2nd Interview with Mr. Ozaki— Anime Producer on Why Global Brands Adopt Character IP

Interview with Mr. Ozaki

Anime was once widely seen as entertainment primarily for children.

Both in Japan and overseas, there was a time when corporate decision-makers did not view anime as something that belonged at the center of serious brand strategy or global communication. Instead, it was often treated as entertainment aimed at children or niche fan communities.

But that perception has changed dramatically.

Today, brands and studios around the world are paying close attention to Japanese anime and anime-inspired character design. Collaborations with existing IP, the co-development of original characters, animated video campaigns, game adaptations, live-action projects, and global multimedia rollouts are becoming increasingly common. Anime is no longer viewed simply as a visual style. It is increasingly being recognized as a long-term strategic asset for building and managing brands.

One person who has witnessed this transformation firsthand is Mr. Ozaki.

Having worked extensively on the development, global expansion, and brand collaboration strategies behind major anime IP, Ozaki does not see the current rise of anime in marketing and entertainment as a temporary trend. Rather, he sees it as part of a much larger structural shift, driven by the fact that “the generation raised on anime has become the generation making decisions.”

In this interview, we spoke with him about why anime is such a powerful tool for brand communication, how characters can evolve into long-term brand assets, and what overseas CMOs and producers should keep in mind when working with anime IP.

Anime has grown beyond “kids’ cartoons,” and so have today’s decision-makers

Over the past 30 years, perceptions of anime have changed dramatically.

Ozaki begins by reflecting on how anime used to be viewed, both in Japan and overseas.

“Overseas cartoons and things for children… until around thirty or forty years ago, there was a strong perception overseas that anime was simply for children, that it was cartoons…”

The situation in Japan was not very different. Even Gundam, now recognized as a global IP, was not necessarily something familiar to corporate decision-makers.

“Until thirty or forty years ago, even if you mentioned Gundam, department heads or executives in their forties or fifties would often respond, ‘Gundam? What’s that?’ There were so many people like that.”

But over the past 10 to 20 years, that situation has changed significantly.

The generation that grew up watching Gundam, Jump titles, Sgt. Frog, and TIGER & BUNNY in real time has now become department heads, executives, producers, and business leaders. Anime IP no longer needs to be explained from scratch. Its value is already understood.

“Starting around twenty years ago, even department heads and executives would say, ‘Oh, I watched Gundam. I really liked it.’ Those fans now have decision-making power, so conversations move very quickly. For me as well, it became much easier to discuss collaborations.”

This shift is about more than anime simply becoming more popular.

Because of generational change among decision-makers, companies and studios are now much more open to conversations like, “We want to collaborate with anime for this brand." “We want to work with this IP,” or “We want to adapt this series into live action.”

“Whether it was Gundam, Sgt. Frog, or TIGER & BUNNY, companies would come to us because they already liked anime themselves and say, ‘Please let us do a collaboration.’ That has increased enormously over the past fifteen or twenty years.”

In other words, the growing use of anime is not just a temporary trend.

It reflects a deeper structural change: the generation raised on anime has entered positions of influence and decision-making. Anime is no longer seen as a niche form of expression that requires explanation. It is now something decision-makers already understand, feel emotionally connected to, and recognize as a powerful business tool.

Why anime is such a powerful medium for controlled brand storytelling

What makes anime more effective than live action for brand communication?

According to Ozaki, one of anime’s greatest strengths is that it contains no unnecessary information.

“Anime is, in a positive sense, a collection of symbolized elements, so the message it conveys can be simple and highly resonant. There’s no unnecessary information.”

He explains that this idea applies not only to storytelling but also to the visual composition of the screen itself.

“In anime, there’s no unnecessary information on screen either. Because it’s a refined collection of symbolic elements, it becomes very easy to highlight and communicate a single brand clearly.”

In live action, a large amount of unintended information naturally enters the frame.

The atmosphere of the location, signs in the background, passersby, weather, architecture, clothing textures, and countless other details all carry meaning. Even if the creator did not intend to emphasize them, viewers still absorb those impressions subconsciously.

Anime works differently because everything is created from scratch.

If something is not drawn, it does not exist. The density of the background, the color palette, a character’s gaze, the placement of a logo, the level of abstraction in a cityscape, and the amount of information included in a scene can all be intentionally controlled.

That level of precision makes it much easier for brands to clearly design what they want audiences to focus on.

“Because anime is built from this carefully refined accumulation of symbols, I think it becomes extremely effective for communicating a brand in a very focused way.”

In other words, anime is a medium built around selective information design.

Because every element in the frame can be controlled, creators can deliberately direct attention toward specific emotions, messages, or visual cues. A brand’s worldview, color scheme, character design, and even the abstraction level of the background can all be carefully shaped to support the intended message.

Another important characteristic of anime is that viewers tend to assume that everything shown on screen has meaning.

Unlike live action, where accidental or incidental details naturally appear, anime is often perceived as a fully intentional visual space. As a result, audiences unconsciously interpret each visual element as something that was deliberately chosen.

According to Ozaki, this becomes a major advantage in brand communication.

He also points to character design, particularly features such as hair color and eye color, as examples of how anime can shape perception.

“The idea that there’s no unnecessary information applies to things like the color of a character’s hair or eyes as well.”

By intentionally designing characters in ways that move away from strict realism, anime can avoid strongly evoking associations related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, or politics.

“When you avoid evoking things like religion or fixed identity markers, the expression becomes more neutral, in a sense.”

With live-action actors, viewers naturally associate appearance with nationality, race, religion, politics, or social background. Anime, however, allows creators to intentionally abstract or soften those associations through stylized character design, clothing, color choices, and visual expression.

For companies building brands across global markets, this flexibility can be an extremely powerful advantage.

Why anime characters can become stable long-term brand assets

Celebrity-driven campaigns can be highly effective for brands.

At the same time, they come with risks that are often difficult to control. Celebrities are real people, which means they age, accumulate associations from past work and public statements, express political opinions, and sometimes become involved in scandals. Agency relationships and contracts can also change over time.

Ozaki describes the risks of working with real-life talent in the following way.

“With real people, audiences inevitably associate them with their personal background and public image. That can lead to scandals, and brands end up carrying both past and future risks.”

Anime characters operate very differently.

“Anime characters, fundamentally, unlike real actors, do not age. They do not cause scandals. Their image remains consistent. They are characters that stay the same over time.”

Anime characters do not grow older, become involved in controversies, or suddenly make political statements. Their personalities, values, and worldview can be carefully managed and maintained by creators and rights holders.

Of course, fictional characters are not entirely risk-free. They still exist within story worlds and fan communities, and audiences develop strong emotional expectations around them. But compared with human celebrities, they are generally much easier for brands to manage consistently over the long term.

Ozaki also points out that character design itself can help reduce cultural and political risk when expanding globally.

“For example, things like a character’s hair color or eye color, colors that don’t really exist naturally in real life, like pink, blue, or bright blonde…”

“By avoiding strong associations with things like religion or nationality, the expression becomes more neutral, in a sense.”

“That connects very well with maintaining a stable brand strategy.”

In other words, successful anime character design often relies on a careful balance.

The character should not feel too closely tied to a specific real-world individual, nationality, religion, or political identity. At the same time, the character still needs enough personality, emotion, and humanity for audiences to connect with them emotionally.

This balance is one of the key reasons anime characters can become durable long-term brand assets.

Unlike celebrities, who may attract temporary attention for a campaign cycle, anime characters can continue serving as recognizable brand representatives for 10 years or more while maintaining a stable and carefully controlled identity.

Designing worlds that audiences everywhere can connect with

For anime IP developed with global expansion in mind, one of the most important questions is whether audiences in different countries can feel that the story belongs to them.

Ozaki explains that international audiences were a major consideration from the very beginning of TIGER & BUNNY.

“It was a work that was very conscious of overseas audiences from the start. There are eight heroes, and each one was designed with a balance of different nationalities and backgrounds.”

That approach was reflected directly in the character design.

“There are American-style characters, Chinese-style characters, Russian-style characters, Black characters, gay characters, and so on.”

But the goal was not simply to assemble a cast with diverse attributes.

What mattered was whether viewers could recognize something familiar in the world of the story, whether through nationality, culture, personality, or emotional experience. Even if a character was different from them, the audience still needed to feel that they could connect with that character in some meaningful way.

“The idea was that people from any country, region, or background could still find something they could relate to.”

The same philosophy shaped the design of the city where the story takes place.

Ozaki says he imagined the setting as “a small Manhattan.”

“I imagined it like a small Manhattan. That was something I was conscious of from the beginning.”

The city can feel reminiscent of places like Shibuya or New York, but it is never tied too strongly to one real-world location. It captures the atmosphere of a modern urban environment while remaining slightly abstract and universal.

That balance is important.

By designing a world that feels realistic without being overly specific, creators make it easier for audiences across different countries to feel, “This could be our world too.”

This approach also has important implications for global brand campaigns.

When a single IP or campaign is rolled out across multiple markets, a world too closely tied to one region or culture can create distance for audiences elsewhere. At the same time, a world that feels too abstract can lose the emotional details that help people connect with it.

Anime is particularly effective because it allows creators to design a space between those two extremes.

It can resemble reality without being reality itself. A character may not represent one specific person, but audiences can still see parts of themselves reflected in them.

For global brands, that flexibility is incredibly valuable

Anime as emotional infrastructure: Why people listen to characters

Anime characters are more than tools for generating brand awareness or likability.

In some cases, they can actually influence people’s behavior.

As an example, Ozaki points to Shimajiro, a well-known educational character for children created by Benesse.

“There’s a famous example that many people know. Benesse has a character called Shimajiro.”

“Children may not listen to what their parents say, but if Shimajiro tells them, ‘Brush your teeth before bed,’ they’ll listen.”

A child may ignore the exact same message when it comes from a parent but accept it immediately when it comes from a trusted character.

That is because the character is not simply an advertising mascot. For the child, the character has become a familiar, trusted, and emotionally comforting presence.

According to Ozaki, a similar dynamic may exist for adults as well.

“There may be something similar for adults too. Instead of hearing something from your boss, if your favorite character or oshi character says it, you may actually listen. There may be a part of people that’s simply more willing to accept things honestly that way.”

Characters can also embody ideals and emotions that people themselves struggle to express in real life.

“When people look at Luffy, they see someone who does the things they normally cannot do themselves, someone who acts on their behalf, almost like a symbol of extraordinary aspiration.”

Characters like Luffy represent ideas such as freedom, loyalty, courage, and friendship. They take actions that audiences admire but may feel unable to take themselves. That is one reason people project their aspirations onto them so strongly.

The influence of characters goes far beyond simple product favorability.

In some cases, characters are even used symbolically in political movements, social campaigns, or public messaging. This demonstrates that anime can become more than entertainment or content. It can function as emotional infrastructure that shapes how people feel, think, and connect with values.

From a branding perspective, this creates enormous potential.

Through characters, brands may be able to encourage not only awareness and affinity, but also empathy, participation, loyalty, continued engagement, and even behavioral change.

At the same time, Ozaki stresses that this influence comes with significant responsibility.

Characters become deeply connected to people’s emotions and identities. Because of that, brands using anime should think beyond short-term buzz or visibility. They also need to consider what values they are communicating, what kinds of behavior they are encouraging, and the long-term responsibility that comes with shaping emotional connections through characters.

6. What global CMOs and producers should think about next

So what mindset should overseas CMOs and producers have when working with anime?

According to Ozaki, the most important point is that anime should not be treated simply as a visual style or creative format.

Anime becomes especially powerful when a brand wants to build long-term identity and emotional connection. It is also highly effective for companies looking to run consistent campaigns or expand IP across multiple global markets.

In some cases, anime can even help reduce the reputation risks that often come with celebrity-based campaigns.

“Anime characters, fundamentally, unlike real actors, do not age. They do not cause scandals. Their image remains consistent.”

Anime is also particularly effective at simplifying and clarifying brand messaging.

“I think anime makes it very easy to clearly highlight and communicate a single brand. It’s very effective in that sense.”

“You can present the character simply as a character, and audiences are able to accept the work itself more naturally and honestly.”

Of course, whether a company should collaborate with an existing IP or co-create a completely new one depends on the brand’s goals, strategy, and tolerance for risk.

Existing IP already comes with established recognition, fan communities, and a developed worldview. That can make collaborations powerful and efficient. At the same time, however, brands have less freedom because they must respect the identity of the existing work and the expectations of fans.

Creating a new IP from scratch requires more time, investment, and long-term commitment. But it also gives brands the opportunity to embed their own philosophy, values, and strategic direction much more deeply into the characters and world itself.

For Ozaki, the key is not simply producing “an anime-style commercial.”

What brands really need to think about is how to design characters and worlds as long-term brand assets.

Based on his perspective, anime is not a temporary visual trend. It can become a system for shaping a brand’s identity, managing a consistent worldview, and delivering emotional continuity across multiple markets over time.

“I feel that anime is not just a temporary visual trend. It can become something like an operating system for moving a brand over the long term.”

Using anime does not simply mean changing the art style of a campaign.

It means carefully designing what values the brand wants to communicate, who those values are meant to reach, how long the relationship should last, and how that message will work across different markets and cultures.

That is why, for global brands, the first question should not be, “What kind of anime expression should we use?”

The more important questions are the following:

• What kind of character are we building as a long-term asset?
• What kind of world are we trying to cultivate?
• And how will that character and worldview shape the way audiences emotionally connect with the brand over time?

Only after those questions are thoughtfully designed can anime truly become a strategic advantage for a brand.