Source: Pexels

The Japanese culture is a rich one, especially when it comes to Pop culture that is blooming in this country. Japan, as one of the most influential countries of the world, has some of the biggest world icons that shaped the world culture, and no wonder that the entire world has heard of Pikachu or Sailor Moon for example! So, what are other popular pop symbols? Are there any more symbols that achieved worldwide success? Well, there are and we have prepared this article for you to list some of the most popular ones!

Hello Kitty 

A lot of people don’t even know that Hello Kitty comes from Japan and this is one of the main symbols of “cute” culture that won hearts worldwide! The symbol was designed by Yuko Shimizu and the very first appearance was on a vinyl purse where the kitty held a bottle of milk and a bowl with a goldfish. In fact, this is not a kitty/cat at all. It is actually a bobtail that created a lot of media fame and introduced it to many games, music and other media as well. Hello Kitty represents the highest-grossing franchise in Japanese media, right after Pokemon, where it generated around $80 billion in sales!

Pokemon

Yes, there is no man/woman that has not heard about the Pokemon saga and Pikachu as this is one of the best software/toys for kids! Game Boy developed the game, which was released in 1996 under the patronage of Nintendo and it soon became one of the biggest pop/culture hits that became famous worldwide! Satoshi Tajiri created it in 1995 and since then, the Pokemon franchise has earned around $30.4 billion from trading cards only! Not to mention series, comics, merchandise, theme park, and books! The biggest innovation was the Pokemon GO VR game that captured screens of smartphones throughout the world! 

Source: Pexels

Hatsune Miku

The green-pony tail-ed character under the name of Hatsune Miku had gained a lot of attention as this was a voicebank software developed by Crypton Future Media. Hatsu means sound, while Miku means future – thus it means the sound of the future. This VSTi plug-in used Vocaloid engine 2 for producing the voice and it became the virtual idol that gained worldwide success. How huge was success tells a fact that this virtual hero had its own concerts! It used animated projection on the special type of screen so the audience could see it and enjoy its music! It is basically a piece of music software that developed so much that it eventually became the first Crypton’s Character Vocal series!

Goku

Goku earned so much respect and worldwide success through the Dragon Ball Z series to the point that people wanted to enjoy the online casinos with this theme. It became known in 1994 after the release of the series. While finding the good casinos with this theme might be difficult, we developed our website with the top casino reviews where you can find Bitcoin casino reviews on bitcoin use in online casino clubs. This huge-hair character with special martial art abilities is also one of the most lovable characters due to its profile and good nature who remained popular up to date. Its net worth is over $4 billion!

Mario

Mario, the most famous plumber, is also one of the first Japanese anime and manga characters that made so much success in the world. It was created in 1983 and since then, there were so many different games, series and movies with this character, but the initial success appeared in the Super Mario game, made for Nintendo Entertainment System! Yoichi Kotabe created the character and gave him the cheerful nature that everyone loved!

Source: Pexels

AKB48

AKB48 is the most influential idol group in Japan that gains fans across the seas and since their start, the group became highly popular among teenagers due to their friendly approach to the fans and handshake sessions! The AKB48 was formed in 2005 in the Akibia area of Tokyo and it expanded a few years later, which helped them to organize sessions and performance acts in theaters! What is even better, this group influenced the creation of other similar groups in China, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan and Vietnam!

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

One of the best singers and models from the new generation of Japan is Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, whose image is associated with the decoa and kawaii culture! She is also known as a part of a music duo called Capsule. Kyary started with her music career in 2009 when her first hit single Candy Candy hit the charts and made her a star! Kyarysold over 2.25 millio tracks (downloads), making her one of the most successful Japanese artists of all time!

Naruto

If you like cartoons and martial arts, you must have heard of Naruto – probably the most famous manga from Japan and in the world as well. A well-known Japanese manga series, with a lot of releases including the Road to Boruto that was illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The series tells about a young ninja who is on the quest of getting respect from his peers so he could become the leader of his village. The entire series is based on the Karakuri one-shot manga by Kishimoto from 1995! One of the main significances is the multiple references to Japanese mythology and Confucianism.