Naruto on my sleeve: With a growing fandom, anime merchandise arrives in India

Have you tried to cook up ham ramen after watching Hayao Miyazakirsquos film Ponyo Perhaps you have seen Tshirts with bold Japanese lettering and Japanese anime characters being sold on the streets Itrsquos what one could call anime fever and itrsquos only just begunSoftware engineer Aditya Prabhu began consuming anime over a decade ago He says the intense storylines the emotions depicted the character arcs and the animation all of it combined had him hooked Prabhu is one of the many fans to watch anime shows even as an adult Hersquos joined by many Reportedly 30 million viewers watch anime in India making the country the secondlargest consumer of Japanese cartoonsNamrata Ghogardare Aditya Prabhu and Leena Lele DuttaBut anime is not new to India In 1993 India and Japan coproduced an anime film Ramayana The Legend of Prince Rama which was later cut into episodes for television Soon after in the early 2000s Pokeacutemon and Dragon Ball Z were aired on Cartoon Network India and more anime titles were aired once the network launched their channel Toonami So why is it that we are seeing anime everywhere only now in 2024 ldquoThose who grew up on cartoons 10 to 12 years back are more adaptable now to watching different forms of storytelling in animation And thatrsquos how anime as a genre has suddenly started seeing traction in the past few yearsrdquo says Leena Lele Dutta business head at Sony YAYWith the Internet and social media integration Dutta says kids are now aspiring to watch what their counterparts are viewing globally Naturally a lot of anime is being consumed on OTT platforms as well ldquoI had seen some episodes of Naruto on TV as a kid but in 2014 I finally found free streaming sites online to watch the full series as it wasnrsquot airing on TV anymore I was hookedrdquo says Namrata Ghogardare a freelance photographerThe Souled Store and Bewakoof are just some of the brands that are doing official anime merch Pic CourtesyThe Souled StoreDutta admits that airing Naruto and Naruto Shippuden on the night band on Sony YAY means that the audiencersquos age range is 15 years and up ldquoWe launched Naruto in 2022 and the slot from 8 per cent grew to almost 12 per cent instantly We came back with Naruto Shippuden this year and that slot again grew from almost 9 per cent viewership straight to 15 per cent and even touched 20 per cent market sharerdquo But the fact that anime especially Naruto is dubbed in Tamil Telugu and Hindi is also what majorly contributes to the growth in numbers And while the majority of the audience is from urban areas and northeastern India a quick internet search will tell you that there are fan clubs in cities like Nagpur Meerut Ranchi and moreAccording to JetSynthesys anime has captured 83 per cent of Indiansrsquo preference over other animated content options Predictably the rise in anime viewership means that fans are seeking anime fandom merch ldquoI think collectables or wearing fandom tees are just a way for a person to express an appreciation for seriesrdquo says Prabhu talking about why fans have been demanding anime merchandise In the past Prabhu and Ghogardare both admit to having resorted to finding shops that would offer custom printing on tshirts ldquoI used to photoshop screengrabs from my favourite anime shows and get them printed Merchandise was never available beforerdquo says PrabhuWith anime coming to India paired with licensing rights for merchandise fans can finally get their hands on official merchandise Additionally the anime market in India is projected to exhibit a growth rate CAGR of 13 per cent from 2023 to 2028 Brands like The Souled Store Bewakoof Reliance Trends Boat and even Vega have jumped onto producing official merchandise for anime fandoms ldquoItrsquos exciting for us to finally see the anime licensors understanding the potential of India The biggest challenge that we faced in the last three or four years was that there was a clear demand for anime merchandise but it wasnrsquot possiblerdquo says Harsh Lala cofounder of The Souled Store He adds that when they first launched official anime merchandise they took a risk by launching it in January 2024 a relatively slow month for shopping However their sales report said otherwise and gave them a spike that they have previously only seen with fandoms like Harry Potter Marvel or DC that have existed for decades ldquoIn a country like India where therersquos a strong jugaad culture you will always have people taking designs off the internet producing lowquality merchandise and making a quick buck But the fact that licensors are now working to develop official merchandise where you can guarantee authenticity and quality I think thatrsquos very encouragingrdquo says LalManaging Director of Vega Auto Accessories which is set to launch anime fandom helmets for adults and kids Girdhari Chandak says ldquoPeople no longer mind spending more on helmets and they are looking for more designs Anime is yet another niche and will surely perform well especially in the 1835 age rangerdquoAre fans excited to have access to official merchandise ldquoYes I have had to get tshirts customprinted in the past so this is much easier But I am hoping better designs come by as current collections can at times be quite in the facerdquo says Ghogardare For Prabhu access to official fashion merchandise is still a struggle ldquoBrands usually cap sizes at 3XL while I wear 5XLrdquo he says Is anyone listening