor created for the Uma Musume collaboration, it features "carrot" and contains "10% orange juice." What kind of taste can we expect from this?

ZONe TOUGHNESS

Manufacturer	Suntory foods
Country of Origin	Japan
Price	200 JPY
Flavor	Orange
Total rating	★★★☆☆

Author information Author: Energy Drink-kun

In 2001, while living in the United States, I encountered energy drinks through the dance scene and was deeply impressed. After returning to Japan, I found that energy drinks were considered novelty beverages, so I established a comprehensive website in 2013 to share the true appeal of energy drinks. As an energy drink enthusiast, I began drinking them seriously again, collecting over 7,000 varieties of energy drinks from various countries. I am also active as a critic and expert, receiving media interviews.

Flavor of ZONe TOUGHNESS

The color is a cloudy orange, reminiscent of carrots. However, the scent is that of regular orange juice.
ZONe TOUGHNESS ウマ娘コラボの味
The first impression upon drinking is a soft sweetness, typical of orange. There is no acidity, and despite the 10% orange juice content, the fruitiness and pulpiness are relatively weak. It doesn't have a real orange flavor, but rather something closer to Fanta Orange or Bayareese Orange.

The carbonation is mild, and the scent isn’t very strong, making the taste somewhat lacking in punch and impact. However, there is no chemical taste, which is often present in energy drinks, and it's generally an easy-to-drink flavor.

Despite the inclusion of "carrot," I expected a more distinct flavor, but there’s hardly any noticeable carrot taste. It’s just a regular sweet orange flavor.

ZONe TOUGHNESS ウマ娘コラボの味
Honestly, this tastes like a regular non-fruit juice orange flavor that could easily be found in other inexpensive brands (although ZONe Toughness has juice). I personally would have appreciated a richer orange flavor to match the price.

Energy Ingredients of ZONe TOUGHNESS

ZONe TOUGHNESS ウマ娘コラボのエナジー成分
Contains 75mg of caffeine and 500mg of arginine. The caffeine content is quite modest when you look at the amount per volume. Since ZONe products generally have higher sugar content, it’s better to watch out for excessive carbohydrate intake rather than just focusing on caffeine consumption.

In addition to the 10% orange juice, the Uma Musume collaboration includes 1% carrot.

Design of ZONe TOUGHNESS

ZONe TOUGHNESS ウマ娘コラボのデザイン
Since this is a collaboration with Uma Musume, 8 character design cans were released on February 15. ZONe Toughness is said to be inspired by "Toughness 30" from the Uma Musume game.

ZONe TOUGHNESS ウマ娘コラボのデザイン
Each character's eyes have the ZONe logo. Since I don't know anything about Uma Musume, I initially thought this was the kind of character they were.

On March 1, an additional 8 characters were released, bringing the total number of character cans to 16.

ZONe TOUGHNESS ウマ娘コラボのデザイン
As I mentioned in the ZONe graffiti holic review, the design isn’t directly printed on the can but wrapped in film. My prediction that ZONe would use this cost-saving method to release a wide variety of designs for one flavor seems to have come true with ZONe Toughness.

ZONe TOUGHNESS ウマ娘コラボのデザイン
Fans of Uma Musume will likely collect all 16, and they might disappear from stores faster than usual new releases. By the time all 16 designs are available, the cans will likely be sold separately, making it harder to find all varieties in one store.

ZONe TOUGHNESS ウマ娘コラボのデザイン
Here are the 8 designs released on March 1. This completes the set of 16 ZONe TOUGHNESS Uma Musume collaboration cans. It seems like they were restocked as the February Uma Musume collaboration cans were sold out.

Additionally, on Amazon, a special limited edition "ZONe TOUGHNESS Ver.1.0.0 All 16 Types Premium Pack" will be released on March 15.

【https://t.co/NVQBsuUbeX限定】ZONe TOUGHNESS Ver.1.0.0 全16種プレミアムパック
価格：9,980円(税込み)

9,980円???? pic.twitter.com/Chu1T8Iks1
— エナジー・ドリン君エナジードリンクマニア (@energydrinkun) December 21, 2021

With the 16 cans priced at 9,980 yen (about 600 yen per can), this tweet has garnered attention due to the steep price.
ZONe TOUGHNESS ウマ娘コラボ
This is more of an Uma Musume merchandise item than an energy drink. For a month, fans will be able to pick up the 16 different cans in stores, then buy the limited edition pack on Amazon.

ZONe TOUGHNESS ウマ娘コラボ
I don’t think this collaboration design will be available for sale forever, so although it’s not explicitly marked as a limited edition, ZONe TOUGHNESS may not be on the shelves for too long. If the flavor is well-received, there’s a chance it might become a non-collaborative regular ZONe product.

ZONe has been releasing new flavors in rapid succession, but with many past flavors recently discontinued, maintaining a large variety may not be so easy.

July 26, 2022, ZONe TOUGHNESS Uma Musume 3rd Edition Release

ZONe TOUGHNESS Uma Musume 3rd edition, featuring three new designs, has been released.
ZONe TOUGHNESS ウマ娘コラボ第3弾　「ウイニングチケット」「キングヘイロー」「エルコンドルパサー」
The three new designs are "Winning Ticket," "King Halo," and "El Condor Pasa."

Since I know nothing about Uma Musume, I don’t quite understand what they represent... but along with these new designs, the first and second editions featuring "Special Week," "Silence Suzuka," "Mejiro McQueen," "Rice Shower," and "Narita Brian" have also been re-released.
Perhaps the popularity of Uma Musume played a role in the good sales of the first and second editions.