The film Doraemon: Nobita’s Sky Utopia will be released on March 3, 2023. The 42nd Doraemon movie follows Doraemon, Nobita, and his friends as they venture off to find Utopia, a perfect land in the sky where everyone lines in joy and happiness. They do so using an airship with a time warp function on their adventure, and to commemorate the film’s release, the Flying Doraemon Project began on January 14. A real-life 17-meter-long Doraemon blimp will soon appear in the sky, and fans are being asked to decide on a name for the craft.

The blimp, inspired by the Doraemon movie, will feature popular characters including Nobita, Shizuka, Suneo, and Gian. The blimp is the largest unmanned airship in Japan.

The message of the Flying Doraemon Project is to convey the feeling that in this day and age, children and adults alike can once again look upward and move forward toward their hopes and dreams.

Fans are asked to contribute ideas for the blimps name during the application period. Check the website for more details!

Pocky is one of the most popular Japanese snacks around the world, and a new way to enjoy it is here. Since the 1970s, Pocky on the Rocks has been a popular way to enjoy the tasty treats during the summer. A modern version has just been unveiled, and six special boxes with exclusive designs will be released on June 14 along with a new campaign, recipe submission contest, and a collaboration with select cafes around Japan. 

Pocky on the Rocks was first introduced in an ad campaign in 1976. People began putting Pocky sticks in a cool glass filled with ice or using the sticks as muddlers for alcoholic drinks. This stylish summer snack has been reimagined for 2022, and customers are inspired to pair the sticks with their favorite drink, stick them into ice cream, or add them to a cup of seasonal fruit!

Pocky on the Rocks in the 1970s

Pocky on the Rocks Today

Collaboration with 5 Cafes in Tokyo and Kansai

Cafe Roman – Takadanobaba, Tokyo

Cream Soda

Cafe Negura – Shimokitazawa, Tokyo
Dark Cherry Soda

DORSIA – Sannomiya, Kobe
Heart Strawberry Milk

Sunshine Cafe – Higashi-Umeda, Osaka
Almond Mixed Juice

Poem Cafe – Motomachi, Kobe
Lemon Squash

Pocky’s limited edition packaging, coming June 14, will feature a recipe for the 2022 Pocky on the Rocks. A recipe submission contest will also be held on Instagram, and anyone can participate. On the campaign website, fans can find collaboration recipes made in conjunction with five different cafes around Tokyo and the Kansai region. Of course, you can also grab these treats at each shop!

Fans can win retro goods in another ongoing campaign simply by snapping a picture of a Pocky receipt.

You’ve probably tried Pocky before, but have you ever tried Pocky on the Rocks? 

A BATHING APE, one of Japan’s leading streetwear brands, has announced a new collection inspired by the new film Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero!

This isn’t the first time that BAPE and Dragon Ball have come together for a stylish collaboration. The two have set the standard for what a crossover between streetwear and manga culture should look like, starting with the first collaboration in 2016. From pieces showing the protagonist Son Goku as a young boy to the most recent items inspired by the Majin Buu arc, fans of the series can’t get enough.

The latest collection features characters from the highly-anticipated new film Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero set to premiere on June 11, 2022.

Son Gohan, Pan, Piccolo BABY MILO® T-Shirt (Colors: Black, White): ¥9,900 (Tax Included)

Red Ribbon Army BABY MILO® T-Shirt (Colors: Black, White): ¥9,900 (Tax Included)

Popular characters Gohan and Piccolo have been given the BABY MILO treatment along with the new androids Gamma 1 and Gamma 2 and their creator Dr. Hedo from the newly-revived Red Ribbon Army. 

BAPE® X Dragon Ball Super Ape Head Pullover Hoodie (Colors: Black, Orange): ¥28,600 (Tax Included)

BAPE® X Dragon Ball Super Ape Head Totebag (Colors: Black, Orange): ¥8,800 (Tax Included)

Fans of Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan’s daughter Pan won’t want to miss these stylish hoodies and tote bags complete with BAPE’s signature Ape Head!

The collaboration items will be available at select stores throughout Japan and online starting on June 5, 2022, just before the movie’s release. 

Japan’s top streetwear brand A BATHING APE is releasing a new collection inspired by Dragon Ball Z! The two first collaborated in 2016 starting with imagery inspired by Son Goku’s childhood. In June 2020, the company released a collection themed around the Cell arc.

Lineup

The newest collection was inspired by the final arc of the series, the Buu Saga, expressed in the style of BABY MILO.

The main characters from the series–Goku, Vegeta, Majin Buu, and Piccolo–are all depicted in BABY MILO style. In addition, characters such as Mr. Satan and Uub appear, perfect for more hardcore fans wanting to see lesser-known characters represented.

The lineup includes a coach jacket and hoodie featuring newly-drawn illustrations inspired by the final episode. Don’t miss this special collaboration!

Fashion brand XLARGE has announced a new collaboration to commemorate the upcoming release of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero in theaters. The film will see the return of the Red Ribbon Army, which Gohan, Piccolo, and other popular characters will have to defeat. Check out the collection below–is your favorite fighter in the lineup?

Collection

XLARGE×DRAGON BALL GOHAN S/S TEE

XLARGE×DRAGON BALL PICCOLO S/S TEE

XLARGE×DRAGON BALL CAPSULE CORP JUMPSUIT

XLARGE×DRAGON BALL ANDROID18 S/S TEE

XLARGE×DRAGON BALL BULMA S/S TEE

XLARGE×DRAGON BALL TRUNKS S/S TEE

The collection includes T-shirts featuring Gohan, Piccolo, Bulma, Android 18, and Trunks. Items will be available online and in select stores nationwide!

The Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero film is scheduled to release in theaters on June 11, and the original soundtrack will hit shelves a few days prior, on June 8, 2022.

The film has been a hot topic in recent months. The original story, screenplay, and character design have all been handled by Akira Toriyama, with Tetsuro Kodama directing and Chikashi Kubota serving as animation director. 

The music will be composed by Naoki Sato, a composer who won the Best Music Award at the 29th Japan Academy Awards for the film Always: Sunset on Third Street. The musician has composed music for movies, dramas, and animated films such as Masquerade Night, Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning, and the historical drama Reach Beyond the Blue Sky. The soundtrack will contain 23 background tracks.

Japanese apparel brand Graniph has revealed two collaborative t-shirts inspired by the upcoming Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero film! The items are available at the Graniph online store and in select Graniph locations in Japan.

Lineup

‘Superhero’ T-shirt

‘Fusion’ T-shirt

The Dragon Ball Super film series has been a huge hit worldwide. The first film, Dragon Ball Super: Broly, was released in 2018. The upcoming film features a completely new story, in which the Red Ribbon Army is reformed and threatening the world yet again. Can our favorite fighters stop the bad guys before they unveil the ultimate evil weapon? Be sure to check out the film when it releases in June, and grab one of these t-shirts to wear to the theater!

ⓒバード・スタジオ／集英社
ⓒ「２０２２ ドラゴンボール超」製作委員会

A special pop-up store celebrating the upcoming Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero film is coming to four locations in Tokyo and Kanagawa! The film is scheduled to be released on June 11, 2022, and fans can pick up some exclusive merchandise at Shinjuku Station, Kawasaki Station, Ikebukuro Station, and Akihabara Station. The dates are listed below!

Exclusive Products

Special Bonus

Product Lineup

Shop Displays

The pop-up shop will feature exclusive items decorated with popular imagery from the Dragon Ball series. Fans will also be able to grab some home goods themed around the Capsule House where Bulma lives!

As a purchase bonus, customers spending ¥2,500 or more will receive a special holographic sticker!

Each venue will be decorated, so enjoy taking some photos with your family and friends.

Bandai Namco has announced an upcoming global streaming event to highlight both current and upcoming Dragon Ball titles. ‘Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour 2022’ will take place between February 18 and February 19 in regions around the world. Plenty of updates and announcements will be made during the stream, so you won’t want to miss it!

The event was first held in February 2021 and brought together Dragon Ball fans from 23 countries around the world. This second annual event will feature even more popular content and will utilize the latest technology to bring even more excitement to fans of the series.

The world’s strongest players will once again be invited to participate in an exciting battle! This year’s Games Battle Hour will feature the Dragon Ball FighterZ, the Dragon Ball Super Card Game, and the smartphone title Dragon Ball Legends. Kids can also enjoy the new Super Dragon Ball Heroes digital card game!

On Dragon Ball FighterZ, the World Championship will be held to determine the world’s best player among the winners of the Regional Finals, a tournament featuring the top-ranked players from Europe, Japan, and North America. In the Dragon Ball Super Card Game, the winner of the 2021 World Championship will face off against the newest top player. Dragon Ball Legends will also announce a new project. 

A Super Dragon Ball Heroes event will pit six players from Japan against each other, separated into two teams for 3v3 battles. Those who aren’t interested in participating in fighting games can also enjoy a trivia competition!

The “DBXV2 Super Fashion Show” will see the top 16 fashion leaders in Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 showcasing their most creative work. The ‘Dragon Ball Art Challenge’ will also invite viewers to create their favorite characters using unique mediums like balloons and Rubik’s cubes.

The recently revealed multiplayer game, Dragon Ball: The Breakers, will also be part of the event with the game’s producer giving an in-depth look and gameplay demonstrations for this upcoming game. ‘Dokkan DATA 2022’ will look back at the seven years since the launch of Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle and will share some data about how players have been playing the game and its exciting history.

Viewers can also take place in a workshop to learn how to best photograph their ‘Dragon Stars Series’ and ‘S.H.Figuarts’ action figures. A master of Chinese cooking will also take the stage to recreate dishes from Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot in the special program ‘Kakarot Cooking.’

A master sculptor and his protegee will create figures of Goku and Vegeta live during the event as well! Will you be tuning in? 

©BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA, TOEI ANIMATION

©バードスタジオ／集英社・東映アニメーション　©BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu will release her first full-length album in three years Candy Racer on October 27, 2021. Ahead of the release, one new track, Jumping Up, will be shared early! This light and fun EDM track will, as promised, make you want to jump up and down along with the bass, and will be streaming starting September 29, 2021. 

In conjunction with this pre-release, a LINE MUSIC playback campaign will begin on September 29, with the top 10 listeners receiving a prize exclusive to the event. Be sure to listen to the song as many times as possible for your chance to snag this premium prize, the design of which will be revealed soon!

As part of a new campaign by Clorets, the chewing gum brand is set to collaborate with the My Hero Academia when it rolls out a new stock of gum tubs on June 7 featuring design from the anime series

The gum tubs come in four My Hero Academia designs

Win prizes as part of the collaboration

My Hero Academia is an ongoing manga series by Kōhei Horikoshi’s serialised in Weekly Shonen Jump. It’s set in a world where 80% of people have special powers known as “Quirks.” In the story, people with Quirks aspire to become heroes to protect people and the society they live in. The gum collaboration features for tub designs for Clorets’ Mint Clear Mint Gum.

The designs feature illustrations the main character cast including Midoriya Izuki, Bakugo Katsuki, Uraraka Ochako, Iida Tenya, Todoroki Shoya, Asui Tsuyu, Kirishima Eijiro, Yaotorozu Mmo, Kaminari Denki, and Jiro Kyoka. The designs also feature the main visual for the anime’s ongoing fifth season.

As part of the collaboration, Clorets are holding a campaign for fans of My Hero Academia to win a selection of prizes including 30 illustration reprints. Full details will be announced by Clorets at the link below.

©堀越耕平/集英社・僕のヒーローアカデミア製作委員会

Bandai Spirits Toy Innovation began rolling out a lottery draw to win Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle figurines at FamilyMart convenience stores across Japan last Friday (February 5).

Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle 6th Anniversary Figurine Lottery Draw

This is the third lottery draw to be held as part of the 6th anniversary celebrations for the popular free-to-play mobile game Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle. The top prize features a figure of Ultra Instinct Son Goku. Prizes A through E include figures of Super Saiyan God Goku, Super Saiyan Future Frunks, Super Saiyan Son Gohan, Goku Black, and Pan. Prizes F through H include a variety of merch like a bottle, a case, folder, and more.

(C)バードスタジオ／集英社・フジテレビ・東映アニメーション
(C)BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.