Animoca teams up with Antler to bring Japanese anime and manga IP onchain.
Japan’s rich anime and manga heritage might finally get its broadband upgrade, so to speak. Animoca Brands is teaming with Antler’s Ibex Japan to roll out a Web3 entertainment investment fund, and the goal? Turning dormant IP into vibrant digital experiences beyond gaming.
Breathing New Life into Dormant Treasures
At the WebX conference in Tokyo, Animoca co-founder Yat Siu, senior advisor Keyvan Peymani, and Ibex partner Sandeep Casi laid it out plainly: 90% to 99% of Japanese IP is gathering dust. Together, they hope the fund will activate those idle stories, licensing manga and anime for fresh Web3 uses and new digital formats.
Casi’s pitch is backed by Antler’s impressive global scale: 22 cities, $1.2 billion in assets, and a network of 250,000 entrepreneurs. With that firepower, the fund aims not just to unlock value but to carry it across borders and technologies. This is more than a crypto investment; it’s about storytelling rebooted for a global audience.
Beyond Games: IP for Fintech, HealthTech & More
Animoca already maintains a Japanese foothold with its ABKK subsidiary, but this partnership takes things further. The fund isn’t limiting itself to gaming. Siu highlighted ambitions in fintech, healthcare, and medtech. It suggests a vision where beloved heroes show up in patient education apps, virtual therapy, or Web3 financial tools.
Building with Names You Know
Casi and Peymani are taking the lead as co-general partners. Their next step is crystalizing: they’ll start announcing the first IPs and partnerships in the coming weeks.
According to NFT Price Floor data cited by Siu, NFT market cap climbed from $6.6 billion in July to $9.3 billion by mid-August, a snug backdrop for launching Web3 entertainment projects.
What This Means for Global Fans
This Japan Web3 Fund isn’t just about licensing; it’s a bridge between tradition and tomorrow. Fans could see their favorite stories reimagined as community-governed virtual worlds, tokenized fan experiences, or layered digital economies.
With Animoca’s global footprint and Antler’s startup smarts, this isn’t a Japan-only initiative. The idea is to scale at global speed, turning niche IP into Web3-native culture with reach and community.
The Bigger Picture
In essence, this initiative blends investor readiness with cultural renewal. Anime and manga are Japan’s soft power, and now they have a ticket to the digital future. The Anime Manga IP Fund could be the spark behind the next wave of storytelling innovation in Web3.
