You’ve tried famous NFT games such as Axie Infinity and Farmers World, but you’ll be surprised to know that Anime NFT collections exist.
Yes, you heard that right. NFTs projects are also including Anime. Anime Enthusiasts will enjoy this type of content and blockchain-based ventures.
In the NFT market, anime is becoming more known and mainstream. Anime and manga artists use blockchain technology to protect their work from piracy, enhancing the creative process of producing anime art. They are climbing the NFT ladder.
Moreover, the Japanese culture is also more accepting of NFTs, specifically anime NFT. Their values align with the nature of NFTs. An example of this is omoiyari, meaning awareness and consideration for others. Schools teach these virtues early in the years of Japanese children.
Omoiyari relates the concerns for barriers to entry normal in NFT projects, including community building and development.
On another note, Ganbaru (effort) and gaman (enduring) are other values that the Japanese have cultivated. These principles strengthen the learning for Web3 technologies, metaverse, blockchain, and NFTs.
Because of this, Japan’s NFT market is booming and scaling the digital economy as more artists join the NFT space. This is great for NFT growth and Japanese artists who may have just discovered the robust applications of the blockchain.
What is an Anime NFT?
Anime NFT is an anime-characterized NFT. Usually found as a collection of anime-inspired NFT artworks, these NFTs are hand-drawn, revolving around certain thematic points or movie-driven animation.
Depending on the creator, they may use computer-drawn NFT. Some anime artists use these anime as inspiration: Demon Slayer, Spirited Away, Wolf Children, Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro, and Your Name.
Collectors are passionate about collecting anime NFTs as well. Because of that, growth towards a community of anime enthusiasts is brewing and igniting the NFT lifespan. As a result, the anime culture in Japan continues to expand even with its popularity.
This type of NFT has paved the way for anime and manga artists to find more ways to create rich anime content for fans. With NFTs, anime creators can mint their NFTs and obtain them on NFT marketplaces. After satisfying the requirements of the platform they are in, collectors worldwide can buy and obtain them.
Why Is This Worth It?
The anime genre continues to grow popular throughout the years. With a well-known streaming platform like Netflix shelling out anime series and movies, it is reported that about 100 million households watched anime content between October 2019 and September 2020.
Most of these households may fall under the term “Otaku”, anime and manga fans hungry for collecting anime memorabilia from figures to toys and comics. They spend about $2.5 billion per year on their hobbies.
This shows that anime and manga lovers have deep pockets and are passionate about their hobbies. To cater to them, we simply give them what they want: more anime. However, instead of just giving them what they want, we also give them what they need: the potential to earn money.
It becomes a well-oiled machine of opportunity on its own.
With this type of NFT still new to the scene, seizing the opportunity to create something from this may offer anime and manga artists a good start.
Cool Anime NFT Collections
If you’re an artist searching for something to inspire you, we hope this list can excite you for new opportunities to come from the horizon.
This list comes from our dedicated research on the trends in the market today.
Here is a collection of 15 cool anime NFT collections for anime fans such as yourself:
1. Azuki
Azuki is a metaverse-created brand where the collection comprises 10,000 unique anime avatars, igniting the craze about PFPs (Profile Pictures).
This collection grants members access to an exclusive virtual metaversal environment where Web3 fans, developers, and artists gather to discuss the future of decentralization.
With the NFTs launched on January 12, 2022, each character sold for $3,400. It is an understatement to say that the collection sold out in minutes. It grossed over $29 million. After the launch, investors invested $2 million worth of Azuki NFTs in a race to get the most profit out of the craze.
However, it didn’t end there. A month later, a value of $300 million in transaction volume was one of the highest recordings for Azuki NFTs. There was even a point where Azuki topped CryptoPunk and Bored Ape Yacht Club in total sales within the first 30 days of launch.
Chiru Labs created Azuki. They are a small start-up with a group of four anonymous Los Angeles-based men. Their online aliases are as follows: Zagabond, location tba, 2pm.flow, and HoshiBoy.
They hired Arnold Tsang. Tsang worked on Blizzard’s Overwatch, so he is considered a gaming industry veteran. He will play a pivotal role in brand expansion and development.
For any Azuki NFT resold, they earn a 5% royalty from it.
Why Azuki NFTs Are Popular
The Azuki team used key elements in shaping the hype and craze around their NFTs. They were able to use the anime culture that is becoming more popular throughout the years.
For example, “anime” is typically used to refer to Japanese animation, but newer companies from different countries also use the term non-exclusively. Anime is breaking the boundaries among demographics.
With a strong anime culture, it will naturally follow that bringing that to NFTs will promote a great following from fans alike. Since the 90s, characters such as Dragon Ball Z, Pokémon, and Digimon have significant traction and age-old fans.
Bringing such cross-generational demographics will certainly enhance the popularity of Azuki NFTs. As an NFT project and collection, Azuki has cemented anime NFT in the blockchain and metaverse space.
Why Azuki NFTs Are So Good
As an art form, anime has always been able to distinguish itself because of its distinctive art style, direction, tone, and design. In this case, Azuki NFT characters highlight a detailed artform distinctive from the highest norms of artistic anime portrayals.
They are so good, particularly because you can choose from many great variations ranging from males and females with different skin types, cosmetics, hair types, etc. Among the 10,000 unique Azuki avatars, you will certainly find something to your liking.
Judging from their work, the Azuki artists are passionate about the work they do.
Their distinct anime hand-drawn style highlights an anti-establishment side to it. With NFTs, what can be more fitting to show this than anti-establishment or anti-centralized governance?
Why Azuki NFTs Want Community
Azuki want nothing more than community. It is a brand for a community-driven metaverse experience built by the community. This isn’t just to sound good for marketing; this is their motto.
The team behind Azuki understands that building an authentic and organic community will elevate a movement in the NFT space. Gathering fans and followers instead of buyers and consumers is the difference between great and good projects.
An amazing project is when people thrive within their communities, catering to the importance of a vibrant community. Azuki understands that community is the lifeblood and fuel for any NFT project to continue.
Without a community to back them up, the project would die. That is why, since the launch, the community has only grown, boasting around 200,000 Twitter followers.
2. 0N1 Force
Strength, Style, and Spirit are the three values that 0N1 Force lives by. They imagine a boundless digital social network, seeing the future of NFT as cross-platform.
Launched on August 19, 2021, this anime NFT collection shouts vibrancy and style. Each NFT character has distinct and unique styles, including headphones, masks, hairstyles, and more.
The collection consists of 7,777 generative side-positioned avatars with over 100 hand-drawn traits.
The Story
Telling your story isn’t enough. You have to show it. That’s why storytelling is a crucial element in any artistic endeavor. From the beginning, 0N1 Force created an intriguing narrative.
It is a story about a fallen kingdom whose citizens fight for survival, creating the conflict and sense of urgency that compels people to invest in something bigger than just another update or NFT drop.
Building the purpose or “Why” from its inception, 0N1 Force created an intention-driven rarity system where there are three distinct groups.
The common or rare traits belong to the YOK-A1 Ghost Spirits. These spirits have 5,278 in stock. Meanwhile, the rare demons are from the B4K3M0-N0 Monster Form and the 0N1 elite. There are 2,100 and 392 of these, respectively.
3. Killer GF
Another anime-themed stylish, enticing NFT collection is Killer GF, featuring 7,800 hand-drawn female characters, aptly called “girlfriends”, who are also assassins.
Zeronis is the artist in charge of this collection. He is also responsible for the video gaming franchise, “Riot Games”.
Though not entirely related, this anime NFT vaguely gives off the vibe of Highschool of the Dead, a classic zombie apocalyptic anime aired in 2010. That anime was famous during its time and even to anime fans now.
Killer GF’s anime-styled artwork attracts most anime fans due to its daring and enticing NFT pieces. The community expects a metaverse to launch soon with this NFT collection.
4. Karafuru
Karafuru is an NFT collection of 5,555 anime-inspired thematic color-highlighted artwork. After being announced in the NFT space last January 2022, Karafuru gained a lot of traction and followers in Twitter.
In February, after its inception, the Karafuru NFT collection sold rapidly. With its bright color palette being its highlights, it is no wonder people will like this art style.
WD.WILLY drew the art of these NFTs. Each Karafuru character has a backstory, which makes it an interesting display of anime and manga affection.
With top-tier fashion, vibrancy is their main goal, dyeing art designs with only the most dipped in colors.
5. Shonen Junk
Shonen Junk is an NFT collection of 9,001 anime-inspired generative avatars with over 200 unique shonen-themed traits. From the founders of Crunchyroll, this anime NFT aims to inspire anime fans by owning our childhood anime characters and stories.
It is a true weeb3 platform with over 9,000 NFT power levels!
James Lin, one of the founders of Crunchyroll, serves as its software engineer. This is interesting because being a co-founder of Crunchyroll, a leading anime streaming platform, carries tremendous weight and authority.
Knowing that Prestigious individuals lead this NFT project is a breath to behold.
In true Otaku fashion, Shonen Junk is inspired by Shonen Jump, a weekly shonen manga published in Japan.
6. Otaku Origins
Otaku Origins is an NFT collection of 5,000 unique anime-themed avatars inspired by anime’s most popular characters. Innovative and imaginative, this NFT collection brings anime to the blockchain world.
The Otaku Origins team aims to make the OtakuVerse come to reality. Popular and memorable anime characters inspire them to make this metaverse real.
While the project is staggering, the artwork in Otaku Origins is amazing and inspirational. It is by far a fan favorite in a genre that rapidly growing worldwide.
The team aims to become the first independent community-driven anime and manga publishing DAO.
Otaku Origins: What is it?
Otaku Origins is a tale about 5,000 characters on an adventure who are transported or “Isekai’d” into the OtakuVerse. They gain special powers and weapons throughout their journey to survive in this new world.
Most of their special abilities, including weapons and clothing, are a tribute to memorable characters in anime history.
With the meticulous detail they made, anime fans will love this NFT project for how it portrays itself.
There are 8 different types of digital art pieces, depending on their rarity, power and identity and comprising a random arrangement of over 200 magnificently crafted traits.
The Future of Otaku Origins
From the beginning, the goal is always to build the OtakuVerse, a community-driven DAO-supported universe where members can vote on critical matters, including finding authors, lore, and direction.
The team behind this vision wants to reimagine the concept of what makes an NFT community. The exciting part about this is their comic book publishing venture.
Like the current Marvel Cinematic Universe, there will be branching storylines to expand the Otaku Origins universe.
7. Kiwami
Kiwami is an NFT collection of 10,000 anime-themed characters created for builders, artists, mavericks, and rule-breakers. Kiwami holders have exclusive access to features and opportunities that shape their future.
For those who are loyal, extreme, ineffable, and driven, it tries to redefine what it means to be authentic.
First and foremost, Kiwami is community-driven. They bring together stories, dreams, imaginations, and passions from different walks of life. While based on the love for crypto, Kiwami connects and nurtures the finest culture of loyalty and passionate people.
Kiwami’s mission is to empower artists, mavericks, rule-breakers, and builders to own the decentralized brand. They want to “chase the Tsunami together”.
8. HAKI
HAKI is an NFT collection of 5,000 anime-themed vigor and spirit characters from Japanese anime and manga, where each HAKI comes with a unique life force, symbolizing their powers.
HAKI holders gain exclusive access to a blooming community, cool merchandise. streetwear, and their own Metaverse.
There are three rarity tiers in HAKI: Common, Gold, and Diamond, with 10 categories totaling 417 traits.
From its creation, the collection goes beyond digital space and into a multimedia platform. This is a good entry for anime fans willing to invest in some anime-inspired NFTs.
9. Lives of Asuna
Lives of Asuna is an NFT collection of anime-characterized sci-fi and fantasy themes hand-drawn by Zumi and Hagglefish, where Asuna holders can customize their NFTs with unique items to change their appearances.
There are 10,000 NFTs, which depict the lives that Asuna has lived through this collection. From a demon lord to a mecha pilot in another life, Lives of Asuna shows the life paths of one person throughout the multiverse.
Through the metaverse, her multiversal self emerges with 10,000 possibilities. If we were to relate this to pop culture, the sci-fi action-packed movie Everything Everywhere All At Once portrayed this concept quite well.
In Lives of Asuna, Asuna NFTs are customizable in line with your imagination. Anything Asuna can dream of, she can be that person across the multiverse.
Hearing her music illuminates how your imagination can thrive in Asuna’s life paths.
10. Capsule House
Capsule House is an NFT collection of anime-themed multimedia storytelling devices where the collection oozes world-class and meaningful art and creative expression. It is a collection of 10,000 unique NFT gachapons, with over 120 variants.
A creative studio, Capsule House aims for excellent artwork including music, welcoming any artist, fan and collector to the fray. The studio has creative illustrators and animators like Seerlight and Kaejunni, with producer Oksami.
Capsule House creates meticulous storytelling, art, and music design craftsmanship, carrying you to a universal and nostalgic world.
As an NFT owner, you will receive valuable benefits and cultural access to digital and real-life experiences. On the other hand, as an artist, engagement is the game’s name, with opportunities like mentorships and commissions available.
11. Crypto Alien Babes
Crypto Alien Babes, or CABs, is the first original anime series NFT in the world, where they aim to build a fully operational DAO.
Connection is the name of the game. CABs only comprise 1% of the human population. Even then, they have been battling evil forces since the dawn of Mankind. They are our protectors, promising to bring us hope and equality.
Every Crypto Alien Babe is an NFT with a unique personality ready for the metaverse.
The CABs are gracious yet fierce aliens with distinguishing personalities. They know how to travel across the multiverse and metaverse in search of protecting life from the forces of evil.
Across the existence of matter, they wage wars on dark forces to stop them from growing and expanding. They are here to save humanity and give love to communities, aligning themselves with transparency and integrity.
They want nothing more than metaversal and multiversal peace.
Origin of Crypto Alien Babes
CABs is the brainchild of Starseed, the overall art director of the project. It is something that had been lying dormant within her mind for so long.
Crypto Alien Babes is much bigger than art because it is a community-driven project that aims to bind people together and make a long-lasting impact on our social lives.
It means to evoke many different emotions, with each NFT being different.
The team imagines an NFT that would truly represent something worthwhile as it provides passive income for its holders and a community of change-makers.
Collective artists created 1,111 Crypto Alien Babes, each bringing a unique art style and story to the table and selling out in record time.
12. Timeless
Timeless is a collection of anime-themed NFTs created by VIII set in the Treeverse, a fantasy, open-world MMORPG styled in MOBA combat mechanics.
In the Treeverse, you will craft great weapons that can slay any form of beast, capture the largest fish known to Man, establish and create guilds, explore the dungeons, and learn about the deep lore that awaits you.
Timeless lives off its name, aiming to create long-lasting anime characters that show sleek art styles and beautiful designs.
A total of 11,111 Timeless NFTs will emerge as an avatar collectible. Acting as metaverse avatars, these are no ordinary NFTs as they are hand-drawn.
The team behind Timeless plans to own their own marketplace in the future where you can trade all Treeverse NFTs. They will use the funds they collect to build an MMORPG set within a year’s time.
They are confident they will make the next biggest and most timeless blockchain game.
13. NeoTokyo Citizen
NeoTokyo Citizen is an anime NFT collection set in a dystopian metaverse version of Tokyo. Venture Capital, token founders, developers, and expert builders gather in an exclusive space in Web3.
They want to prepare for the metaverse revolution when it comes, believing that crypto gaming and metaverse experiences will revolutionize the way the world works.
Their work is a Ready Player One-inspired concept, striving to make a community out of it. They aim to build the “crypto gaming Illuminati”, where future key players engage in the crypto gaming space.
In short, Neo Tokyo is a group of people wanting to expand their network into developing the gaming metaverse. The network will use community-driven applications and tools with the power of crypto technology.
If you’ve heard of the classic anime Akira, you might enjoy this anime NFT collection.
14. Everai Heroes
Everai is a metaverse brand of Heroes that look similar to Neon Genesis Evangelion, where they have over 7,777 unique avatars. Duo is their first hero in the Everai Universe.
Belonging to the House of Hansei, Duo has a strong sense of justice despite being cybernetically altered due to his grave injuries from an attack that killed his brother. His enhancements only strengthen his battle sense, analyzing whatever may come from any direction.
He vows to honor his brother’s sacrifice and continue to live on. On the other hand, the House of Hansei is a Shodai Order devoted to advancing life through science.
Duo is one of their greatest achievements in cybernetic technology. Reconstructed to survive hazardous environment, he has extraordinary combat abilities.
The team behind this Anime NFT aims to build a long-lasting metaverse brand for the people and with the people. Everai is based on the Ethereum blockchain. Exclusive access to Everai holders is given.
Aside from Evangelion, the Everai designs give off a Warframe aesthetic. It’s not surprising that these mechas are highly superior robots with cybernetic enhancement aiming for world order in an otherwise chaotic universe.
If you have Evangelion and Warframe, you’ll love this NFT collection.
15. MURI
Created by Haus, MURI is a collection of 10,000 anime-characterized NFTs with deep lore in Night City. Based on the Ethereum blockchain, MURI’s token can be used to purchase items like physical merchandise.
The team aims to build a robust and rich ecosystem centered around the metaverse. They also want to release anime content that revolves around the project.
Their roadmap also states that they have plans to release physical toys, including a MURI fashion line.
The Innovative Takeover
When 33 of your creators come from Microsoft, Netflix, Apple, Disney and Amazon, it’s no wonder that your project will take over a certain industry. That industry? It’s the NFT world. What NFT project? MURI.
MURI is not only here to rule over Web3 but to make its own space in the Web4 domain.
The NFT world witnessed MURI’s success quite early on. About seven days after launching, it pushed a daily volume of 9600 ETH, beating every spot on the leaderboard. Surprisingly, it even surpassed established market players like CryptoPunks, BoredApeYachtClub, CloneX, and Azuki. As critics around the world noted, this achievement was enough to prove the credibility of Fabrik’s latest ambitious project.
Special MURI
Now, you might ask, what makes MURI special?
Its group of developers and the community supporting it have a great passion for the project. There is a large hunger to deliver benefits that are bigger than ever. MURI supports people who have shown support from the start and treats them as family members.
The MURI team grew from 0 to 100 in only three months due to their community-driven strategy to create this NFT project. MURI’s core team produced ways to ensure its users get only the best rewards they can have. Giving back to people is MURI’s one main goal.
There is a market gap in innovation and quality in the current anime-based NFT domain. MURI developers used this opportunity to close that gap, coming up with an innovative idea to combine MURI users with Japanese culture.
The MURI team will develop their original anime and manga stories based on the MURI ecosystem.
MURI speaks innovation. In the NFT space, MURI is unlike any other you’ve seen. Built upon NFTs that features 10,000 anime-themed avatars, this project will excite NFT enthusiasts.
The Future of Anime NFT
Anime NFT stormed the world with its daring vision to revolutionize how anime is consumed and made. Through the blockchain’s protective ecosystem, anime and manga artists can work safely under the NFT infrastructure.
It even looks like anime NFTs aren’t stopping anytime soon. They’re here to stay because of their robust capabilities to make life easier for artists and content consumers.
With the diversity anime NFT projects and collections have, you’ll find something customized for your liking. Whether you’re a fan of old-school Japanese artwork or contemporary pop culture-designed art style, an NFT project is somewhere out there for you.
With big names such as Azuki and 0N1 Force, two distinct collections with unique art styles, you will find your favorite anime NFT in the market today.
The future is exciting for anime NFTs. We will see more development in this domain soon.
Final Thoughts
This is a list of 15 cool anime NFT collections. Some of these collections commemorate other well-respected and popular anime, such as Demon Slayer and Akira. With these NFT projects, there’s something to love and cater to a specific niche of anime fans.
For example, Azuki is one of the top tiers due to its high-quality art style and direction. If you’re into Evangelion, Everai seems to be a good option, too. If you’re into Akira, NeoTokyo Citizens is the way to go.
You’ll love these NFTs if you love anime in general.
