Brazilian esports organisation FURIA has announced a partnership with American streaming service Crunchyroll, the licence holder for Anime series My Hero Academia.
The two partners will create a merchandise line inspired by FURIA and the My Hero Academia anime series, which is set to launch in the second half of 2024.
Crunchyroll is a well-known streaming service that focuses on Anime series and films, among them the My Hero Academia series which has seen immense popularity. The My Hero Academia series has seven seasons and has also inspired several feature films.
The FURIA collaboration will be focused on T-shirts that will be co-designed by Crunchyroll and the esports organisation. Although further merchandise items were not announced, FURIA did say that the ‘first collection’ will be released later this year, hinting at possible other collections.
The collaboration will be presented at the Red Bull Ladeira Abaixo, the Brazilian version of the Red Bull Soapbox race, where FURIA will field a car with My Hero Academia branding.
This is not the first time that the Anime brand has connected to the esports audience. Earlier this year, My Hero Academia partnered with esports organisation Team BDS to co-create a line of T-shirts and hoodies.
Esports organisation TSM has also partnered with Crunchyroll in the past for a merchandise collaboration based on My Hero Academia. Crunchyroll additionally partnered with the fighting game tournament Evolution Championship Series in 2023.
Rafael Gimenes, Head of Product at FURIA, commented on the collaboration: “FURIA and My Hero Academia resonate on a deep level. As the anime’s main character exemplifies, FURIA believes that ’heroes’ are forged through immense effort and dedication. The evolution of an individual is intrinsically linked to their commitment and ability to learn through each life stage.”
