There are several belovedanimecharacters that fans can always find in cartoons, manga, and at the local cosplay festival. For those fans that are lucky to visit the home ofanime, Japan actually has several life-size statues of iconic anime characters. These aren’t figurines or temporary installations either,but permanent or rotating exhibitions.Related:Best Anime Openings Of All Time, RankedSome of the following statues were originally intended as temporary displays as either promotional material or fanservice, and stayed up because of the positive response they received. Others are part of theme parks or city subway stations.
6The Life-Sized Unicorn Gundam Project, Tokyo
Big giant robots always get a lot of attention, and there are plenty of humorous fake pictures that show the mecha from various shows and comics descending on a city street. ThisGundamrobot is one of the real ones, however,and fans can find it in Tokyo.
The first version of the statue went up in 2017, and the public outcry when it was removed prompted the Tokyo Gundam Project to return it. The Life-Sized Unicorn Gundam, based ona design featured in the actual show, isn’t just a fun place for fans of the mecha genre. The location hosts family and community events like treasure hunts, movie showings, and light shows.
5The One-Piece Statues, Kumamoto
One-Piecefans rejoice and make sure to visit the city of Kumamoto if you haven’t already. This isthe hometown of Eiichiro Oda, the author and artist who created the originalOne-Piecemanga. The statues are partially meant to commemorate the author and his work, but their main purpose is to help the city recover from the 2016 earthquakes.
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The first two statues were unveiled in 2018 and featured the main protagonist of the series, Luffe, with his companions Usopp and Sanji going up a year later. The list doesn’t stop there, but continues into the present, with six more statues now scattered throughout town and others scheduled to go up this year. It’s one of the city’s most popular attractions, and a nice way to explore Kumamoto.
4Attack On Titan Statues, Osaka
Visitors will find a variety ofAttack On Titanstatues throughout the grounds ofUniversal Studios Osaka, and fans need to see them all, but one of the best is the “Eating Titan” where fans can take pictures being consumed by one of the iconic beasts. The statues went up in 2015 as part of a related new exhibit, and there are also two full-sized fighting Titans and wax replicas of characters from the show.
The exhibit includes other anime such asEvangelionandMonster Hunteralong with the popular video game franchise,BioHazard. Be advised that seeing any of these exhibitions requires entry into the Universal Studios Theme Park.
3The “Birthplace Of Japanese Animation” Statues, Nerima
The bronze statues scattered throughout this quaint park can be found outside the Seibu Ikebukuro Subway Line station in Nerima, Japan, andthey represent a variety of famous charactersfrom both anime and manga. With several animation studios nearby, and many of them headquartered here for most of their history, these statues are intended to help celebrate the city as the birthplace of Japanese animation.
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There are a total of three statues, with Astroboy being the most recognizable. The others are Lum Invader fromUrusei Yatsura, as well as Tetsuro and Maetel fromGalaxy Express 999. Animator and artist Leiji Matsumoto, who createdGalaxy Express 999, was present when it was unveiled. Rumiko Takahashi, who createdRanma 1/2andInuYasha, unveiled the Lum statue.
2Robot Soldier, Mitaka City
This is one of the best anime statues anywhere, let alone in Japan, and it’s also one of the toughest to see. The Robot Soldier overlooks the rooftop garden of theGhibli Museum, and tickets for admission have to be reserved weeks in advance.
Fans ofStudio Ghiblimovies will recognize the figure fromLupita: Castle In The Sky.There are severalreferences to this particular fan favoritethroughout the garden for those with an eye for detail, such as the inscribed Laputan control cubeââââââ. The whole building and the surrounding grounds were designed by Miyazaki to resemble a variety of his creations, so there’s a lot more here for an anime aficionado other than statues.
1The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox Statue, Kobe
Of course, there would have to be a theme park for one of the most popular anime and manga franchises in history,Naruto. This is where fans can find a massive statue of a demon fox. This statue isa depiction of the supernatural beingknown as the Kurama, or Nine-Tails, and it’s so big that it doubles as a rock-climbing wall. Another statue that’s just as impressive is the gigantic “Mount Rushmore” which features several famous characters.
The exact location of the park is on Awaji Island and is officially known asNaruto & Boruto Shinobi-zato. It’s an essential visit for fans of this series or its sequel, Baruto, and includes other diversions like a three-dimensional maze and ninja-training courses that mimic the ones from the show.
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