By Erika Lee
6 min read
Imagine a world where co-creating and contributing to the growth of your favorite anime series is both encouraged and rewarded. Through this collaborative model, new stories have the opportunity to be told, new monetization strategies can surface, and anime culture can continue to spread worldwide.
This is what the Animecoin Foundation is trying to accomplish. It wants to bring the global anime fan base on-chain, where creators can have a more accurate picture of fan engagement and attribution, which can then potentially fuel new monetization strategies to help propel their IP forward.
Today’s launch of the ANIME token is just the beginning, the Foundation told Decrypt.
Animecoin hype took over the Crypto Twitter timeline in recent days, reaching 20% of mindshare according to analytics from Kaito AI. And that momentum may only grow now that the Ethereum and Arbitrum token is live, as the Foundation begins executing on its plans.
Over half of the total ANIME token supply was dedicated to the Web3 community, spearheaded by the enduring Ethereum NFT project Azuki, a key early contributor to the Animecoin Foundation. The Azuki community will collectively receive 37.5% of the supply, amounting to 3.75 billion tokens, all of which are fully tradable upon launch.
An additional 13% has been reserved for the Community fund, which will be managed by ANIME token holders and the future AnimeDAO to support community-driven incentives and initiatives.
It’s a hectic time to launch a coin, especially right after President Trump dropped his meme coin TRUMP late last week, absorbing a large amount of liquidity in the space and causing some crypto teams to postpone their drops. Even so, pseudonymous Azuki co-founder and Animecoin core contributor Zagabond said that he is confident about the timing.
"You can't predict day-to-day events in crypto, but you can build something real. We've spent three years cultivating a brand and culture around anime and Web3—not just hype,” he told Decrypt.
“With our product suite and a passionate community, timing becomes less critical,” Zagabond continued. “The space recognizes projects that are here for the long haul, and that's what Animecoin is all about."
The Animecoin Foundation announced its formation in March 2024, but its roots trace back to Azuki's mission of creating an open anime universe. According to the Foundation, Animecoin represents the tokenization of culture and fandom.
“In Web2, hashtags spread culture; in Web3, tickers allow fans to own a piece of it,” Zagabond told Decrypt. “Unlike other projects spreading broad strategies, we're laser-focused on the anime vertical with Animechain, Anime.com, and Azuki IP at its core.”
When selecting infrastructure for Animechain, the team turned to Arbitrum, the largest Ethereum layer-2 network by total value locked (TVL). Zagabond said that the network’s “commitment to decentralization and its advanced tech stack made it the ideal collaborator,” and further pointed to low fees, speedy transactions, and customizable gas tokens as benefits for users.
ANIME will empower holders to vote on proposals around the Animechain ecosystem, but DAOs can be difficult endeavors. They can be sluggish in decision-making, and the collective wisdom of the participants doesn’t always lead to the most effective outcomes.
“I’ve seen how inefficient and ineffective many DAOs are, and have been part of a few myself. Most suck at getting things done, so I recognize that,” Zagabond said.
“But the anime community is one of the most creative and passionate fan bases in the world,” he continued. “The Azuki community has emphatically shown how community-led events and products can help grow and scale an anime IP and brand.”
He added that the Animecoin Foundation is the steward of the Animecoin ecosystem, and will help facilitate the governance process of the AnimeDAO. The team and service providers supporting the Foundation have been involved with other DAOs in the space, so he believes they’ll be able to take their learnings and be effective in governance.
The Azuki team has talked about the concept of “Anime 2.0,” or the idea that fans can turn into active contributors to creative work rather than simply passive consumers.
"Web3 enables fans to help shape their favorite anime’s future,” Zagabond explained. “Imagine reviving a canceled series through community funding or rewarding fan artists for their contributions to an IP. These moments of co-creation are the essence of Anime 2.0."
The upcoming Anime.com platform aims to bridge the gap between Web3 users and mainstream anime fans. The Foundation will integrate blockchain infrastructure with Animechain, distribute through Anime.com, and create content and IP through Azuki.
An example of Azuki IP is its anime “Enter The Garden,” which currently has one episode out. The second episode is slated to release soon and features two of the Azuki main characters: Shao and Raizan.
Zagabond teased that the next episode will be a continuation of the mysterious lore behind the Garden. The production team is made up of anime industry veterans, including series Creative Producer Goro Taniguchi, as well as Kazuto Nakazawa, known for his character design work on anime hit “Samurai Champloo.”
“Samurai Champloo was a big inspiration for Azuki, so it really is a dream come true for our team to get an opportunity to work with Nakazawa-san and reimagine Azuki characters,” Zagabond said. “There will be some sick sakuga in this episode, which is a change of pace compared to episode 1.”
Anime.com will offer account-abstracted wallets and NFT stickers without requiring users to interact with crypto directly. The Foundation plans to reward the most dedicated fans, saying that the ultimate goal is to onboard 1 billion anime fans by gamifying engagement, building community, and offering meaningful collectibles.
“In Web3, we’re used to grinding for tokens with products we wouldn’t normally use. With anime.com, I’m excited to build truly fun features that anime fans will love,” said Zagabond. “That’s the most important point I want to make clear—the future of Web3 is in delightful products and rewarding real users who love those products. That’s our plan with anime.com.”
As Animecoin launches, Zagabond hopes anime fans experience a revelation—whether it’s through helping to fund shows that they love, or being rewarded by creating art around a project and expanding its IP.
"When fans realize they can co-create the future of their favorite anime through Web3, they’ll ask, ‘Why didn’t this exist before?’” he said. “We’re building a future where fandom and culture are truly owned by the community."
Edited by Andrew Hayward
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