Sony’s Soneium blockchain, Animoca Brands bring anime to Web3

Update March 27, 12:20 pm UTC: This article has been updated to add comments from San FranTokyo head David Taing and Moca Network project lead Kenneth Shek.

Sony’s Soneium blockchain partnered with Animoca Brands to boost anime culture in Web3 by integrating anime artwork in decentralized digital identities. 

On March 27, the companies announced a collaboration that targets global anime and manga fans to boost user engagement in Web3. 

With the partnership, Animoca’s digital identity infrastructure platform, Moca Network, will create an identity layer on the Soneium blockchain, starting with Anime ID, a decentralized identifier and reputation layer.

Anime ID is spearheaded by San FranTokyo, an initiative to integrate traditional anime and manga culture with decentralized technologies. 

Anime-themed experiences are coming to Web3

The partnership integrates Moca Network’s Account, Identity and Reputation Software Development Kit (AIR SDK) into the Soneium blockchain. This allows users to maintain embedded accounts with unique identities and credentials as they use different decentralized applications (DApps) on the network. 

San FranTokyo’s Anime ID will be the first to adopt the AIR SDK, enhancing anime fan engagement on Soneium. In addition, San FranTokyo will collaborate with Animoca Brands to launch anime-inspired cultural campaigns on Soneium to onboard anime fans to the Soneium blockchain and connect with new anime-themed experiences.

San FranTokyo head David Taing told Cointelegraph that Anime ID makes blockchain engagement feel “more natural” for anime and manga fans. Taing told Cointelegraph: 

“Currently, navigating the Web3 space can be overwhelming due to the need for multiple wallets, platforms and accounts. Anime ID simplifies this experience by offering fans one simple identity to use across all aspects of their fandom.”

Taing said the first initiative would be the Anime Art Festival on Soneium, which is designed to spotlight anime-focused intellectual properties, creators and Web3 projects. 

“We are excited to kick things off with the globally acclaimed Solo Leveling in collaboration with the Otherworld team,” Taing told Cointelegraph. 

Meanwhile, Moca Network project lead Kenneth Shek told Cointelegraph that anime is a “core part” of modern-day entertainment culture, and the partnership is just the beginning. 

“Starting with anime, we foresee many other entertainment-related applications to participate in the network, and further enrich the user-owned identity and data,” Shek added. 

Sony Block Solutions Labs (Sony BSL) launched the blockchain’s public testnet on Aug. 28, 2024. The layer-2 network aims to foster a fan community centered on creators who connect diverse values through the blockchain. 

On Jan. 14, the blockchain’s mainnet went live amid backlash from community members. Pump.fun’s Alon slammed the network for blacklisting specific memecoins and “nuking everyone’s position to 0.”

Related: Captain Tsubasa NFT soccer game debuts on Oasys blockchain

Ghibli-inspired memecoins flood the crypto market

On March 25, OpenAI launched image generation for its ChatGPT-4o mode. This was met with social media users generating images in the art style of Studio Ghibli, a company known for its anime films. Following the surge, a Ghibli-inspired memecoin reached a market capitalization of $20 million. Since then, at least 20 other Ghibli-related memecoins have been created in the market. 

While the news may be great for Web3 and anime fans, anime and crypto may not always work in favor of men seeking relationships. On Aug. 26, women ranked anime as the third-most unattractive hobby for a man, while crypto took the number two spot. 

Magazine: Azuki founder airdrops ANIME for a ‘billion global fans’: Zagabond, NFT Creator