Anime and manga have captivated the hearts of dedicated weebs, otakus and casual fans alike, and it was only a matter of time before this vibrant community would emerge with the innovative world of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). Let’s explore a multitude of anime-inspired NFT collections that are revolutionizing the way we engage with this distinctive and eclectic art form.
What normies are slowly starting to figure out and what weebs and otakus have known for a long time, is that anime and manga are just the best. Whether you have just seen or heard of Dragon Ball Z and Cowboy Bebop, know of Akira and Ghost in the Shell, seen at least one Studio Ghibli or Satoshi Kon film, recommend Attack on Titan, Chainsaw Man, JJK or Demon Slayer to all your friends, still believe the original Full Metal Alchemist had the better soundtrack and that Asuka is best girl, are still hoping Berserk gets the adaptation it deserves, know that pain when someone calls your favorite anime “mid”, or you have reached a level where you have seen Made in Abyss and all 1000 plus episodes of One Piece (can you believe Oda-Sensei just walks amongst us mere mortals?). The Anime community is even a welcoming place for fans of Seven Deadly Sins and Fairy Tale or people who believe Boruto wasn’t mid until Sasuke started fighting dinosaurs. It was only a matter of time before this very inclusive and creative community would merge with another. Welcome to the world of anime inspired NFT’s!
Shonen Junk
With countless references to famous anime like Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill, Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z, the love for the medium clearly shines through. Maybe that’s not surprising as one of the key figures in its creation is James Lin, who also created the world renowned anime streaming service Crunchyroll. If you ever wondered what it would look like if Shinji from NGE turned Super Saiyan, or if Usagi from Sailor Moon would wear Asuka’s EVA battle suit, this NFT collection has got you covered.
Azuki
One of the biggest NFT collections with a combined worth of 625.873 ETH (at the time of writing). Even the most normiest of normies will be able to tell that it clearly has an anime-aesthetic and true weeb connoisseurs will perhaps even recognize a likeness to Tetsuyo Nomura’s designs for Square Enix’s cult hit The World Ends With You.
ON1 Force
Not one of the first anime-inspired NFT projects, but one of the first to knock it out of the park, reaching a trading volume of more than 80.000 ETH or a 125million dollars as of the time of writing. As its name already suggests each piece of the collection depicts an anthropomorphized Oni or demonic creature from Japanese Folklore.
CloneX
One of the most heated debates in the anime community is the use of CGI and 3D animation, something Attack on Titan fans are all too familiar with. Though there is a lot to be said, one cannot deny that sometimes it does lead to very pretty pictures. Collectors of the CloneX collection, with 20.000 pieces in well-lit 3D, made by the artist Takashi Murakami, seem to be of the persuasion that it adds and does not detract from the art, and sport shoe brand Nike was so impressed that they bought RTFKT studios, the creators behind the project.
Galverse
When you look at comic book stores and conventions, you must have noticed that nowadays the nerd-verse is populated much more by women and girls, and they are not there for Superman, Batman, Spider-man, X-Men or any of the other men, but are yet more proof that manga and anime just do it better (sorry Americans, but you are getting owned in your own market). And it’s not only Shoujo like Cardcaptor Sakura, Madoka Magica or the legendary Sailor Moon that have captured the hearts of many women and girls, but when you look at cosplay seen at conventions and the sales numbers of comic books stores you can clearly see a fondness for Demon Slayer, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Nier Automata and Chainsaw Man.
Shinsei Galverse takes its inspiration from the Magical Girl Anime of the 80’s and 90’s that simply had the best transformation animation and shows that anime and manga were there for women long before Marvel and DC discovered that the better half of the human race is female. Created by famed Japanese crypto artist Ayako Ohira and Emi Kusano, mother of the Zombie Zookeeper NFT project, the Galverse has 8.888 magical girl anime characters and they want to use the proceeds to produce a Galverse anime!
Uwucrew
AraAra! Inspired by the Kawaii Japanese style, it’s also one of the coolest women-led projects. Created by the artist Laur, while Kiwi and Morello take care of the technical side and the community, this NFT project has reached a combined value of more than 11 million dollars. Yoshi!
Kiwami
Made in the holy land for weebs, this collection features a host of anime avatars that blend Cyberpunk, Japanese folklore and youth culture straight from the Shibuya district of Tokyo. Reaching a combined value of more than 23 million dollars as of the time of writing.
Animetas
Also inspired by Cyberpunk, this NFT project has its own unique lore, that depicts a future where the earth is no longer livable and a group of 10.101 people have decided to mint their beings on the blockchain, together forming the Animetas NFT collection. Their virtual world the Animetaverse also inhabits another NFTcollection the Animonkeys and the creators have announced that further additions are in the works.
Capsule house
Remember when you were a kid and you begged your parents to put a coin in a vending machine, so you could twist a hand-cranking knob and an egg would come out, containing a nice toy, but never the one you really wanted? Invented in the country famous for its vending machines, the Japanese call it a Gashapon. Capsule house brought this wonderful idea to the world of NFT’s, each egg containing a different Chibi-like character, so twist that knob!
Karafuru
Just like Capsule house, this project, that was made in collaboration with the Museum of Toys, also took its inspiration from the Gashapon machines you know from your youth. Though it might not be a full blue-chip NFT project, it managed to reach a combined value of more than 45k ETH at the time of writing and it has managed to gain quite a massive audience on social media.
Hikari
Calling themselves the “home of misfits”, this NFT collection, complete with its own world and lore, not only plans on publishing a manga and games, but also its very own clothing brand.
Haki
This anime NFT also claims a spot in the physical world, as the collection includes clothes, events and airdrops.
Ragnarok
For lovers of JRPG games, with classics such as Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger, this NFT project provides a web-based RPG complete with its own world, lore and characters to dive into. To enter one must purchase a Ronin Zero NFT, of which there are only 7.777, and they form the game’s central characters.
Muri
Out of all the NFT projects on this list, Muri might be the one that caters to anime and manga fans the most, as it not only provides a flourishing ecosystem based on tokens that can be used to redeem physical merchandise and items that can be used in a game, but the Muri team is also working on an original anime and manga, with lots of its creative input depending not only on the imagination of the team, but also the imagination of the owners of Muri NFT’s!
