Chainsaw Man Tops 10B Yen & Gokurakuyu's 19-Store Madoka Tie-Up [Weekly Oshikatsu News: Jan 2, 2026]
Here is our roundup of notable corporate oshikatsu (fan support activities) marketing and fan business news from the week of December 26, 2025, through January 1, 2026.
This Week’s Highlights
The defining theme of the week was treating the New Year holidays not as a week to rest, but as a week to launch campaigns.
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc surpassed 10.01 billion yen in box office revenue and 6.558 million admissions in 103 days since its release. Kirin appointed Major League Baseball player Shohei Ohtani as its ambassador for promoting immune care, rolling out television commercials and outdoor advertisements nationwide starting on New Year’s Day. Meanwhile, both GU and ROPE’ PICNIC released intellectual property (IP) collaborations on January 1.
Another standout trend was the movement among companies that own physical spaces. Gokurakuyu and RAKU SPA announced a collaboration with Puella Magi Madoka Magica across 19 locations, while Yurakucho Marui rebuilt almost its entire eighth floor into an event floor. Two hotel operators turned guest rooms themselves into content. The center of gravity in oshikatsu was shifting from buying merchandise to spending time at a specific place.
Bathhouses, Commercial Facilities, and Hotels Turned Their Buildings into Fan Hangouts
Gokurakuyu and RAKU SPA x Madoka Magica — Mobilizing 19 Locations Simultaneously
The Gokurakuyu and RAKU SPA group announced it would hold a collaboration with Puella Magi Madoka Magica across 19 locations nationwide from January 8 to February 3, 2026. Spanning 15 prefectures from Aomori to Miyazaki, the venues announced they would offer five types of character-inspired collaboration baths. It was announced that visitors could purchase the “Plus Set,” including a muffler towel, for the standard admission fee plus 1,100 yen. The franchise’s newest film, Walpurgisnacht: Rising (Walpurgis no Kaiten), is scheduled for release in February 2026 (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).
Hot spring and bathhouse facilities are a business format with long stay times and multiple touchpoints across bathing, dining, and merchandise sales. Gokurakuyu timed this collaboration to take place one month before the theatrical release.
The Oshi Lab Note: When a company with locations nationwide handles an IP, “how many stores can we activate simultaneously” has a greater impact than how elaborately a single store is built out. Designing the entry point so that visitors only need to add 1,100 yen to their regular admission fee also makes it easy for regular customers to join in. Distributing a clear card for every 2,000 yen spent on merchandise is the exact design philosophy behind blind-pack random goods.
Yurakucho Marui — Dedicating an Entire Department Store Floor to Events
A feature report was published covering the eighth-floor event space at Yurakucho Marui, which was renovated in October 2025. Almost the entire floor consists of event facilities divided into six spaces of varying sizes. The largest, SPACE1, spans 195 tsubo (approx. 645 sq. meters or 6,940 sq. feet) and is equipped with three large LED monitors and high-performance speakers, while the smallest, SPACE6, covers 23 tsubo (approx. 76 sq. meters or 818 sq. feet). The floor has also already hosted fan meetings, handshake events, and public radio recordings (Cho! Animedia (in Japanese)).
Because the floor has six zones ranging from 23 to 195 tsubo, it can host everything from small-scale pop-up shops to large-scale exhibitions. The floor has transformed from a place that sells physical goods into a place that hosts live occasions.
The Oshi Lab Note: Oshikatsu is becoming a strong option for how commercial facilities can survive. Placing an Epos Card counter on the same floor is also a pragmatic design for connecting foot traffic directly to financial services revenue. For companies considering planning an oshikatsu event, this also expands the range of available venue options.
Two Hotel Operators — Turning the Guest Room Itself into Content
Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu announced it would hold a collaboration with My Hero Academia from January 15 to April 30, 2026. The hotel announced it would offer two types of concept rooms themed around “The Final Battle” and “U.A. High School Class 1-A,” alongside collaboration menus across three in-house restaurants (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)). Sunshine City Prince Hotel also announced it would sell two types of concept rooms for Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc from February 1 to May 2. Pricing starts at 21,000 yen per person based on double occupancy in a single room. The collaboration restaurant was announced to operate on a strict 120-minute turnover system (Cho! Animedia (in Japanese)).
Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu’s collaboration was designed as a destination for fans to visit after pop-up shops at venues like SHIBUYA109 Shibuya had ended. Rather than letting the experience end with short-term merchandise sales, it prepared the next place for fans to stay.
The Oshi Lab Note: Just as in collaboration cafe operations, operational design in hotel collaborations determines revenue just as much as world-building does. Turning tables over every 120 minutes is a practical solution for balancing seating turnover with the quality of the guest experience.
PARCO x Paprika, Tokyo Joypolis x Monster Strike — Reinterpreting Existing Assets
PARCO collaborated with director Satoshi Kon’s film Paprika. Timed to the “PARCO GRAND BAZAR” starting January 2, the company rolled out pop-up shops across four locations in Sapporo, Shibuya, Nagoya, and Shinsaibashi, featuring approximately 45 original merchandise items. Marking the 20th anniversary of its original release, the film was screened nationwide in a 4K remastered edition (Cho! Animedia (in Japanese)). Meanwhile, in its first collaboration with Monster Strike, Tokyo Joypolis added character voices to existing attractions and played in-house broadcasts at fixed times three times a day (Inside (in Japanese)).
Neither company built new physical facilities; instead, both drew crowds by combining an IP with existing seasonal sales or attractions.
The Oshi Lab Note: PARCO’s decision to replace the conventional premise that “a bargain sale draws crowds through price discounts” with a 20-year-old film is emblematic. For companies looking to refresh the appeal of their facilities without making massive capital investments, classic catalog IPs offer a compelling option.
Bathhouses & Department Stores
- Gokurakuyu & RAKU SPA announced a simultaneous collaboration at 19 locations across 15 prefectures with a 1,100-yen add-on set
- Yurakucho Marui converted its 8th floor into 6 event zones (23 to 195 tsubo) alongside an Epos Card counter
Hotels & Entertainment Venues
- Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu and Sunshine City Prince Hotel announced themed concept rooms; Sunshine City Prince Hotel also announced 120-minute restaurant sessions
- PARCO and Tokyo Joypolis paired existing seasonal sales and attractions with Paprika and Monster Strike
Source: The Oshi Lab's summary of the article
Everyday Character Apparel Launched on New Year’s Day
GU and ROPE’ PICNIC — Pitching Everyday Character Apparel on the First Shopping Day of the Year
GU released a collaboration with Sanrio Characters on January 1. Prices were set at 2,990 yen each for the Heavyweight Sweat Short Hoodie and Marshmallow Feel Full-Zip Hoodie, 3,990 yen for lounge sets, and 1,990 yen each for kids’ items. The product lineup centered on character dress-up (narikiri) roomwear (Inside (in Japanese)). ROPE’ PICNIC released all seven styles of its Hello Kitty collaboration on January 1 as stores opened, except at some locations where sales began on January 2. Under the theme “Hello New Me. Always Together with Hello Kitty,” prices ranged from a 1,320-yen towel handkerchief to a 5,995-yen jacquard knit (Cho! Animedia (in Japanese)).
On the first shopping day of the New Year, when people head out of the house, both companies launched character products for everyday use. Their price ranges were also kept within a bracket where non-fans could buy them simply because they look cute.
The Oshi Lab Note: The key point here is that ROPE’ PICNIC set “Hello New Me.” as its theme. Rather than making the character the main focus, the messaging aligns with the customer’s desire to turn over a new leaf in the New Year. For IP collaborations that adults can carry to work, success or failure hinges on how this wording is designed. It serves as a useful reference for creating an entry point that reaches beyond core fans—a fundamental principle of oshikatsu marketing.
CAPTAIN STAG x Laid-Back Camp — Securing Overlapping Customer Touchpoints First
Collaboration items between outdoor gear brand CAPTAIN STAG and Laid-Back Camp (Yuru Camp) were sold in advance on December 30 and 31 at Comic Market 107. The design features character Rin Shima astride the stag from the CAPTAIN STAG logo. Prices included zip hoodies at 8,800 yen each and T-shirts at 3,300 yen each. Advance sales were also held starting in late December at roadside stations (michi-no-eki) and campgrounds in Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures, where the series is set. General sales were announced to begin in early April 2026 (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).
This collaboration created sales opportunities both at a venue where fans gather and in the regions that remind fans of the series.
The Oshi Lab Note: For CAPTAIN STAG, whose brand began in 1976, this is also an opportunity to meet a new segment of the camping population. In cross-industry collaborations, the advantage goes to companies that first identify the places where their own customer base and the work’s fanbase overlap. The idea of placing products directly along anime pilgrimage (seichi junrei) routes can also be applied by manufacturers with bases in regional areas.
Over 20,000 Yen and a Six-Month Wait: Shifting Unit Prices Toward Durable Goods
Noritake x Natsume’s Book of Friends, Fumo Collection x Nijisanji
Pre-orders opened at 21,780 yen for a collaboration cup and saucer set between Western tableware maker Noritake and Natsume’s Book of Friends (Natsume Yuujinchou). Made of bone china, the product is made-to-order with sequential shipping scheduled to begin in early June 2026 (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)). Similarly, Fumo Collection (Fumo Colle), an original brand from a gaming device specialty store, accepted pre-orders until December 29 for collaboration keyboards featuring six Nijisanji talents at a base price of 31,980 yen, with shipping scheduled around August 2026. Three of the models utilized a newly developed 75% Japanese-layout keyboard supporting rapid trigger technology (Inside (in Japanese)).
Both products carried conditions of costing over 20,000 yen and requiring a wait of roughly half a year. Rather than selling items cheaply and quickly, both companies chose to craft a single item that can be used for a long time.
The Oshi Lab Note: When a tool bought because of one’s oshi (favorite talent or character) continues to be used every day, the total contact time becomes overwhelmingly long. For companies looking to extend both unit price and product lifespan at the same time, the deciding factor is whether they can leverage their own technical strengths to create an IP product that fans genuinely want. Time-honored craftsmanship like bone china and gold trim serves directly as proof of how seriously the maker takes the project.
Bandai’s “Great Tamagotchi Exhibition” — Maximizing an Anniversary Through Tours and Repeat Visits
Bandai’s “Great Tamagotchi Exhibition” (Dai Tamagotchi Ten) was announced to run at the Roppongi Museum from January 7 to February 2, 2026, with plans announced to tour Nagoya PARCO, Keisei Department Store, and Daimaru Umeda afterward. Collaboration figures with BE@RBRICK were priced at 7,150 yen and 19,800 yen, alongside 49 varieties of limited-edition postcards. Originally released in 1996, Tamagotchi surpassed 100 million cumulative units shipped in July 2025 (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).
What stands out here is how the acrylic card visitor bonuses were announced as seven designs for the first half of the exhibition period and seven designs for the second half.
The Oshi Lab Note: Bandai created a reason for visitors not to stop at a single trip, but to visit a second time during the exhibition run. As a way to keep an anniversary initiative from ending as a one-off commemorative event, this is a design that other companies can adopt directly.
Extending 10 Billion Yen of Box Office Momentum into the Next Wave Over Just Two Weeks
Chainsaw Man – The Movie — Concentrating a Sequel Announcement, Kohaku, and a Shibuya Takeover into Two Weeks
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc topped 6.558 million admissions and 10.01 billion yen in box office revenue across the 103 days of its theatrical run through December 30. On December 21, production of a sequel, Chainsaw Man: Assassins Arc (Shikaku-hen), was announced at Jump Festa 2026. On December 31, Kenshi Yonezu performed the theme song “IRIS OUT” live for the first time on the 76th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen (NHK’s landmark New Year’s Eve music broadcast). It was also announced that Shibuya Center-Gai would display Kenshi Yonezu flags and play “IRIS OUT” and “JANE DOE” as background music through January 6 (Animate Times (in Japanese)).
More than the 10 billion yen figure itself, what catches the eye is the rapid sequence of moves that followed. The sequel announcement, the debut performance on Kohaku, and the Shibuya street takeover were all concentrated within roughly two weeks over the New Year holidays.
The Oshi Lab Note: Rather than letting a hit end as a one-time achievement, the production side connected that momentum directly to the next wave of anticipation while public interest was still high. For companies holding major content IP, this case demonstrates that the moment immediately following a success is the most critical time to invest.
- Sequel Announced at Jump Festa 2026Production of Chainsaw Man: Assassins Arc (Shikaku-hen) officially unveiled
- Reze Arc Surpasses 10.01 Billion YenReaches 6.558 million admissions on day 103 of its theatrical run
- First Live Performance on 76th NHK KohakuKenshi Yonezu performs the theme song "IRIS OUT" on New Year's Eve
- Shibuya Center-Gai Flag and BGM TakeoverDisplays Kenshi Yonezu flags and plays "IRIS OUT" and "JANE DOE" along the street
Source: The Oshi Lab's summary of the article
Thinking About Ambassador Casting That Reaches Beyond the Talent’s Own Fans
Kirin x Shohei Ohtani — The Target Audience Is Not His Personal Fanbase
Kirin Holdings appointed Shohei Ohtani as the immune care promotion ambassador for its “Kirin iMUSE Immune Care Supplement” series. Television commercials began airing on January 1, accompanied by a sequential rollout of outdoor advertisements, including displays at the Hachiko Square Center Sheet in Shibuya from January 2 to January 15. The target audience is mothers in their 30s to 50s who support their families’ health. The advertisements depicted how becoming a father prompted Ohtani to value his family’s health and his own even more deeply (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).
While casting an athlete, Kirin placed its appeal on mothers rather than on Ohtani’s personal sports fanbase. Instead of focusing on athletic strength or records, the ads centered on the life change of becoming a father.
The Oshi Lab Note: Initiatives that borrow the power of an oshi easily fall into the mindset of “selling to the fans.” Kirin expanded the reach of its appeal to people who empathize with a change in the talent’s life stage. For companies looking to improve the return on investment of ambassador casting, this mindset can be applied directly.
Tokyu Agency’s “Gen Alpha” Analysis — A Generation Uninterested in Social Media Flash Takes Center Stage
Tokyu Agency published an analysis of “Generation Alpha,” defined as those born between roughly 2010 and 2024. The agency pointed out that Gen Alpha has a flat, non-hierarchical relationship with their parents’ generation, and that children’s opinions are easily reflected in household purchasing decisions for dining out and entertainment. Information discovery has diversified across in-app social media search, image search, short-form video, and conversations with AI. The term Insta-bae (looking flashy for Instagram) was becoming obsolete, and the agency noted that Gen Alpha no longer cares about the number of likes a post receives (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).
Oshikatsu is shifting from something done to show off to others toward something done for personal fulfillment. What companies need to prepare is not photogenic gimmicks, but experiences that genuinely satisfy the participants themselves.
The Oshi Lab Note: If children’s opinions drive household spending, companies need to reconsider who they are actually trying to persuade in family-oriented campaigns. For context on the cohort just above them, see our analysis of Gen Z consumer behavior.
Performer Contracts and Rights Clearance Have Become Core Management Issues in Fan Business
ANYCOLOR — Restoring Music Content After One Year and Four Months
ANYCOLOR announced that it would sequentially restore previously privatized Nijisanji music content across its YouTube channels starting January 6, 2026. The situation originated from an accusation made on September 1, 2024, alleging that an external freelance musician involved in providing songs and mixing had secretly photographed the physical appearances of affiliated VTubers without permission and sent the images to third parties along with defamatory messages. The company had been pursuing legal action in cooperation with law firms and the police, and stated that multiple requests for sender information disclosure had been granted (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).
ANYCOLOR had to balance the judgment that the creative content itself was not at fault with careful consideration for the victims. It could not have been an easy decision.
The Oshi Lab Note: For any company that produces work in partnership with external creators, preparing for incidents like this is not someone else’s problem. Beyond allocating risk in contracts, companies need to establish clear criteria for suspending publication and procedures for restoring content ahead of time. The more a business relies on fan-made derivative works (nijisousaku) or external commissioning, the more upfront institutional design matters.
2025 VTuber Graduation Roundup — “Differences in Direction with Management” Repeatedly Cited
Mogura VR compiled a summary of VTubers who graduated or ended their activities in 2025. On May 1, Gawr Gura of hololive English—who once boasted the highest YouTube subscriber count of any VTuber in the world—graduated. Murasaki Shion, who had been active for approximately seven years, graduated on April 26, and Nanashi Mumei graduated on April 28. Among the stated reasons for graduation, “differences in direction with management” appeared repeatedly (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).
The fact that top-tier performers are leaving for the exact same reason points to a structural challenge across the industry.
The Oshi Lab Note: Because fans attach themselves to the individual person, a departure directly fractures the community. For companies that build businesses around talent, aligning on contracts and creative direction is a management issue just as critical as recruitment and training. For more on how fans process these departures, see our article on graduations (sotsugyou).
ChumuNote — A Performer Establishes an Agency and Co-Produces a Show with a Non-Entertainment Firm
On December 25, VTuber ChumuNote announced on X the establishment of a new music VTuber agency led by ChumuNote as representative, alongside the launch of a 3D music program titled ChumuSute!. It was announced that production would be carried out jointly with Remedy & Company, with whom ChumuNote signed a management contract in October 2024. Remedy & Company is a firm engaged in pharmaceutical development support and virtual animal therapy utilizing mixed reality (MR) (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: The fact that the partner is a medical technology company is telling. Partnerships like this are becoming a realistic route for companies outside the entertainment sector to enter the fandom market using their capital and technology.
Tipping Changes How a Stream Unfolds: Technologies That Turn Fan Spending into Experience
Viewer-Intervention Streaming System “THIRD” — Payment Becomes Part of the Work
On December 26, UNCHAIN held a collaboration stream with VTuber Mikeneko. using its viewer-intervention streaming system, “THIRD.” Through gifting, viewers can choose whether to help the streamer or plunge them into terror. Available actions include support options like slowing down a ghost’s movement speed, or sabotage options like sending in a ghost bearing the viewer’s own name. The names of viewers who intervened were displayed directly on the game screen (Inside (in Japanese)).
In THIRD, tipping acts not as passive “cheering,” but as direct “intervention.” Being able to choose sabotage as well as support was a novel twist.
The Oshi Lab Note: Because a viewer’s name appears on screen according to the amount spent, the payment itself becomes part of the creative work. For operators who feel that standard Super Chats (supacha) have hit a plateau, there is much to learn from this design as a way to connect money and content directly.
VTuber-Specialized Crowdfunding Platform “V-Sai” — 2.2 Million Yen Goal Reached in About 27 Hours
On “V-Sai,” a VTuber-specialized crowdfunding platform operated by Digital Gear, a 3D model production project for apprentice Vsinger “Sakura Rina” achieved its 2.2 million yen target in approximately 27 hours from launch. Launching at 7:00 PM on November 25, it reached the goal around 9:30 PM on November 26, and also cleared its stretch goal for producing a second original song and music video. The project was announced to run until January 26, 2026. Sakura Rina had over 10,000 YouTube subscribers, and V-Sai itself launched as a service in July 2025 (PR TIMES (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: With a subscriber base on the scale of 10,000 people, 2.2 million yen was raised in a single day. This fact shows that the condition for raising funds lies not in the sheer headcount of fans, but in the intensity of each individual’s support. It is a mechanism for sharing the cost of 3D model production—something that takes both time and money to build—with fans in advance. Designing production cost recovery so that it does not rely on post-release recoupment can also be applied by companies incubating new IPs.
Smart Glasses “Even G2” — Choosing Not to Include a Camera
Even Realities launched the “Even Hub Pilot Program” for developers working with its “Even G2” smart glasses. Pursuing a lightweight design close to ordinary eyeglasses, the device is characterized by omitting both a camera and speakers to specialize purely in displaying visual information. It supports Bluetooth 5.4 and features IP65 dust and water resistance; the manufacturer states a battery life of two days of typical use (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).
The anxiety that one might be secretly recorded has been the biggest reason smart glasses have not caught on in public spaces. This product stripped out the camera function entirely and narrowed its focus strictly to visual display.
The Oshi Lab Note: When considering use at live concert venues and fan events, this deliberate trade-off is realistic. Companies handling hardware devices in spaces where fans gather need to design for the peace of mind of surrounding people before optimizing for raw specs.
This Week’s Takeaways
The New Year holidays are often assumed to be a week when businesses stand still, but this week’s news showed the exact opposite. Precisely when people are taking time off is when free time and disposable income become concentrated. It is no coincidence that GU and ROPE’ PICNIC both launched collaborations on New Year’s Day, Kirin began airing commercials on January 1, and PARCO kicked off its bazaar on January 2.
Another clear trend was the shift in the center of oshikatsu from “buying” to “spending time.” Gokurakuyu’s 19 locations, Yurakucho Marui’s 195-tsubo zone, and the guest rooms at two hotels are all designed on the premise that fans will stay there for a long duration. The longer the stay, the more opportunities arise for bathing, dining, and merchandise to serve as touchpoints.
At the same time, ANYCOLOR’s response to rights infringements and the continuing string of VTuber graduations remind us that what ultimately sustains the fan business is human relationships and contracts. Companies need to invest just as much in mechanisms that protect fan trust as they do in creative ideas that heighten fan interest. Only when both are in place can a relationship with a fandom endure over the long term.
For readers thinking about how companies can build systems that earn fan devotion, take a look at this week’s developments alongside our guides to the design principles of oshikatsu marketing and the market size of oshikatsu.
Weekly Oshikatsu News brings you a weekly roundup of the intersection between fandom and business. You can browse past issues in the Oshikatsu x News category.
