Threads Tops 350M Monthly Users & Demon Slayer Taxis Hit Tokyo [Weekly Oshikatsu News: July 11, 2025]

Here is our roundup of standout corporate oshikatsu (fan support activities) marketing and fan business news from the week of July 4 to July 10, 2025.

This Week’s Highlights

This was a week in which the touchpoints for oshikatsu expanded right into the flow of everyday life.

Meta’s Threads marked its second anniversary, with monthly active users surpassing 350 million. Threads has been making it easier for fans to interact with one another through spoiler-prevention tools and direct messaging (DM) features. Meanwhile, ADK Marketing Solutions and BrainPad introduced “Co-Creation Labo” (Kyoso Labo), an initiative that uses AI to visualize the intuitive “gut feelings” behind intellectual property (IP) business decisions.

On the ground, the focus of brand collaborations expanded beyond physical goods into mobility and live experiences. In a partnership between Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and the taxi-hailing app S.RIDE, eight character-wrapped taxis took to the streets of Tokyo. And following an immediate sellout after its June 13 release, the “Chiikawa x Sanrio Characters” merchandise line switched to made-to-order sales.

Furthermore, Hotel Mikazuki announced that it would host an extended reality (XR) event, while the city of Yokosuka rolled out augmented reality (AR) technology allowing users to virtually try on sukajan (souvenir jackets). ENHYPEN also announced virtual reality (VR) concert screenings in movie theaters across roughly 40 cities worldwide, including four locations in Japan. Across hotels, local governments, and the music industry, the adoption of XR technology was expanding simultaneously.

DIAGRAMKey Figures from This Week's Fandom Business News

350M+: Monthly active users on Meta's Threads as of March 2025
Nearly 50%: Share of views on Threads accounted for by views of replies
8 taxis: Demon Slayer wrapped S.RIDE vehicles operating in Tokyo
About 40 cities: Planned global theater locations for ENHYPEN's 12K VR concert tour

Source: The Oshi Lab's summary of the article

Threads — Supporting “Oshikatsu” Communities with Spoiler Protection and DM Features

Meta’s social networking service Threads has been charting its own distinct growth path separate from Instagram. After surpassing 100 million accounts within five days of its launch in 2023, the platform exceeded 350 million monthly active users as of March 2025. Meta has built its feature development around three core pillars: personalization, community, and creators. It also strengthened a spoiler-prevention feature that blurs text and images, alongside messaging functionality that allows users to send DMs. User interaction in the entertainment space is thriving on Threads, drawing attention to the platform as a hub for oshikatsu communities. More than one-third of Threads users follow a different set of accounts than they do on Instagram, and, according to Meta, views of replies account for nearly half of all views on the platform (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: The statistic that “views of replies account for nearly half of all views” shows that Threads is less a place for passively consuming content and more a space for having conversations. When companies with fan communities plan their social media operations, designing posts that spark back-and-forth exchanges among fans may prove more effective than focusing solely on polished standalone posts. We recommend reading this alongside our guide to the fundamentals of fan marketing.

ADK Marketing Solutions x BrainPad — Using AI to Make “Intuition” Reproducible in the IP Business

ADK Marketing Solutions and BrainPad have been rolling out an initiative called “Co-Creation Labo” (Kyoso Labo). The effort uses AI and data to visualize and analyze decision-making in the IP (intellectual property) business, an area that tends to rely heavily on individual intuition. Representatives from both companies took the stage at the “Sendenkaigi Marketing Summit 2025” on June 12 to introduce two ongoing projects. The first is an “Ethics Check AI Agent” that automatically detects religious and cultural risks in advertisements and video content. The second is “Emogra,” a persona-generation tool that combines accumulated data with AI technology to sketch detailed customer profiles. BrainPad pointed out that while roughly 80% of Japanese companies are working on digital transformation (DX), their actual utilization of data and AI lags behind other countries (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Challenges such as being unable to pinpoint why a movie’s box office revenue fell short of its target are common across many companies working in the IP business. Moving fan understanding from “gut instinct” to “data” is an approach that can be applied not only by major IP holders, but also by any company that nurtures its own fan community.

Ongoing Collaborations with Music Artists Built Memorable Experiences

Shiseido x Sheena Ringo — Releasing a Campaign Song for a Beauty Serum as a Music Video

On July 9, Shiseido launched “Stress Liberation Zone” (ストレス解放区), a collaboration campaign pairing the SHISEIDO brand’s “Ultimune” beauty serum with musician Sheena Ringo. A music video for the newly written campaign song, Jikkenchu (“Experiment in Progress”), was released on Sheena Ringo’s official YouTube channel. The performance scenes also featured members of her live backing band, including Shun Ishiwaka, Keisuke Torigoe, and Yukio Nagoshi. Shiseido had previously collaborated with Sheena on a lip product last year and supported her arena concert tour, “(Nama) Ringo Haku ‘24: Keiki no Kaifuku” (Live Ringo Expo ‘24: Economic Recovery). This latest collaboration came to fruition in response to the strong reception of that earlier partnership. Starting July 10, a related event featuring photo spots and interactive game corners was also held at Roppongi Hills Cafe/Space (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: What stands out here is that the video was released not as a standard product promotional clip, but as an official music video under the artist’s own name. Because the brand built up its relationship step by step—from last year’s lip product collaboration to supporting her live tour—it has earned a level of trust from fans that is difficult to achieve through a one-off tie-up. It is precisely because of this ongoing partnership that Shiseido was able to feature her for a high-ticket item like a beauty serum.

A Week When Dining and Snacks Brightened Storefronts with Limited-Time Collaborations

MOS Burger x Haikyu!!, Calbee x Chiikawa — Summer-Only Campaigns from Restaurants and Snack Makers

MOS Burger announced the limited-quantity release of a summer lucky bag (fukubukuro), the “Summer Lucky Bag,” in collaboration with the anime Haikyu!!. Each bag includes 5,000 yen worth of meal vouchers (ten 500-yen tickets). The chain also announced plans to install life-sized character standees at four locations in Tokyo and four locations in Sendai, and to introduce collaborative order-number signs at a total of 16 stores—four in Tokyo and all 12 locations in Sendai. The campaign runs from July 3 through early September 2025 (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)). Meanwhile, Calbee announced the first-ever collaboration between its “Jagarico Hosoi Yatsu Salad” (Thin Jagarico Salad flavor) snack and Chiikawa. Featuring six cup designs and 12 lid designs, the limited-quantity release is slated to go on sale from mid-July exclusively at convenience stores nationwide and official Chiikawa Land stores (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Including cash-equivalent perks like meal vouchers inside a lucky bag is a clever mechanism for guiding customers who buy the bag for the collaborative merchandise into returning for regular dining visits. In contrast to Jagarico’s method of simply swapping out package designs, MOS Burger’s approach offers a useful example of embedding direct monetary value into a broader store experience.

YEBISU Beer x Hirohiko Araki, Umaibo x Evangelion — Anniversary Tie-Ups in Alcohol and Snacks

Sapporo Breweries announced that it would release a second wave of collaborative YEBISU Beer cans featuring original illustrations by manga artist Hirohiko Araki on September 17, 2025. The first wave, released in February of this year, was well received for its modern reinterpretation of Meiji-era bijinga (portraits of beautiful women) posters. The theme for the second wave is bijinga in Western attire. It was also announced that the collaborative event held in Tokyo from February to May has been slated for a new run in Osaka (ORICON NEWS (in Japanese)). Meanwhile, Movic announced the release of Evangelion 30th-anniversary merchandise along with the “Evangelion 30th Anniversary Fair” at Animate stores nationwide starting July 26. The lineup includes a collaboration with Japan’s beloved national corn puff snack Umaibo, titled “Shin Evangelion Umaibo” (a pack of 30 sticks priced at 1,512 yen) (Cho! Animedia (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: With YEBISU highlighting a “second wave” and Evangelion celebrating its “30th anniversary,” both initiatives emphasize cumulative milestones rather than isolated one-off events. Single-shot collaborations tend to generate only fleeting buzz, whereas framing campaigns around numbered installments or anniversaries helps cultivate fans who actively look forward to what comes next.

Apparel Retailers Welcomed Fan-Driven Characters to Store Shelves

BEAMS x Hypnosis Mic — “MANGART” Rolls Out Made-to-Order Limited Sweatshirt Sets

The movie Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- and the “MANGART BEAMS” label teamed up for a strictly made-to-order release on the official BEAMS online shop. The featured products are matching sweatshirt and sweatpants setups designed with collegiate-style fonts representing each of the franchise’s six regional Divisions. Both the tops and bottoms were priced at 13,200 yen each (tax included), with the order window running from 11:00 a.m. on July 1 to 11:59 p.m. on July 27, 2025 (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Restricting sales entirely to made-to-order production is a structural choice that prevents excess inventory caused by misjudging initial stock volumes. The higher an item’s unit price—such as 13,200 yen per piece—the more effective made-to-order production becomes at keeping inventory risk under control by confirming demand before manufacturing.

Avail x Colorful Peach — UUUM Gaming Creator Group Lands on Apparel Store Shelves

The apparel chain Avail announced the release of merchandise featuring Colorful Peach (Karapichi), a popular gaming commentary group affiliated with creator agency UUUM. Sales were set to begin at Avail stores nationwide on July 5, with online sales opening at 12:00 p.m. the same day. Centered on group designs featuring all 11 members, the product lineup includes T-shirts, tote bags, necklaces, and earrings. For all items other than T-shirts, purchases were limited to one item per product name per person (Inside (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Merchandise at mass-market apparel retailers now extends beyond traditional anime IPs to include YouTube gaming groups. Setting a purchase limit of one item per product per person serves as an anti-resale measure while also helping ensure that merchandise reaches as many genuine fans as possible.

Crossovers Between Long-Running IPs Uncovered Collector Demand

Yu-Gi-Oh! x Sanrio Characters — Early Sales Launch with “Dark Magician x Hello Kitty”

Collaborative merchandise pairing Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters with Sanrio Characters went on early sale at the KAIBA CORPORATION STORE and Sanrio Anime Store ONLINE through July 6. The designs cross iconic monsters with Sanrio characters, such as “Dark Magician x Hello Kitty” and “Blue-Eyes White Dragon x Cinnamoroll.” Prices were set at 660 yen for acrylic keychains and 2,035 yen for mugs, with general retail and online sales scheduled to begin on August 8 (Inside (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: By crossing a 1990s trading card game phenomenon with Sanrio characters beloved across generations, this tie-up creates an overlap between two distinct customer demographics: the Yu-Gi-Oh! generation and the Sanrio generation. Staggering the schedule between early sales and general release is another smart tactic that creates multiple purchasing opportunities.

Chiikawa x Sanrio Characters — Switching All 21 Items to Made-to-Order After an Instant Sellout

Sanrio implemented made-to-order sales for the entire product lineup of its “Chiikawa x Sanrio Characters” series, which had sold out immediately upon its June 13 release. Orders were accepted exclusively through the main Sanrio Online Shop from 12:00 p.m. on July 10 to 12:00 p.m. on July 18. All 21 items featuring paired character designs—such as “Chiikawa & Hello Kitty” and “Hachiware & Cinnamoroll”—were included in the made-to-order run (Inside (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Sanrio’s decision to pivot to made-to-order production after an immediate sellout effectively treats the initial release as a real-world demand survey. Rather than letting a campaign end with “sold out” notices, reflecting verified demand directly in subsequent production numbers avoids both lost sales opportunities and excess inventory. It is also a helpful case study when thinking about how blind-box and random merchandise strategies are designed.

DIAGRAMProduct vs. Experiential Collaboration Designs This Week

Merchandise & Retail Models

BEAMS x Hypnosis Mic uses strictly made-to-order sales for 13,200-yen items to prevent excess stock
Chiikawa x Sanrio switches all 21 items to made-to-order after an instant initial sellout
Avail x Colorful Peach sets a 1-item-per-person limit (excluding T-shirts) to curb resale
Yu-Gi-Oh! x Sanrio staggers early online sales and August general retail launches

Mobility, Local & XR Experiences

S.RIDE x Demon Slayer turns 8 Tokyo taxis into wrapped ad spaces with backseat voice-actor commercials
Golden Kamuy pairs Aomori Nebuta Matsuri pop-ups with local staple bread Igirisu Toast
ENHYPEN plans 12K VR concert screenings with hand-recognition interactions in theaters across ~40 cities
Hotel Mikazuki plans Meta Quest 3 MR games while Yokosuka City offers AR sukajan try-ons

Source: The Oshi Lab's summary of the article

Taxis and Regional Festivals Transformed into Stages for Oshikatsu

S.RIDE x Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — Eight Wrapped Taxis Hit the Streets Playing Voice Actor Commercials

To celebrate the theatrical release of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle – Part 1: Akaza Returns (Gekijoban “Kimetsu no Yaiba” Mugenjo-hen Dai-issho: Akaza Sairai), a collaboration with the taxi-hailing app S.RIDE launched on July 8. Eight wrapped taxis featuring designs of Tanjiro Kamado and the Hashira—eight characters in total—operated across Tokyo’s 23 wards as well as the Musashino and Mitaka areas. Users could check the real-time locations of the vehicles via character icons inside the app and hail them directly. Meanwhile, digital signage mounted on the backseats screened exclusive commercials featuring Natsuki Hanae and three other voice actors from the cast (GAME Watch (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: This case study turns the exterior of everyday urban infrastructure—a taxi—into a limited-time advertising canvas. By screening voice actor commercials during the passive downtime of a cab ride, the campaign transforms the act of commuting itself into a piece of fan-oriented content.

Aomori Nebuta Matsuri x Golden Kamuy — Collaborating with Long-Selling Local Pastry “Igirisu Toast”

A collaboration was announced between Golden Kamuy and the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri, the famous summer festival held from August 2 to August 7. This marks the franchise’s third tie-up with a traditional Japanese summer festival. In the newly revealed illustration, the characters are dressed as haneto (traditional festival dancers). It was also announced that a pop-up shop will open at the Aomori Prefectural Tourist Center ASPAM starting August 2, alongside a collaborative edition of Aomori’s beloved long-selling bakery item “Igirisu Toast” (English Toast) going on sale July 29 (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: This campaign aligns the timing of both event merchandise and commercial food tie-ups with a limited-time regional festival. What is especially clever is that even fans who cannot travel to Aomori in person are given something they can buy only during this window, in the form of a classic local food product.

Technology Brought Distant Concerts and Regional Attractions Right Before Fans’ Eyes

ENHYPEN — Announcing a 12K VR Concert in Movie Theaters Across Roughly 40 Cities Worldwide, Including 4 Locations in Japan

ENHYPEN announced its first VR concert tour, “ENHYPEN VR CONCERT: IMMERSION.” Screenings were scheduled to begin on August 8 in movie theaters across roughly 40 cities worldwide, including four locations in Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Aichi, and Fukuoka). Built around ultra-high-definition 12K video and 7.1-channel surround sound to heighten immersion, the experience also incorporated interactive features in which the VR headset recognizes the viewer’s hand movements—allowing fans to wave virtual lightsticks and interact with the show. Organizer HYBE JAPAN had previously achieved a 99.5% satisfaction rating for its 2024 VR concert featuring TOMORROW X TOGETHER. Tickets were priced at 4,400 yen for all reserved seats (and 5,000 yen exclusively at 109 Cinemas Premium Shinjuku) (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: By using movie theaters—which already have nationwide distribution networks—as concert venues, this format overcomes the seating capacity constraints of physical arena shows. At 4,400 yen per ticket, it is far more accessible than an in-person concert that requires travel and lodging expenses, making it easy for fans in regional areas to attend as well.

holo Indie — hololive Turns Fan-Made Derivative Games into an Official Brand

Cover Corporation, which operates the VTuber agency hololive production, has been expanding its derivative fan-game brand “holo Indie.” Since launching in November 2023, roughly 30 titles had been released as of July 2025, including games that have surpassed 5,000 user reviews on Steam. Day-to-day operations are handled by group company CCMC Corp. By joining the “Game Creator Support Program,” independent creators can earn revenue from their works. Historically, unofficial fan-made derivative games were difficult to monetize, making it hard for creators to sustain their development activities over time; holo Indie was established specifically to solve that challenge (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Cover has made monetization—long a hurdle for unofficial fan games—possible by bringing creators under an official brand umbrella. Reaching roughly 30 released titles is clear evidence that folding fan creativity into an official framework, rather than restricting it, is working well. We believe this is a philosophy that other IP holders can also apply.

Hotel Mikazuki x XR, Yokosuka City x AR — Hospitality and Local Placemaking Also Embrace XR

Hotel Mikazuki announced that it would host a limited-time XR event titled “Future x Sengoku Fes” (Mirai x Sengoku Fes) at its “Omatsuri Land” facility from July 19 to August 31. The event was set to offer two mixed reality (MR) shooting games powered by Meta Quest 3 headsets (Mogura VR (in Japanese)). Meanwhile, as part of its “Metaverse Yokosuka” project, the city of Yokosuka launched an AR initiative that lets users virtually try on sukajan (embroidered souvenir jackets) through the mobile app “flah.” Cumulative downloads of the city’s 3D sukajan data have already exceeded 50,000 (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Three very different sectors—live music, hospitality, and municipal government—announced or rolled out XR initiatives in the very same week. What they share is a common goal: delivering a piece of an on-site experience even to people who live far away or cannot visit in person. We can see how declining hardware costs are making it easier to introduce XR even for single-run seasonal events.

This Week’s Takeaways

This was a week in which collaborations expanded from physical goods into things that move and places people visit.

Wrapped taxi bodies, hotel XR events, and municipal AR virtual try-ons—unlike traditional merchandise sales, every one of these turns the experience itself into the product. At the same time, as seen in the instant sellout and made-to-order pivot for Chiikawa x Sanrio and the early sales for Yu-Gi-Oh! x Sanrio, the popularity of physical product collaborations remains as strong as ever. A mindset that deliberately balances both experiential and merchandise-driven designs will likely be essential for collaboration strategies going forward.

The scale of Threads surpassing 350 million monthly active users also demonstrates that the spaces where fans gather are expanding across social media platforms themselves. Which channels are your company’s fans gathering on, and with what level of enthusiasm? Reading this week’s developments alongside our guide to the design principles of oshikatsu marketing will help you evaluate that question.

Weekly Oshikatsu News brings you a curated summary of every week in oshikatsu and business. You can browse past issues in our Oshikatsu x News category.