In a landmark collaboration that bridges cultural heritage and digital innovation, Animoca Brands and Antler’s Ibex Japan have launched a Web3 investment fund aimed at revitalizing dormant Japanese anime and manga IPs through blockchain technology. We analyze how this initiative seeks to transform underutilized content into dynamic digital assets, expanding their global reach and utility across decentralized platforms. The partnership also reflects broader trends in NFT resurgence, tokenized finance, and the evolution of blockchain infrastructure
Animoca and Antler Join Forces to Bring Japanese Anime and Manga IP to the Blockchain Through a New Web3 Fund
In a strategic move that bridges traditional Japanese cultural assets with cutting-edge digital innovation, Animoca Brands has announced a partnership with Ibex Japan—the corporate innovation division of global venture capital firm Antler—to launch a specialized Web3 investment fund. This fund is explicitly designed to transition dormant and underutilized Japanese intellectual property (IP), particularly from the anime and manga sectors, into blockchain-based formats, aiming to create a global, decentralized digital ecosystem for cultural and creative content.
The announcement was made during the WebX conference in Tokyo, one of Asia’s leading technology and Web3 events, underscoring Japan’s growing role in blockchain innovation. Animoca Brands’ co-founder and executive chairman Yat Siu, senior advisor Keyvan Peymani, and Ibex Japan partner Sandeep Casi presented the initiative, highlighting not just its business potential but its broader cultural implications. According to Casi, an estimated 90% to 99% of Japan’s IP assets remain untapped and shelved due to a variety of structural, legal, and technological limitations. These assets, many of which come from beloved yet inactive manga and anime franchises, represent enormous latent economic and cultural value. The new fund intends to license and reactivate these IPs, repackaging them for the Web3 era via NFTs, decentralized applications (dApps), and tokenized content distribution mechanisms.
From a technological standpoint, this move represents a maturation of blockchain use cases beyond speculative finance or basic NFT art. By integrating storied Japanese IPs into decentralized ecosystems, the project seeks to develop interoperable digital assets that can function across multiple platforms—metaverses, games, collectibles, and even decentralized social networks. This approach aligns with Animoca’s broader vision of building the open metaverse, a decentralized and user-owned digital landscape where assets and identities are portable and secure thanks to blockchain infrastructure.
Siu emphasized that Animoca already maintains a robust operational presence in Japan through its local subsidiary, Animoca Brands KK (ABKK), which has cultivated relationships with both IP holders and regulatory bodies. Through this partnership with Antler and its extensive global reach—spanning 22 cities, $1.2 billion in assets under management, and a network of over 250,000 entrepreneurs—the initiative is well-positioned to scale internationally. The focus of this effort is not restricted to gaming; it also includes applications in financial technology (fintech), digital health, and medical technology, signaling a shift toward blockchain integration in real-world utilities.
The fund, which will be co-managed by Casi and Peymani as general partners, is designed to do more than merely fund Web3 startups. It will serve as an IP revitalization engine—acquiring, licensing, and tokenizing unused or neglected Japanese IPs, and then enabling their utility within decentralized ecosystems. This may include dynamic NFTs that evolve with user interaction, DAO-governed content platforms, or blockchain-based royalties systems that provide transparent and automated revenue-sharing between creators, rights holders, and fans.
The timing of this initiative is strategic. The NFT market has shown renewed signs of vitality after a prolonged period of stagnation. According to data from NFT Price Floor, the overall NFT market capitalization surged to $9.3 billion as of August 13, a substantial 40% increase from $6.6 billion just a month earlier. This rebound is attributed not only to market recovery but also to the maturation of underlying technologies, better user experiences in decentralized applications, and the emergence of regulatory clarity in key markets.
Meanwhile, the broader regulatory landscape continues to evolve. In the United States, for instance, cryptocurrency exchange Kraken recently engaged in discussions with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), particularly its Crypto Asset Working Group, to deliberate over plans for a tokenized trading system. A memorandum filed on Monday detailed a meeting between SEC staff, Kraken representatives, and legal counsel from WilmerHale. The discussions centered on the regulatory, legal, and operational implications of tokenizing securities and other financial assets—a technological frontier that could redefine capital markets by enhancing transparency, liquidity, and accessibility.
Kraken’s launch of its tokenized equities platform on May 22 allows non-U.S. investors to trade U.S. stocks around the clock, disrupting the traditional market model. This was followed by a similar move from Robinhood, which launched its own tokenized stock service in Europe on June 30. Most recently, Kraken announced an expansion of its tokenized assets offering onto the Tron blockchain, signaling growing interoperability between blockchain networks and traditional financial instruments.
Together, these developments indicate a clear trajectory: blockchain technology is moving from speculative experimentation into a phase of applied utility, where real-world assets, cultural heritage, and technological infrastructure converge. Animoca and Antler’s fund to bring Japanese anime and manga IP to the blockchain is emblematic of this trend, offering a model for how legacy cultural industries can reinvent themselves in the Web3 paradigm. It also highlights how decentralized technologies can unlock previously inaccessible value while ensuring more equitable participation for creators, rights holders, and global audiences alike.
