Sailor Moon set the ground for real fashion designs entering the worlds of anime and manga, and sneakers and streetwear followed. The Yu-Gi-Oh! original manga from the ‘90s often featured the Air Max 95, which Joey Wheeler (aka Katsuya Jonouchi) wore. This reflected what the youth was wearing at the time: the Air Max 95 had a huge following in Japan, and it was often spotted in other manga and TV series. Another example was Toru Fujisawa’s GTO – Great Teacher Onizuka. Characters donning specific sneakers that were part of the zeitgeist, and clothing that the youth wore, added to the characters’ relatability and relevance.

“Japan has always been an essential pillar for sneaker and streetwear culture, so the tie-in with anime and streetwear and sneakers has always been bounded by their culture,” says our sneaker and anime enthusiast videographer Michael Ha. “What makes it so mutually inspiring is how every sneaker has its own story, and whoever wears it is a character to their own story. If it’s Joey wearing Air Max 95s or it’s Sakuragi Hanamichi wearing Air Jordan 6s, people want to relate to their character in some way or form.”

The merging of two fanbases which are based around collecting, created a space for a strong crossover, and designers, fans and, later on, brands quickly realised the potential.

Nike really set the ground with Nike x Gundam in 1998, one of the first anime sneaker collabs. And influential Japanese designer and BAPE founder Nigo’s BAPE 2005 Marvel Comics collaboration was the pioneering release that truly kickstarted sneaker and animation collaborations that we know today. And today, the likes of Vandy The Pink and Koji are able to really skyrocket designs in collaboration with franchises such as Pokémon and Astroboy.

For fans, the appeal is obvious: a sneaker becomes a collector's item, signalling that you’re a fan of the franchise and adding to your street cred. “Storytelling is what makes sneakers and fashion great,” Ha says. “Yeah, clothing pieces can look amazing alone, but when there is a story attached to it, that makes every piece feel a little nicer, a little heavier, a little more inspiring. And with how much Anime has grown through the generations, it’s such an easy way to connect with an audience especially those who grew up with different anime’s that the collaboration is focused on.”