Anime has always had an immense following in Japan and Asia, but its popularity in the West has grown significantly over the past decade. The rise of streaming services has made it easier than ever for fans worldwide to appreciate one of Japan’s biggest cultural exports, leading to the likes of One Piece, Demon Slayer, and Jujutsu Kaisen having millions of fans worldwide. The US anime market is expected to be valued at over $60bn by 2030, more than twice what it was a decade ago.
With all that immense popularity, it’s perhaps unsurprising to note that anime has crept into the mobile market, too. We’ve previously explored how collaborating with fan-favorite IPs as part of a LiveOps strategy can have a drastic impact on in-game performance, and that logic very much applies to anime crossovers. We’ve seen everything from the likes of PUBG x Jujustu Kaisen, to Puzzles & Dragons x Demon Slayer, Fortnite x Naruto, and Grand Summoners x One Punch Man—to name a few historic examples.
But it’s not just collaboration events that feature anime; there are also an overwhelming number of titles entirely based on popular IP—from Dragon Ball: Legends and One Piece: Bounty Rush to Fate/Grand Order. Some titles, such as Umamusume: Pretty Derby, have taken things one step further by taking a multimedia approach, with mobile games, anime, and manga series all coexisting and building an ever-expanding universe.
Below, we dive into some more recent examples of anime in mobile gaming, from retention-boosting crossover events to blockbuster new titles that have made waves in the grossing charts.
Anime collaboration events
From Barbie to Spongebob SquarePants and even Hot Wheels, Stumble Guys is no stranger to in-game collaboration events. Almost every month, it brings in a fan-favorite franchise and puts them front and center, using it to theme an all-new Stumble Pass, stages, and a vast array of cosmetic items. With that in mind, it was inevitable that Scopely would eventually bring an anime franchise onto the racetrack, which finally happened in August 2024 with My Hero Academia (MHA)
My Hero Academia is one of the most popular anime series in the world. It’s based on a manga and is estimated to have over 100 million copies in circulation (including several spin-offs), making it one of the best-selling series ever. The anime series first aired in Japan in 2016 and is still going today, with an eighth and final season expected to air sometime next year. The series has even hit theatre screens with three film installments, the latest grossing over $26m worldwide.
The series is themed around a school called UA High, where the students learn to master superpowers known as Quirks. As such, that formed a major part of the Stumble Guys MHA event, with the headline new playable map being the “Hero Exam,” which students in the show have to pass to be allowed into the school.
There were also several quirk-themed events where you could wield the powers used by some of the series’ most iconic characters. For example, the One for All Quirk event was inspired by the character All Might, with everyone gaining super strength and speed. Players who opted for the premium version of the Stumble Pass could also unlock cosmetic Outfits based on these characters, alongside several emotes based on the show.
Interestingly, it also launched alongside a new permanent in-game feature: special abilities. These abilities allow players to gain an advantage in the race to the finish line by grabbing or punching other competitors. While they didn’t match the same scale of superpowers in the show, where characters have abilities like gravity manipulation and control of fire and ice, it did tie into the overall themes of the series.
Goddess of Victory: NIKKE x Neon Genesis Evangelion
Another title with plenty of experience hosting collaboration events is the action RPG Goddess of Victory: NIKKE, known for its crossovers with Japanese IP. The game’s LiveOps event calendar started with the video game franchise Nier: Automata before moving on to Chainsaw Man and, most recently, Neon Genesis Evangelion—which launched in August 2024.
Unlike most anime, Evangelion is unique in that it’s entirely original as opposed to being an adaptation of an existing manga. Despite being released almost thirty years ago, it is still widely regarded by many as one of the best anime today and is estimated to have made over 150 billion yen in Japan. The show is known for its complex sci-fi themes, which revolve around giant monsters called “angels” that descend onto the Earth and can only be stopped using enormous battle mechs.
Its long-standing cultural relevance means it’s a trusted go-to for anime collaborations. Over the years, many titles have jumped on the bandwagon, spanning a wide variety of genres. To name just a few, these include Fortnite (Battle Royale), Top War (4X Strategy), Puzzles & Dragons (Match3), and Tower of Fantasy (MMORPG). Evangelion collaborations aren’t exclusive to video games either, as demonstrated by a recent crossover with McDonald’s in Japan.
In the Goddess of Victory: NIKKE Evangelion event, players entered a special event area that functions as a physical menu system where they can interact with various features. The main attraction gameplay-wise was the story mode, which was divided into several episodes directly inspired by the show, with angel-like monsters invading the game world. There was also a minigame, event shop, and challenges to complete.
However, what likely appealed most to fans of the game—which is infamous for the extreme “fan service” approach it has taken to its recruitable female android characters—was the addition of Asuka, Rei, and Mari (Evangelion’s primary female characters) through a Limited Pick Up Recruitment Gacha, which required rare Advanced Recruit Vouchers or premium currency. Once acquired, players could use these characters in battles but also interact with them through messages and other in-game social mechanics.
Many players came along to take a look, and downloads of the game spiked significantly by around 50% in the weeks following the collaboration event.
PUBG Mobile x Dragon Ball, Jujutsu Kaisen, Spy × Family, and more!
If you’re looking for inspiration for running your own anime collaboration, a good place to start is by looking at Krafton’s PUBG Mobile, which has launched a vast range of anime-themed events over the years. These have included Dragon Ball Super, Neon Genesis: Evangelion, Jujutsu Kaisen, Spy × Family, and more.
PUBG’s anime crossovers are particularly noteworthy as they each come with a unique gameplay mode that integrates iconic elements from each anime. Here are some of the most interesting examples:
- In PUBG Mobile’s Dragon Ball Super event (launched July 2023), PUBG added a limited–time mode that transformed the map into an anime-style battleground where players duke it out as fan-favorite Dragon Ball characters, such as Goku and Piccolo, unleashing powerful abilities like the Kamehameha (an energy beam).
- PUBG’s Evangelion crossover (launched May 2022) introduced the “Core Circle” game mode, where players were tasked with assisting a towering Eva Unit-01 in destroying an Angel, bringing the series’ colossal sense of scale onto the battlefield.
- The Jujutsu Kaisen collaboration saw players seeking out Cursed Object Crates, which contained Sealed Sukuna Fingers. Those who managed to find and collect all the fingers unlocked various rewards and achievements. While that may sound grotesque, the anime’s main character, Yuji, gets his powers after eating a cursed finger, so it was quite on-brand for the source material.
Of course, PUBG Mobile’s anime crossovers also introduce cosmetic items to boost monetization opportunities and overall event engagement. For example, in the Spy × Family collaboration event, players could obtain outfits, emotes, gliders, ornaments, and many other items inspired by the show. Some of these could be obtained by playing through the event, while others required in-app purchases, so there was a balance in trying to keep all players relatively happy.
Most of the rewards depended on players upgrading their Prize Path level, which, as suggested above, could be done by completing in-game missions or spending UC (PUBG’s premium currency). Once reaching Level 20 in the Prize Path, the anime’s main protagonists, Loid and Yor, became available as character sets. However, players could only pick one outfit. The other could be obtained by completing even more special missions or purchasing it outright with UC.
Other notable in-game anime collaboration events
Still looking to read up on even more anime collaboration events? Here are some additional examples our analysts have encountered in leading mobile games:
- While not an official collaboration, Clash of Clans launched an anime-themed season that took inspiration from One Piece, Studio Ghibli, and Gundam.
- Like PUBG, Free Fire has also launched several anime crossovers, most recently with Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. The battle royale is also going through a full circle moment, with its own dedicated anime series also in production.
- Konami’s eFootball showed that even sports sims can have anime collaborations, launching a crossover with Blue Lock in March earlier this year.
- Netmarble’s Grand Cross: Age Of Titans launched a collaboration with Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, expanding the playable roster with characters from the beloved anime series.
Anime-based mobile games
Anime in mobile isn’t just about crossovers, though, as many licensed mobile games look to capitalize on anime’s worldwide popularity. In Japan, listing all the anime-based titles on the market is virtually impossible, as there are simply too many to count.
At the time of writing, 21 of the Japanese top 200 grossing titles are based on anime and manga properties, including the likes of Umamusume, One Piece, Dragon Ball, Jujutsu Kaisen, Fist of the North Star, Bleach, and many more. There are also many more titles that, while not based on an anime, have grown popular enough that they’ve spawned their own anime series—such as Idolmaster, Arknights, and Princess Connect.
One criticism that could be thrown at these anime IP-based games is that they’re formulaic, with the vast majority being some form of RPG, most likely turn-based. Fate/Grand Order, Jujutsu Kaisen: Phantom Parade, SLIME – ISEKAI Memories, and One Piece: Treasure Cruise are just a handful of examples of turn-based RPGs based on anime, and there are many more scattered throughout Japan’s top-grossing ranks.
That being said, some outliers break the mold, like One Piece: Bounty Rush, a multiplayer battle arena, and Umamusume: Pretty Derby, which focuses on idol management, where players oversee the careers of fictional celebrities. There are even some anime games that focus on sports, like Haikyu!! Fly High, which sees players manage a team of Volleyball players.
Regardless of genre, most anime-based titles are monetized through gacha mechanics. The idea is that players spend premium currency to acquire their favorite characters from each respective anime or manga. As a result, it’s common to see new anime-based titles enter the market and rapidly ascend the charts, only to rapidly drop off after a period once the hype has fallen. That’s something we saw with Lord of Nazarick this year, which dropped out of the top 200 just weeks after its October launch.
On the Western side of the market, there are significantly fewer titles based on anime IP in the top-grossing charts. The only titles that stood the test of time are those based on the Dragon Ball IP, such as Dragon Ball Legends and Dragon Ball Dokkan Battle. Dragon Ball is one of the most prolific anime IPs in the world and has had a strong following in the West since the late 90s, long before anime’s recent surge in popularity, which may explain why it’s an outlier.
Instead, the West is more attracted to titles with anime-like qualities but aren’t based entirely on anime IP. The likes of HoYoVerse’s Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail are prime examples, the former of which hit over $6.3bn in mobile revenue last month, both boasting a cartoonish art style that takes on elements of anime as well as comic books. They’ve already begun to sprout several direct competitors too, such as Wuthering Waves and Tower of Fantasy, both of which are performing admirably in their own right.
The major benefit to these more original titles is that they can explore their ideas without being tied to their source material. They also avoid the issue that many anime games have, which is that they end up feeling like a lesser version. You see, many anime-based games attempt to retell the same story from the series they are based on. However, it can be extremely challenging to meet the production values in a mobile game without an exceedingly high budget.
However, some games, like SLIME—ISEKAI Memories, have made this work by mixing up the original narrative with all-new twists, making it more interesting to reexperience while avoiding unflattering comparisons.
A note on anime-themed knockoffs
Alongside all the officially licensed anime games on the market, while you’re browsing the Apple App Store, there’s a good chance you might come across one of the many “fake” anime games out there. They can usually be spotted fairly easily, as they tend to feature weird knockoffs of beloved characters with only minor changes, such as tweaks to their outfits or even just swapping out their names.
As you can imagine, the official license holders aren’t too pleased about these titles, and they usually leave the market just as fast as they entered it. For that reason, you’ll notice that many of these knockoffs are in “early access,” hoping to generate as much revenue as possible before being taken down.
Our tips for integrating anime into mobile games
Anime is becoming increasingly popular across the globe, and collaborating with these series as part of your LiveOps strategy—or even as the basis of an original game—is an excellent way to attract a lasting audience. Many anime fans are eager to interact with their favorite characters, settings, and stories in new ways and might be drawn to your game even if it’s not their usual genre. Plus, anime collaborations can open up new monetization opportunities, such as exclusive characters, skins, items, and themed events.
But before diving into the anime world, here are some key factors you should consider first:
How can I make the most of my anime IP?
The widespread popularity of anime worldwide has meant that the mobile market is flooded with a lot more original titles and collaborations than it was a few years ago, meaning it’s much more difficult to stand out against the pack. There’s no guarantee that shelling out for an expensive license will ensure your title or event is a success, so think carefully about whether or not it’s worthwhile.
The most interesting uses of anime IP in the mobile market tend to do something more aspirational from a gameplay perspective. PUBG’s mobile crossovers are a great example, letting players unleash Dragon Ball energy beams and fight alongside Evangelion’s towering mecha.
How will this collaboration boost monetization?
Anime collaborations can significantly impact your bottom line if planned strategically. Limited-time characters, skins, and other items tied to beloved anime properties are often irresistible to fans.
For example, Goddess of Victory: NIKKE’s Evangelion event was an obvious tie-in as it meant players could acquire the series’ most popular female characters from gacha. Think about which anime would likely appeal most to your target audience, as that will be the basis of your collaboration’s ability to drive revenue.
Where am I planning to launch my game?
While anime has made great strides in the West, it’s still nowhere near the same heights as it is in Japan. If your game’s success hinges on how it’s received in the US and surrounding markets, you might want to think carefully before basing it entirely on an anime franchise unless it’s Dragon Ball.
Likewise, if you’re planning a collaboration event, it’s more likely to be successful if it’s based on one of the more recognized heavy hitters, like One Piece and Demon Slayer, than something more niche.
Carefully plan your timing
As with any collaboration, timing is always important to consider. Suppose you can launch your IP-based game or collaboration event around a significant moment in the series, such as the launch of a new season or a theatrical film hitting theatres. In that case, fans will be much more excited about jumping in and playing as their favorite characters.
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