The 2020 Olympics are scheduled to take place in Tokyo, Japan. To honor the event, the official Olympic YouTube video announced a special group of Ambassadors for the event. Although the country will also create a forgettable mascot (does anyone remember Izzyor Wenlock) many different anime characters have joined forces to help to get the country excited about the event.
The team includes Astro Boy, Son Goku (Dragonball Z/Super), Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece), Sailor Moon, Uzumaki Naruto (Naruto), Jibanyan (Yo-kai Watch), Shin Nohara (Crayon Shin-chan) and Cure Magical and Cure Miracle (Maho Girls Pretty Cure). The group will be appearing on different merchandise in an effort to help promote the event.
The team seems built around bringing recognizable characters together to help with the promotion. Son Goku, Naruto, and Luffy are the main characters of the three biggest animes series in media’s history. The female demographic is represented by Sailor Moon, one of the most recognized anime characters in the world and Cure Miracle and Cure Magical, from 13th Pretty Cure series which has been the definitive magical girl series for years. Astro Boy, the oldest character in the group helps to represent the heritage of the media. While Shin has risen to be a culture icon in the country which easily explains how made the team.
The real surprise to come from this announcement is the last spot being covered by a character from the Yo-kai Watch series. Many would think Pikachu from the Pokemon franchise would have made the cut. This could be viewed as more evident of the shifting popularity between the two series. Sorry, Pikachu. You just didn’t qualify.
Are you happy with these anime ambassadors for the Olympics? Which character do you think should have been part of the team? Leave a comment below and let us know.
