- Studio Azuki blends anime craftsmanship with blockchain innovation, breaking the mold of traditional production.
- Backed by COMISMA, Xenotoon, and Westbrook Inc., it aims to merge Web3-native tools with Hollywood-level execution.
- Founder Zagabond’s Anime 2.0 vision focuses on fan ownership, creator equity, and viral storytelling built for a digital-first world.
Azuki, the Web3-native anime NFT brand that surprised the world in early 2022 with its instant-hit collection of 10,000 anime avatars, has once again shaken up the entertainment landscape. This time, the project is making a bold leap beyond digital art by launching Studio Azuki, a full-fledged anime production studio designed to revolutionize how stories are created, shared, and experienced.
Combining the cutting-edge innovation of blockchain technology with the rich traditions of anime storytelling, Studio Azuki aims to bridge the gap between fans and creators like never before — signaling a new era for the brand and the wider entertainment world. So, let us take a closer look at the journey of Azuki, the vision behind this new studio, and why this move could redefine the future of anime and Web3 entertainment.
Overview of Azuki
Azuki’s journey began as one of the most coveted anime-style NFT collections in 2022, quickly earning blue-chip status in the crypto art world. Behind its captivating characters and vibrant digital art lies a larger vision – merging Japanese anime aesthetics with street culture and Web3 technology to build a new kind of entertainment ecosystem. The team, Chiru Labs, led by the enigmatic founder Zagabond and backed by new COO Steve Chung, has steadily expanded the brand’s reach beyond simple collectibles.
They created The Garden, a virtual and real-world hybrid community that blends art, culture, and events. They partnered with legendary anime director Goro Taniguchi for a three-part anime anthology series that has already attracted millions of views. Azuki also secured collaborations with fashion and lifestyle brands, launching unique physical and digital merch that blurs the line between the two worlds.
But Azuki’s ambitions stretch far beyond what has been accomplished so far. With the AnimeChain blockchain and the $ANIME token, the project aims to rewrite how anime is created, funded, and experienced, pushing for a decentralized, community-driven approach that challenges traditional industry gatekeepers.
Introducing Studio Azuki
Studio Azuki is the natural—and bold—next step in this evolution. A joint venture between Chiru Labs, COMISMA Inc., and Xenotoon Inc., this U.S.-based studio is not your typical anime workshop. It is designed from the ground up to merge the best of Japanese anime tradition with the global, fan-driven ethos of the Web3 generation.
COMISMA brings a formidable pedigree to the table—its manga app has nurtured dozens of indie creators, and its animation studio specializes in high-end anime productions. Xenotoon, meanwhile, delivers a full-spectrum 2D/3D production pipeline and a tight-knit network of social media-native anime creators with viral sensibilities. Both companies are steeped in Japan’s anime DNA, but they see Studio Azuki as the place to reinvent that playbook.
The studio will focus on producing original anime content and adaptations, all while exploring innovative ways to integrate blockchain technology into the creation and distribution process. The mission is to completely rethink how anime is funded, created, and experienced.
This means letting fans into the kitchen. It means short-form storytelling tuned for TikTok and YouTube. It means NFTs are passports into narrative worlds. All in all, it is a studio where virality, community governance, and creator equity are the core design principles.
Studio Azuki x Westbrook Inc
Adding star power to this ambitious venture is the partnership with Westbrook Inc., the entertainment company founded by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith. Westbrook’s involvement elevates Studio Azuki’s potential, opening doors to Hollywood’s resources, distribution channels, and global audience reach.
This collaboration signals a strategic bridge between Web3-native innovation and traditional entertainment powerhouses. Westbrook brings decades of production experience and industry connections that could help Studio Azuki push past niche audiences to mainstream recognition.
Essentially, in a world where anime continues to gain massive global popularity, this alliance could unlock unprecedented opportunities for storytelling and fan engagement. It’s a rare chance to fuse Eastern animation artistry with Western storytelling muscle—and it positions Studio Azuki to compete with established studios on the world stage.
Zagabond and His Vision
At the center of Studio Azuki’s bold new direction is its founder, Zagabond—a figure who has quietly become one of the most influential voices in Web3 anime. More than just the creator behind Azuki’s iconic avatars, Zagabond is driven by a vision to completely disrupt how anime is made and experienced.
For him, traditional anime is stuck in an outdated model controlled by a handful of gatekeepers. His concept, dubbed “Anime 2.0,” is all about handing power back to the fans and creators who have fueled the culture from the start. Studio Azuki is the practical embodiment of that dream—a place where creative freedom, community ownership, and blockchain innovation merge to rewrite the rules.
This vision takes everything to a whole new level with partnerships alongside COMISMA and Xenotoon—two studios deeply rooted in Japan’s anime heritage. Together, they are building a studio that embraces fan engagement, viral storytelling, and NFTs as gateways into the creative process, redefining what it means to create and consume anime in the digital age.
Why All This Is a Big Deal?
Studio Azuki marks a turning point not just for Azuki but for the anime industry as a whole. For years, anime has been trapped in slow, gatekeeper-driven cycles that stifle innovation and limit who gets to create. This new studio breaks free from that mold, building a space where fans and creators drive the story together through blockchain-powered tools and community engagement. It is an entirely fresh approach that blends traditional anime craftsmanship with the immediacy and virality of today’s digital culture.
This approach puts real pressure on old-school studios and platforms to change or get left behind. It blurs the line between fans and creators, collectors and contributors. It also opens doors for indie artists and animators who have been stuck outside the usual system, giving them a chance to reach a global audience on a big scale.
In addition to this, the partnership with Westbrook Inc. takes this vision even further, helping Studio Azuki reach a much broader audience. With Westbrook’s deep roots in Hollywood and entertainment, the studio gains access to top-tier resources and connections needed to grow and produce world-class content. Most importantly, Studio Azuki proves that Web3-native brands can grow up. They can attract big partnerships and still keep their edge.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, Studio Azuki is what happens when a digital-native IP refuses to stay in its lane. It’s what happens when community, technology, and culture converge with ambition and resilience. For Azuki and its supporters, this is the payoff to years of experimentation, reinvention, and trust-building.
Overall, it marks the arrival of a new breed of animation studio—one that speaks the language of TikTok, thrives on global fandoms, and is not afraid to break the mold of traditional anime gatekeeping. So, whether the world is ready for it or not, Anime 2.0 is here. And it is not knocking politely. It is kicking in the door.
