Sunrise is responsible for most of the major mecha anime ever made, and Bandai Spirits is now looking to honor this legacy with a new toy brand.
Heading up this new Sunrise Spirits initiative is Yoshinari Kimura, Assistant Manager on the Robot Product Planning Team at Bandai Spirits.
Following the increased accessibility and popularity of Sunrise mecha anime outside of Japan, Kimura wanted to ensure that Western fans weren’t left behind.
“Given that people can now easily discover and watch Sunrise titles through social media, the official YouTube channel, and an ever-increasing selection of streaming platforms, we felt it was important to build an accessible solution for fans to purchase Sunrise merchandise. Through this initiative, we wanted to create a “three-dimensional portal” for fans, both new and old. Furthermore, we wanted to clarify where people were able to purchase our products and figure out what would be necessary for us to sell them on an ongoing basis.
“After carefully analyzing the balance between supply and demand, we concluded that the best way forward was to sell products through our own stores and an official online shop. Finally, when thinking about how to present the lineup within our stores in an accessible manner, we settled on the project name: Sunrise Spirits.
“The purpose of Sunrise Spirits is to serve as an entry point for both new fans and those who already have fond memories of Sunrise titles, and to maintain our lineup as a permanent platform. Thanks to our fans’ passionate support, we have already expanded our presence to eight stores in Japan and another eight official Tamashii Nations store locations overseas, including New York City.”
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Considering the depth and breadth of Sunrise mecha anime, the Sunrise Spirits brand has its work cut out for it, but it’s already well on its way to covering off some of the more major titles.
“We currently have seven products available for purchase, including five from 1980s-era series such as Dunbine, Dougram, and Xabungle (shown below), as well as Zegapain from the 2000s. In addition to developing this extensive lineup, we have also updated each product’s key visuals to make them more appealing to a wider audience.
“In addition, we also plan on adding Robot Spirits Villkiss from the 2010s anime Cross Ange to our lineup in 2025. There are numerous exciting animated series out there, so we plan to continue exploring product lineups that cater to different age groups while reviewing the status of existing items.
“We really want our overseas fans to enjoy the same purchasing experience and potential for discovery that are available to Japanese consumers. With characters becoming something of a global language these days, we feel it is important to offer both virtual and real-world entry points and touchpoints.
“In the years to come, we expect that continued internet and social media usage will result in decreased language barriers and a more border-free world. As manufacturers of physical goods, we believe it will be increasingly important for us to offer a platform where fans can purchase our products. Our goal is to create opportunities for consumers to experience, across numerous contexts, the reassurance of purchasing products on-demand directly from an official supplier. Additionally, with initiatives like the Sunrise Robot Laboratory, we can now explore new ways to present and share classic series. In 2025, Sunrise Spirits will feature products from both Walker Gallia and Xabungle. We look forward to people visiting our stores and checking out these exciting new releases for themselves. In the meantime, we hope fans will continue to enjoy and support our work.”
Sunrise Spirits toy releases are currently available at the Tamashii Nations New York store as well as online via Amazon.
Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.