JAKKS Pacific has established a dedicated anime division as part of its push into anime, manga, and digital creator merchandise. (Image credit: JAKKS Pacific)
Crunchyroll & JAKKS Pacific Ink Major 2026 Anime Merch & Toy Deal
The American toy maker will produce figures, plushies, and cosplay gear for titles including Sekiro: No Defeat, Solo Leveling, & Chainsaw Man, betting big on Crunchyroll's 17 million paid subscribers.
Highlights
- JAKKS Pacific will manufacture official Crunchyroll merchandise across collectible figures, plushies, tech accessories, and cosplay gear.
- The deal covers major franchises including Sekiro: No Defeat, Solo Leveling, My Hero Academia, Chainsaw Man, and more titles to be announced later this year.
- JAKKS is targeting Crunchyroll's 17 million-plus paid subscribers across 200 countries as part of a broader push into anime and digital creator culture.
Anime fans may need to make room on their display shelves. JAKKS Pacific, the California-based toy manufacturer, has struck a deal with Crunchyroll to become a major U.S. producer of official merchandise for the streaming platform's anime catalog.
The agreement covers collectible figures, plushies, tech accessories, and cosplay gear tied to some of the biggest anime franchises currently airing or in production. JAKKS will also be the toy partner for Crunchyroll's upcoming series Sekiro: No Defeat, an adaptation of FromSoftware's acclaimed action game. The anime, set to stream later this year, will feature the game's original Japanese voice cast: Daisuke Namikawa, Miyuki Satou, and Kenjiro Tsuda.
Beyond Sekiro, JAKKS will produce costumes and products for 2025 Anime of the Year winner Solo Leveling, along with My Hero Academia, Black Clover, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, and Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc. Additional titles are expected to be added as the partnership matures.
Why JAKKS Pacific picked Crunchyroll as its anime partner
Ariana Berman, Senior Director of JAKKS Pacific's Anime Division, told GameRant that Crunchyroll was at the top of their list as the company expanded into anime. Crunchyroll's reach, she said, gives JAKKS a direct line to millions of viewers in a category that is growing fast.
"Crunchyroll's industry-leading platform allows us to dive headfirst into a fast-growing category."- Ariana Berman, Sr. Director, Anime Division, JAKKS Pacific
Anna Songco Adamian, Crunchyroll's Vice President of Global Consumer Products, said the deal will expand Crunchyroll's physical product offerings. The focus, she noted, is on creating merchandise that meets the quality bar fans expect while bringing anime properties to new audiences globally.
Crunchyroll's 17 million subscribers give JAKKS a massive consumer base
The commercial logic is straightforward. Crunchyroll currently has more than 17 million paid subscribers spread across 200-plus countries and territories. Its library runs to over 2,000 anime titles and 25,000 hours of subbed and dubbed content, supplemented by games, podcasts, and manga. For JAKKS, that is a built-in customer base with proven spending habits.
Crunchyroll's Winter 2026 slate gives a sense of the pipeline: Jujutsu Kaisen: The Culling Game, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2, Oshi No Ko Season 3, and Fire Force Season 3 are all currently airing, keeping subscriber engagement high ahead of new product launches.
JAKKS Pacific's broader bet on anime and digital creator culture
For JAKKS Pacific, founded in 1995 and known for brands like Disguise, Fly Wheels, and Kidtopia, the Crunchyroll deal is one piece of a larger strategy. The company recently completed a multi-layered global distribution rollout and signed a separate agreement with COVER Corporation and hololive English to produce officially licensed VTuber collectibles and merchandise.
Taken together, these moves signal that JAKKS is making a deliberate bet that anime, gaming, and digital creator fandoms are now large enough to support a dedicated product vertical at scale. The first Crunchyroll-branded product lines are expected to hit shelves soon.
Author
Krishna Goswami is a content writer at Outlook India, where she delves into the vibrant worlds of pop culture, gaming, and esports. A graduate of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) with a PG Diploma in English Journalism, she brings a strong journalistic foundation to her work. Her prior newsroom experience equips her to deliver sharp, insightful, and engaging content on the latest trends in the digital world.
Krishna Goswami is a content writer at Outlook India, where she delves into the vibrant worlds of pop culture, gaming, and esports. A graduate of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) with a PG Diploma in English Journalism, she brings a strong journalistic foundation to her work. Her prior newsroom experience equips her to deliver sharp, insightful, and engaging content on the latest trends in the digital world.
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