Roblox Hits 97.8M Daily Users & Arashi's 13-Brand Ad Returns to Spotlight | Weekly News (May 9, 2025)

Here is our roundup of notable fan marketing (oshikatsu marketing, built around fans supporting their favorite idols, characters, or creators) and fan business news from the week of May 2 to May 8, 2025.

This Week’s Highlights

This week saw a continuing trend of companies stepping into spaces where people are already gathered.

In its Q1 2025 financial results, Roblox announced that its average daily active users (DAU) reached 97.8 million, up 26% year-over-year. Against the backdrop of this expanding scale, speakers at GDC 2025 shared how NASCAR and Sanrio are achieving results by bringing experiences directly onto Roblox rather than building their own standalone spaces from scratch. Meanwhile, at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, more than 130 regional VTubers participated in the “Sora no Ue Shopping Mall” virtual shopping complex, using the existing venue of the Expo to broadcast their messages.

The same structural approach was visible in physical and traditional media spaces as well. Following the May 6 announcement that the idol group Arashi would resume activities, a joint television commercial aired by 13 companies back in 2020 returned to the spotlight. Spotify aligned the streaming release date of KinKi Kids’ catalog with an existing fan anniversary known as “the day KinKi Kids met.” And the theatrical film Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback (Meitantei Conan: Sekigan no Flashback) surpassed 10.4 billion yen in box office revenue within 19 days of its release.

97.8M

Roblox average daily active users (DAU) in Q1 2025, up 26% year-over-year

470M

Cumulative visits to Sanrio's My Hello Kitty Cafe on Roblox, with a 96% rating

130+

Regional VTubers participating in Sora no Ue Shopping Mall at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai

10.4B yen

Box office revenue for Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback in its first 19 days

Source: The Oshi Lab's summary of the article

Major Companies Stepped Onto Roblox’s Massive Foundation One After Another

NASCAR and Sanrio — Ongoing Touchpoints Built on Roblox

At GDC 2025 held in March 2025, a panel discussion took place titled “The Gaming Industry’s Biggest Secret: How to Make Hit Games Using Roblox.” Nick Rend, Vice President of Interactive at NASCAR, explained the background of his company’s entry into the platform. According to Rend, NASCAR first entered Roblox in 2021 through a collaboration with the popular game Jailbreak, and then launched its own original tycoon game in 2024. After that, the organization partnered with the development studio Voldex to roll out a dedicated “NASCAR World” area inside the racing game Driving Empire. Jill Koch, Senior Vice President at Sanrio’s US subsidiary, revealed that My Hello Kitty Cafe, launched in 2022, has reached 470 million cumulative visits and a 96% approval rating. Both companies also stated that they prioritized discovery through community-driven word of mouth over paid advertising (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: Both companies entered the platform without claiming to have all the answers from the start, adapting their formats as they observed user reactions. Sanrio noted that it learned “we need to provide fresh content inside the cafe almost every week.” On fan platforms, update frequency has a greater impact on outcomes than the size of the initial investment. This serves as a useful reference for companies considering design principles for oshikatsu marketing.

Roblox Financial Results — Reaching 97.8 Million Average Daily Users

According to the Q1 2025 financial results announced by Roblox, revenue rose 29% year-over-year to $1,035.2 million (approximately 151.1 billion yen). Average daily active users (DAU) reached 97.8 million, up 26% year-over-year. Bookings, which indicate user spending on the platform, grew 31% year-over-year to $1,206.7 million (approximately 176.2 billion yen). Monthly unique payers reached 20.2 million, an increase of 29% over the same period last year. Earnings acquired by creators during the first quarter reached an all-time high of $281.6 million (approximately 41.1 billion yen). Roblox also reported that more than 100 developers earned over $1 million during the past 12 months (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: Creator earnings continue to set new all-time highs. On Roblox, the more the platform grows its user base, the lower the relative cost becomes for a company to create fan touchpoints. Roblox’s scale is steadily approaching a level where using an already growing foundation makes more practical sense than building a fan experience from scratch on a company’s own website.

Desires for Virtual Spaces and Regional VTubers Intersected at the Expo

Hakuhodo Survey — An Average of 61.7% of Metaverse Users Answered “Applies to Me” Across 12 Types of Desires

The Hakuhodo Institute of Action Design, jointly with HAKUHODO-XR and the Graduate School of Keio University, conducted a “Survey on Information Behavior and Desires of People with Metaverse Experience.” Conducted in November 2024, the survey covered 2,000 men and women aged 15 to 69 who owned a smartphone, among whom 99 had experience using the metaverse. Across 12 defined categories of desires, an average of 61.7% of respondents with metaverse experience answered that those desires “apply to me,” far exceeding the overall survey average of 28.8%. At the same time, the survey found a strong preference for physical, real-world experiences in areas where a sense of immersion is crucial, such as sightseeing, theme parks, and fashion (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).

Sora no Ue Shopping Mall — A Virtual Mall with Over 130 Regional VTubers Serving as Cheering Ambassadors Exhibits at the Expo

Benelic Digital Entertainment operates the metaverse commercial facility “Sora no Ue Shopping Mall” (literally “Shopping Mall Above the Sky”). The facility exhibited at the “Cool Japan Showcase / Anime Manga Tourism Festival,” held at EXPO Messe “WASSE” at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai. Bringing together more than 200 shops, the facility featured the participation of over 130 regional VTubers (gotouchi VTubers) from across Japan. The VTubers produced videos introducing anime pilgrimage sites and tourist spots in their respective regions. In the VRChat version of the mall, this initiative was also rolled out as Building No. 3, the “47 Prefectures Local Pavilion” (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).

Establishment of VCEA — A New Industry Association for the Virtual Character Sector

On May 1, 2025, three companies—VirtualCast Inc., LATEGRA, and LOGIC&MAGIC—established the Virtual Character Entertainment Association (VCEA), a general incorporated association. The association listed research into live events using virtual characters, wider adoption, talent development, and support for overseas expansion as its main activities. Yukinori Watanabe of LATEGRA took office as Representative Director. He commented that as the evolution of content and technology accelerates, there has been a growing need to create richer expressions and value together with creators and companies (Branc (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: Three developments overlapped in the same week: a survey on the fulfillment of individual desires, regional VTubers exhibiting at a national event, and the establishment of an industry association. The virtual character economy is advancing in stages from individual experiences to regional revitalization and the creation of industry standards. For local governments and companies entering this space, the time has come to consider long-term planning aligned with industry associations and standards rather than one-off PR campaigns.

1. 01Individual ExperienceHakuhodo's survey showed an average of 61.7% of metaverse users relating to 12 categories of desires
2. 02Regional RevitalizationOver 130 regional VTubers introduced local anime sites and tourist spots at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai
3. 03Industry StandardsVirtualCast, LATEGRA, and LOGIC&MAGIC established VCEA to support research, talent, and global expansion

Source: The Oshi Lab's summary of the article

Music Streaming and Long-Running Commercials Supported Ongoing Fan Viewing

Spotify × KinKi Kids — Streaming Catalog Unlocked on the Anniversary of the Day They Met

On April 30, Spotify announced the streaming release of KinKi Kids’ music catalog. The streaming start date was set for May 5, widely known as the day the two members first met. Spotify also rolled out a 30-second brand commercial titled “Music for Your Everyday Life — In-Car Intro Quiz Edition” featuring their song “Jetcoaster Romance.” The platform released voice comments and the official playlist “This Is KinKi Kids,” sequentially rolling out seven collaborative initiatives including commercials and poster displays. Spotify announced that posters would be displayed in Tokyo from May 5 to May 14 and in Osaka from May 5 to May 18. In a campaign on X, Spotify announced that 2,451 people—a number inspired by the two members’ names—would win postcards by lottery. Starting May 20, Spotify also announced it would offer the “My Top 5” feature for KinKi Kids, marking the first time the feature has been provided for a domestic Japanese artist (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: Spotify built its campaign starting from the decision to align the streaming launch date with “the day the two met.” By layering corporate activity onto a date that already holds meaning among fans, the announcement itself became a participatory fan event. The lottery winner count of 2,451 also appears designed with the two members’ names in mind. This case demonstrates how the way a single number is crafted can change how fans receive a campaign.

Arashi × 13-Company Joint Commercial — A Thank-You Ad from Five Years Ago Returns to the Spotlight

On May 6, 2025, it was announced that the group Arashi would resume activities and then conclude its group activities in May 2026. Following this announcement, the 13-company joint commercial “30 Seconds for Arashi” (Arashi e Okuru 30-byo) once again drew wide attention. This commercial originally aired on December 26, 2020, during the final episode of the group’s signature variety program Arashi ni Shiyagare. The 13 participating companies were Hitachi Global Life Solutions, Japan Post, Asahi Soft Drinks, JCB, The Nisshin OilliO Group, Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical, Lion Corporation, Morinaga & Co., Ebara Foods Industry, Asahi Breweries, Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare, Kose Cosmeport, and Kao Corporation. The commercial aired a digest of scenes from the group’s commercial appearances across each company. It was a project linked to the joint initiative “HELLO NEW DREAM. PROJECT,” which had launched in September of that same year (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: This is a case where 13 companies stepped across competitive boundaries to participate in a single commercial. Rather than focusing on the advertising effectiveness of each individual company, the 13 brands placed gratitude toward the talent themselves at the center of the commercial. That is precisely why multiple companies from different industries were able to share the same broadcast slot. The longer a company has appointed a talent as an ambassador, the more memorable it is for fans when brands team up with other companies to send them off at the end of a contract, rather than looking back alone.

Akita Foods × Masaki Aiba — Why the Company Continued Its Egg Commercial Series for 10 Years

Akita Foods announced that it would begin airing a new commercial, “Little Sister’s Futon Edition,” for its branded eggs “Kiyora Gourmet Jitate” on May 10. The new commercial is the latest entry in the “Nebie Neko (Kiyonya)” (Cat Who Caught a Chill in Sleep) series that began in 2015, and features Arashi’s Masaki Aiba. The company announced that the voice of the new character “Baby Kiyo” is performed by a child approximately one and a half years old. The media buy is scheduled for 2,000 GRP over three weeks starting on the 10th, the largest volume since the very first commercial in the series. Section Manager Daiki Watanabe of Akita Foods explained that for 10 years, the company has maintained a method similar to the long-running talk show Tetsuko’s Room: rotating the guest stars while keeping “Kiyonya” as the constant fixture (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: Akita Foods openly acknowledges the premise that “with eggs, the cheaper they are, the better they sell.” Even so, as a way to establish its brand, the company chose the continuous use of its character. Even as the guest stars changed from Koyuki to YOSHIKI, HIKAKIN, and Masaki Aiba, the company never changed the core structure around the character. This case clearly demonstrates that repetition over a 10-year span builds brand recognition more effectively than one-off buzz generation.

Historic Institutions and Sake Breweries Crafted Special Evenings for Fans

Touken Ranbu × Tokugawa Art Museum — Expressing Sword Warriors Through Cuisine

Touken Ranbu ONLINE collaborated with the exhibition “Time-Traveling Master Swords” (Toki o Kakeru Meito), held to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the opening of the Tokugawa Art Museum and the Hosa Library. As part of this collaboration, it was announced that a special dining course would be offered at the “Garden Restaurant Tokugawaen.” The course consisted of eight dishes inspired by nine Touken Danshi (Sword Warriors). Each dish delicately incorporated the characters’ motifs and image colors, such as vichyssoise for Goto Toushiro and Ise red sea bream with caviar for Yamanbagiri Kunihiro. The price was announced as 14,300 yen (including tax and service charge), with the serving period running from June 14 to September 7, 2025. Reservations were accepted exclusively online starting May 1. The game app has surpassed 14 million cumulative users (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).

Chibi Maruko-chan × Hatsukame Brewery — Father’s Sake Celebrates Its 5th Anniversary

“Junmai Ginjo Father Hiroshi Vintage 2025,” a Japanese sake created through a collaboration between Chibi Maruko-chan and Hatsukame Brewery, was announced for release at liquor retailers nationwide starting May 16, 2025. Planning and sales are handled by Nexus, which operates the “Saketsunagi Project.” Launched in 2021, the “Father Hiroshi Series” celebrated its fifth anniversary with this release. The price is 3,630 yen (tax included). The label takes its motif from a scene in Episode 100 of the first season of the anime where Maruko’s father, Hiroshi, savors Hatsukame sake. The original manga has surpassed 35 million copies in cumulative circulation (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: Both initiatives translate a “specific single scene or motif” from the original work into a food and beverage experience. Touken Ranbu expressed nine swords through an eight-dish course, while Chibi Maruko-chan turned a single frame from Episode 100 into a bottle label. To raise the unit price in an IP collaboration, editorial precision in choosing which exact moment of the original work to highlight is more effective than simply increasing the number of merchandise items.

A Zoo and a Cafe Created Foot Traffic Through Anime Worldviews

Haikyu!! × Tobu Zoo — Coloring the Park with the Voices of Hinata and Kageyama

The TV anime Haikyu!! announced that it would hold a collaboration event with Tobu Zoo for the first time in three years. The event period for “Haikyu!! × Tobu Zoo 2025” was scheduled for May 17 to July 21. The organizers announced collaborative admission tickets and original merchandise featuring newly drawn visuals of eight characters, including Shoyo Hinata and Tobio Kageyama. Inside the park, announcements featuring newly recorded original voices by Hinata and Kageyama were scheduled to play six times a day, and bonus coasters would be distributed with orders of eligible food and drink menu items. In March 2025, production of a new theatrical film in the franchise had also been announced (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).

Moomin Cafe Omotesando — Opening Announced for a New Flower-Filled Hub

“Moomin Cafe Floral Valley,” where visitors can experience the world of Moomin, was announced to open in Omotesando, Tokyo, on May 23, 2025. The cafe is operated by Tomatty Inc. During the day, it was scheduled to offer a three-tiered afternoon tea inspired by the friends of Moominvalley, and in the evening, it would serve a prix-fixe dinner course. Both were announced at 8,800 yen (tax included). Store-exclusive goods such as original cookies were also announced (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: While Tobu Zoo is holding its return collaboration after three years and Moomin Cafe is a brand-new opening, both plan mechanisms where the experience changes with each visit, such as “voice announcements you can hear every day” and “courses you can customize each time.” From both examples, we can see that designs offering new discoveries the more often a fan visits make it easier to generate repeat attendance among existing fans than a one-time pop-up.

Department Stores and Apparel Brands Created Reasons to Buy Through Characters

Miffy × Keio Department Store — A 70th Anniversary Pop-Up

“Flower Miffy,” a specialty shop handling Miffy floral gifts, appeared for a limited time on the first floor of Keio Department Store Shinjuku starting May 1. Operating as the “Flower Miffy POPUP SHOP,” it rolled out gifts aimed at Mother’s Day on May 11. The year 2025 marked the 70th anniversary of Miffy’s birth. Featured products included a Fluffy Plush Bouquet for 5,830 yen and Knit Flower Bouquets for 3,630 yen each. Shoppers who purchased 5,500 yen or more received an original mini tote bag (Cho! Animedia (in Japanese)).

Uniqlo UT × Ai Yazawa — Newly Drawn Artwork for Her 40th Debut Anniversary

Manga artist Ai Yazawa, celebrating the 40th anniversary of her debut, collaborated with Uniqlo’s graphic T-shirt brand “UT.” The collaborative products were announced for release in early July 2025. Motifs were selected from four of her works: Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai (I’m No Angel), Gokinjo Monogatari (Neighborhood Story), Paradise Kiss, and NANA. Each product design also included Yazawa’s signature. For NANA, a design featuring the protagonist Nana Osaki newly drawn by Yazawa specifically for UT was also prepared. Each shirt was priced at 1,500 yen (Otonanswer (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: Miffy uses the annual calendar event of “Mother’s Day” as the reason to create purchasing timing. Uniqlo’s reason is a personal milestone for the creator: her “40th debut anniversary.” Annual calendar events can be repeated every year, whereas a milestone anniversary happens only once and carries high scarcity. Placing these two companies side by side shows how pricing and product lineup design change significantly depending on which framework a brand uses.

Annual Calendar Events (Flower Miffy)

• Timed to recurring seasonal occasions like Mother's Day on May 11
• Repeatable year after year as a gift-giving habit
• Paired with gift-oriented pricing (3,630 to 5,830 yen) and a 5,500-yen purchase bonus

Creator Milestone Anniversaries (Uniqlo UT × Ai Yazawa)

• Timed to a once-only milestone (Ai Yazawa's 40th debut anniversary)
• High scarcity value backed by newly drawn NANA artwork and the creator's signature
• Accessible unit pricing (1,500 yen per shirt) across four classic manga titles

Source: The Oshi Lab's summary of the article

VTuber Graduation Merchandise and Box Office Numbers Demonstrated the Depth of Fan Support

Murasaki Shion — Hand-Signed Autograph Bonus for Graduation Merchandise

Pre-orders were underway for graduation merchandise for Murasaki Shion, who was active as a VTuber affiliated with hololive and graduated on April 26, 2025. Five items were offered, including an album with newly drawn artwork, a costume keychain set, and a plushie. The limited-quantity “Graduation Goods Full Set” was priced at 17,160 yen (tax included). Unlike the regular edition, the full set included a postcard hand-signed by Murasaki Shion herself. The reservation deadline was May 7 at 6:00 PM, with shipping scheduled for late November 2025 (Inside (in Japanese)).

Detective Conan — Surpassing 10 Billion Yen at the Box Office for Three Consecutive Films

The theatrical film Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback (Meitantei Conan: Sekigan no Flashback) surpassed 7.26 million admissions and 10.4 billion yen in box office revenue within 19 days of its release through May 6, 2025. Following 2023’s Detective Conan: Black Iron Submarine (Kurogane no Submarine) and 2024’s Detective Conan: The Million-dollar Pentagram (100-man Doru no Michishirube), this marked the remarkable feat of three consecutive films in the series surpassing 10 billion yen. Reaching 10 billion yen in 19 days of release broke the previous film’s record of 22 days by three days. The original manga has been published up to Volume 107, reaching 270 million copies in cumulative circulation (Animate Times (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: This week clearly demonstrated the strength of fan support through both the “ending” of a graduation and the “accumulation” of box office revenue. Murasaki Shion’s graduation merchandise makes use of the scarcity that can only be offered at a conclusion, designed as a limited-quantity set with a hand-signed autograph. Meanwhile, Detective Conan is able to demonstrate ongoing trust with a record of three consecutive 10-billion-yen hits precisely because it has the accumulation of 107 manga volumes behind it.

This Week’s Takeaways

This week tested how companies make use of existing platforms and anniversaries.

Roblox’s scale of 97.8 million daily users, Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai where regional VTubers participated, and the streaming launch aligned with “the day KinKi Kids met”—every one of these was a decision to layer corporate activity onto places where people already gather or dates that already carry meaning, rather than building a venue from scratch in-house. In more and more situations, the cost of using an existing space is lower than the cost of building a new one.

At the same time, initiatives centered on “endings” and “gratitude,” such as Arashi’s 13-company joint commercial and Murasaki Shion’s graduation merchandise, once again drew strong attention. Both moments—continuation and conclusion—hold deep meaning for fans. Take a look at this week’s developments alongside our design principles for oshikatsu marketing and fundamentals of fan marketing as you consider which phase your own fans are experiencing right now.

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Weekly Oshikatsu News brings you a weekly roundup of the intersection between fandom and business. You can browse past issues in the Oshikatsu × News category.