Crunchyroll Collaborates with Walmart to Introduce In-Store Fan Shops

Crunchyroll and Walmart are joining forces to launch a range of fan shops that will showcase merchandise from beloved anime franchises. This exciting collaboration will see over 2,400 Walmart stores across the United States become home to in-store "fan shops," offering a variety of products inspired by popular series such as Dragon Ball, Attack on Titan, Akira, Naruto, Demon Slayer, and My Hero Academia. These exclusive collections will include Blu-ray sets only available at Walmart, Crunchyroll subscription cards, Banpresto anime figures, plush toys, ramen bowls, and much more. Furthermore, fans can look forward to a dynamic lineup of new products being introduced throughout 2024.

Walmart offers exclusive Blu-ray sets featuring Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super, as well as My Hero Academia. They also have manga installments from popular series like Attack on Titan, Blue Lock, and Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun. Additionally, Crunchyroll provides subscription cards for their streaming service, allowing buyers to sign up for different durations. According to Mitchel Berger, Crunchyroll's Senior Vice President of Global Commerce, the goal of this partnership is to make anime more accessible and introduce more people to the exciting world of Japanese animation. Berger expressed excitement about bringing joy to fans during the holiday season through this collaboration.

This year, Crunchyroll has taken steps to make anime more accessible to a wider audience. Recently, Crunchyroll joined forces with Amazon to bring its fan and mega-fan subscription tiers to Prime Video users. These subscriptions offer exclusive benefits such as offline viewing and ad-free watching, enhancing the anime viewing experience. Currently, this expanded access to Crunchyroll is available in the United States, Canada, the UK, and Sweden.

Additionally, Crunchyroll has begun diversifying its distribution methods to reach more viewers. In October, the company introduced its first 24/7 anime channel, featuring a curated selection of popular anime shows ranging from sci-fi epics like Code Geass to lighthearted rom-coms like Horimiya. The channel also includes themed program blocks, providing casual viewers with a unique introduction to anime's diverse genres. This channel can be accessed through The Roku Channel, LG Channels, and VIZIO Watchfree+.

Source: Press release

Editor's P/S

As a Gen Z fan, I am thrilled about the collaboration between Crunchyroll and Walmart to introduce in-store fan shops. This partnership will make anime merchandise more accessible to fans across the United States. I am particularly excited about the exclusive Blu-ray sets and Crunchyroll subscription cards that will be available at Walmart. These items will make great gifts for anime fans of all ages.

I believe this collaboration is a positive step for the anime industry. It shows that anime is becoming more mainstream and that there is a growing demand for anime merchandise. I hope that this partnership will lead to even more anime merchandise being available in stores in the future.