Highlights
- Celio’s new Kaiju No. 8 collection offers officially licensed anime apparel targeting India’s young anime-savvy audience.
- India is one of the largest anime markets, expected to drive 60% of global growth, with most viewers aged 18–24 and predominantly male.
- Global brands like Uniqlo and Celio are localizing Japanese pop culture through fashion, reflecting India’s rising demand for anime-inspired merchandise.
French menswear brand Celio has introduced a new merchandise collection based on the anime Kaiju No. 8, marking another example of the growing market for anime-inspired fashion in India. The collection includes cotton T-shirts and shirts featuring major characters and themes from the series. Among the pieces are tees inspired by Kafka Hibino’s monstrous form, a military-style tactical khaki shirt, and one featuring the swordswoman Kikoru Shinomiya.
Kaiju No. 8, based on Naoya Matsumoto’s manga, has gained international attention since its 2024 anime debut. The story follows Kafka Hibino, who becomes a Kaiju, a giant monster, and joins the Japanese Defense Force to fight others like him. Celio’s entry into the anime merchandise space builds on similar offerings from other brands, including their previous collections based on Demon Slayer, Naruto, Solo Leveling, and Hunter x Hunter. This shows a clear trend in India as brands recognize the demand for officially licensed anime apparel among younger consumers interested in Japanese pop culture.
Anime’s Growing Popularity in India
This trend is also reflected in international brands like Uniqlo, which recently launched a Studio Ghibli-themed clothing line in India. The collection showcases imagery from eight well-known Studio Ghibli films, such as Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, indicating that major retailers see the Indian market as fertile ground for anime-related products.
According to a report by Ernst & Young, India is a rapidly expanding market for anime, ranking as streaming platform Crunchyroll’s second-largest anime market globally. It is expected to drive 60% of the platform’s global growth in the coming years. Within the Indian anime audience, 35 to 39% of viewers are aged between 18 and 24, with 60% being male, and the average viewer age is around 24 years. This young, predominantly male demographic plays a significant role in shaping the local anime ecosystem and the demand for related content and merchandise.
Both Celio’s Kaiju No. 8 collection and Uniqlo’s Studio Ghibli line illustrate how global Japanese pop culture is being adapted to suit India’s fashion and cultural landscape. These efforts reflect the growing influence and popularity of anime among Indian youth and highlight the country’s potential as a key market for anime-related commercial ventures.
As access to anime continues to expand in India, the availability of officially licensed merchandise tailored to local tastes is likely to increase, underlining anime’s evolving place in the country’s entertainment and fashion sectors.
Author
Abhimannu Das is a web journalist at Outlook India with a focus on Indian pop culture, gaming, and esports. He has over 10 years of journalistic experience and over 3,500 articles that include industry deep dives, interviews, and SEO content. He has worked on a myriad of games and their ecosystems, including Valorant, Overwatch, and Apex Legends.
Abhimannu Das is a web journalist at Outlook India with a focus on Indian pop culture, gaming, and esports. He has over 10 years of journalistic experience and over 3,500 articles that include industry deep dives, interviews, and SEO content. He has worked on a myriad of games and their ecosystems, including Valorant, Overwatch, and Apex Legends.
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