Anim(e)tion Domination

At Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) 2024, anime titles like Demon Slayer, Chainsaw Man, Spy x Family, One Piece, and Jujutsu Kaisen are likely to flood the floor. This list provides only a small peek into the vast amount of anime and manga content available for fans to devour. 

Like Roronoa Zoro to Monkey D. Luffy or Naruto to Hidden Leaf Village, members of the anime community are extremely loyal to their favorite titles and characters, so the merch should reflect the exact thing they fell in love with. When creating products or coordinating events to represent anime, companies like Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America (BNTCA), Secretlab, and Anime NYC must go beyond — plus ultra — to confidently serve the community. 

The community itself, however, has seen a slight shift over the past few years: With the influx of celebrity admiration and live-action adaptations, the anime space has become increasingly easier to enter — and requires more merch! 

Although a live-action series based on anime or manga titles is not a new concept, it has become more popular within the last few years. 

Live-action series like Netflix’s One Piece and Avatar: The Last Airbender (both released within the past two years) instantly gained popularity, especially with viewers who have never seen an anime or read manga. For viewers without a background in the Japanese art style, the live-action medium introduces the storylines and characters in a familiar “real life” setting. After watching the live-action versions, a love for the original source material — whether it’s the more than 1,000 episodes of One Piece or the three seasons of Avatar: the Last Airbender — can develop instantly.  

“Live action — it’s absolutely true — is going to bring [anime/manga] to more fanbases. One Piece is one of the more trending pop anime titles because of Netflix, becoming a key component to making One Piece a very big title in North America … [One Piece anime] is now ‘so cool,’” says Kenji Washida, senior vice president, brand strategist, new business development at BNTCA. 

Like Washida, fans might have noticed that One Piece-inspired merch has skyrocketed following the popularity of the live-action series’ first season. These pieces often feature the characters from the manga or anime itself, rather than the live-action actors. Fans of the live-action series will recognize this trend in The Op Games’ recent launch of Monopoly: One Piece ($44.99). The board features several characters and locations from the anime — and don’t worry, that includes everyone’s favorite humble doctor, Tony Tony Chopper. 

Alongside the live-action series, fans can further interact with their favorite anime titles through themed dining experiences and stage shows, such as Death Note: The Musical, which opened in Japan in 2015. 

This fall, anime fans can watch a musical inspired by the manga and anime Attack on Titan at New York City Center. Considered a 2.5D experience, Attack on Titan: The Musical uses a cast of 35 actors and innovative technology to tell Eren Yeager’s story through 2D manga and animation plus 3D live theater. Of course, there will be merchandise available for audience members to purchase as well. 

In a different type of live-action love, celebrities have recently shown their dedication to the anime community on a large scale, drawing positive attention to different aspects of the anime fandom. Rapper Megan Thee Stallion recently presented the Anime of the Year award to Jujutsu Kaisen at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards. She’s also posted photos of her cosplaying as Mirko from My Hero Academia and had several references to animes like One Piece in her music video for her recent song “Boa.” While this public celeb love isn’t new, fans have seen it increase within the past decade, making it easier for some to proudly showcase their passions. 

“Growing up, I was not celebrated for loving anime and manga, I was ostracized,” says MK Goodwin, event director of Anime NYC. “Celebrities who enjoy manga and anime have had a profound impact on making these art forms more accessible and accepted by a wider audience. They play a very important role in breaking down stereotypes and misconceptions, and widely inspire diverse groups of fans to embrace these genres with enthusiasm and pride.”

Peter Tatara, director of film at the Japan Society and founder of Anime NYC, has a similar view, adding that “Weekly, we have major celebrities and sports stars talking about their love of anime ­— embracing it as a part of their identity … There are major celebrities, major money, and major corporations in the anime space, and it’s being devoured by more and wider audiences than ever before.

As live-action adaptions pop up, celebrities continue showcasing their love, and new seasons debut, anime merch is more prominent than ever.

However, the sheer number of manga titles, anime series, characters, and arches can make it difficult to choose a new addition to the collection — for fans and merch makers. Luckily, companies like Secretlab and BNTCA are dedicated to the lore, details, and fandom when creating anime merch, so fans can expand their collections with pieces that are true to their favorites. 

Following the May debut of Season 4 of Demon Slayer, fans might be itching to fill their game room with themed pieces. Secretlab specializes in gaming chairs and accessories, including chair sleeves for fans who already have a Secretlab chair (but want to change up their vibe or are invested in a new show). The company — which launched a Demon Slayer line a few years ago — recently added new additions inspired by Rengoku and Shinobu.

At the time of publication, fans can preorder the Secretlab Titan Evo Gaming Chair (starting at $519) in the Rengoku or Shinobu theme. Anime-lovers who currently own a Secretlab Titan Evo Series chair can preorder chair sleeves starting at $169. 

The company follows Jigoro’s advice and hones its collection to perfection, to the utmost limit. “We obsessed over every color, thread, and detail to make sure we get every single detail right. With anime-inspired products, there’s a lot of backstory that we can draw inspiration from, and the Secretlab Titan Evo Demon Slayer Rengoku Edition is a great example of this,” says SecretLab’s lead licensed product designer Gabriel Lim. “We very much wanted to capture the beloved character’s unyielding spirit and the impact it had on the rest of the Demon Slayer Corps. From his last words — “Set your heart ablaze” — stitched on top to his sword guard, now in the hands of Tanjiro, the chair is instantly associated with Rengoku’s burning passion and heroism.” 

On the Shinobu Edition, fans will recognize a butterfly wing detailing resembling Shinobu’s haori. When choosing a chair, there’s no other way to go but forward: Choose a size, pick upholstery, and decide between the Rengoku and Shinobu skins. The price of each chair depends on these choices, and each chair comes packaged with a Magnetic Memory Foam Head Pillow. 

If the older seasons of Demon Slayer are more your style, Secretlab also has pieces inspired by Inosuke, Tanjiro, Zenistu, and more. “When brainstorming for our original Demon Slayer collection, we delved deep into the lore of the Nichirin swords, which adopt a distinct color when first drawn by their owners,” Lim says. “We saw this in the first episode when the Water Hashira Giyu Tomioka was first introduced and were determined to bring this to life. With the Secretlab Titan Evo Demon Slayer Giyu Edition, we imbued a special color-changing material into the embroidered sword on the backrest, which changes from black to a moody blue hue when thermally activated. This color-changing technology hasn’t been used in any premium chairs in the market, making it extra special for us and fans.” 

Secretlab also has officially licensed chair skins inspired by Jujutsu Kaisen, Naruto: Shippuden, and Attack on Titan. Fans can expect the new Demon Slayer chairs and sleeves to complement their gaming setup by September. 

For anime fans who prefer to display their anime collection rather than sit in it, companies like BNTCA have a wide selection of carefully crafted anime statues and action figures representing several titles like Dragon Ball, Chainsaw Man, and more. 

When creating these anime collectibles, BNTCA often goes to the core of the title: the manga. “The anime fandom is very emotionally attached to the characters, they want to see [them go from] a 2D format to 3D format exactly the same,” BNTCA’s Washida says.

BNTCA focuses on several aspects to create an exact 3D replica of an anime character, including articulation. The company makes sure that the figures can move and pose in similar ways to what you see on the screen or in the manga. “Articulation is key … if we cut down articulation too much, you can’t pose it as much as you’d see in the film,” Washida adds.

This applies to one of the company’s most recent anime action figures, the Dragon Ball Super Dragon Stars — Super Saiyan Blue Goku Power Up Pack, which launched last month. With more than 20 points of articulation, the $26.99 figure resembles the iconic character up to the last detail. Fans can re-create battle scenes with the collectible and power-up accessories. 

BNTCA also released Dragon Ball Limit Breaker — Frieza 4th Form last month, a 12-inch tall collectible with five points of articulation and a reasonable price point of $17.99. Fans can display the figure or use it to reenact their favorite scenes from the anime. 

Similar to the large selection of titles (and to the never-ending list of One Piece episodes), there are numerous possibilities for those looking for new and exciting anime products. 

You could take your love on the go with Series 4 of Monogram’s One Piece 3D Foam Bag Clips ($6.99), which includes nine different figural bag clips for fans to unbox, including Monkey D. Luffy in his iconic red vest and frayed jean shorts, as well as Gear 5 Luffy. 

Anime fans can also find new collectibles from Youtooz. Joining Youtooz’ already vast anime offerings, which cover titles like Chainsaw Man, Attack on Titan, and My Hero Academia, fans can make shelf space for a new line based on Haikyuu. At the time of publication, you can find four Youtooz figures representing Bokuto Koutarou, Shouyou Hinata, Tobio Kageyama, and Tooru Oikawa. Each character will be $29.99. 

Fans can showcase their admiration (or obsession, no judgment here) for anime at conventions like SDCC, where the community can meet in real life to cosplay and discuss their favorite (or least favorite, no judgment here) aspects of each series. 

At SDCC, fans can find a large selection of BNTCA figures at its centrally located booth, Booth No. 3345. Viewers and readers of various titles will have a large selection of merch to tote home.  

Once the post-SDCC blues kick in, anime fans can look forward to next month’s Anime NYC, where they can meet thousands of other anime lovers between Aug. 23-25 at the Javits Center in New York City. According to Goodwin, “We’re looking at our largest growth year-to-year ever for this upcoming edition, as we’ve finally been able to take over the entirety of the traditional convention center with our new August dates. We’re expecting around 100,000 fans for the first time.”

The convention, which has received award recognition from the Japanese Consulate, features tons of anime merch, cosplay, guest speakers, and more. Anime NYC, powered by Crunchyroll, has new offerings for 2024 attendees. This year, the team will introduce “many new features dedicated to fan communities, including an 80,000-square-foot gaming hall with late-night hours, another entire hall dedicated to our show feature Destination Cosplay, guest photo ops, dozens of more panels including both professional and fan programming, and more,” Goodwin says. 

Tickets are available on Anime NYC’s website and run from $67-429, depending on what kind of badge you want (single-day, three-day, or Anime NYC+ badges are all available). Fans can also purchase tickets to designated after-parties ($25-85) to keep the anime celebrations going. 

If you’re not a con person (or you need something to focus on besides your work-in-progress cosplay), new anime merch is always on the rise. This fall, both TOMY and BNTCA will release plush products and action figures inspired by popular titles. 

TOMY’s Club Mocchi- Mocchi- line expands this fall with Suya Suya Spy x Family Yor Forger and Bond, which each sell for $16.99. The new, squishy plush feature character-specific details, including Yor Forger’s yellow accessories and Bond’s bowtie. If Toyko Revengers is more your style, you can also add new Manjiro Sano- and Takemichi-inspired Club Mocchi- Mocchi- plush to your stuffed animal-ridden couch. 

BNTCA’s Gashapon Blind Packs ($7.99), available in September, feature mini figures of your favorite anime characters from Demon Slayer and Naruto: Shippuden. There are 10 different Demon Slayer characters and six figures from Naruto, so your mini anime collection will have some variety. 

Whether you discovered your favorite anime in the bookstore, at a convention, or on Netflix, there’s always new — and extremely detailed — merchandise for you to proudly display (or sit in).