Mirroring the plotlines of beloved anime series, this narrative follows a vibrant collective of individuals in their twenties who began from the ground up, journeyed across the globe, and ultimately secured an international license to create official Naruto consumer applications.
Launched in the early months of 2022, the French venture Sekai positions itself as a creative workshop aimed at bringing to life entertainment ventures under the banner of recognized anime licenses. While franchises like Marvel’s superheroes and Harry Potter have extended their reach across various entertainment mediums, the anime and manga sector has largely remained untapped. Sure, there are fighting games from giants like Bandai Namco (or Sega, Konami…), and yes, merchandise like figurines are available. But, the offerings are relatively limited.
“In the world today, anime fans number around 600 million. It’s predominantly a Japan-centric industry. The manga originates from Japan, the anime is produced there, it’s distributed there, and all merchandise is also made in Japan,” shared Samy Therain, Sekai’s co-founder and CEO, in a conversation with TechCrunch.
Despite this, names like Bleach, Dragon Ball, Naruto, and One Piece rank among the most celebrated entertainment properties globally — not just within Japan. It’s this global appeal that motivated Sekai to spend the first 15 months since its inception in talks with TV Tokyo to nail down official rights, culminating in the Naruto deal.
The specifics of these negotiations remain under wraps for now, but further details may be disclosed as Sekai progresses toward launching its maiden application.
Under the licensing agreement, what capabilities does Sekai gain? The company is empowered to craft consumer mobile applications featuring characters and story arcs from Naruto. These applications are envisioned to be interactive and carry a social dimension. Sekai is in active development of its initial application.
“We’re in the midst of testing a variety of social experiences. That’s the reason I’m unable to outline exactly what’s on the horizon immediately, as we’re still in the phase of experimentation. But ultimately, we’re looking to immerse users in the ninja world,” Therain explained.
For some, this might bring to mind Pokémon Go, the smartphone game that became an instant phenomenon. “Niantic perfectly matched the intellectual property. They devised a game centered on catching Pokémon, and it was a roaring success,” Therain observed, noting that Sekai also ventured into creating a GPS-based interactive app inspired by Naruto, although it didn’t resonate as well. He confirmed that the forthcoming Naruto app will not mimic Pokémon Go.
The ultimate aim is to immerse users in the ninja world.
Samy Therain
Considering the plethora of unauthorized Naruto knockoffs and clones already available in the App Store and Play Store, there’s clearly a substantial demand for authentic Naruto-themed applications.
“Upon initiating tests in Canada, we encountered immediate shutdowns from platforms like TikTok and Meta, all citing IP infringement concerns. Our response was, ‘Indeed, we do have the license—here’s the documentation.’ It took three months to resolve the misunderstandings, as the legitimacy of our claim was initially doubted,” Therain recounted.
The licensing agreement also permits Sekai to launch digital collectibles, organize real-world events and fan conventions, with the license spanning globally with the exception of Japan and China.
Sekai intends not to centralize all operations. Instead, while holding decisive control over the Naruto license, “We’re die-hard fans. Our focus is on ensuring that everything is executed correctly and approved by Shueisha [Naruto’s publisher]. Partnering with specialists for specific tasks is not off the table,” stated Therain.
To date, the startup has successfully raised €10 million ($10.9 million at the current exchange rate) from Skycatcher, alongside contributions from 776 (Alexis Ohanian’s fund), Cygni, Kima Ventures, Makers Fund, Motier Ventures, New Wave, and TV Tokyo. Notables such as Laurent Ritter and Alexandre Yazdi from Voodoo; Nicolas Julia and Adrien Montfort from Sorare; Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park; French rapper Orelsan; and athletes Rudy Gobert and Randal Kolo Muani are on the investor roster.
While Naruto stands as their initial launchpad, Sekai’s aspirations stretch beyond being pigeonholed as “the Naruto enterprise.” The strategy involves introducing a new intellectual property every year. “The name ‘Sekai’ translates to ‘world’ in Japanese,” Therain elaborated, reflecting the team’s broader vision.
Compiled by Techarena.au.
Fanpage: TechArena.au
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