Event Information
- Date & Time: September 28, 2025 (Sunday) 20:00 JST~
- Platform: X Spaces
- URL: https://x.com/i/spaces/1lPKqvjwPeNGb
- Speakers: Kubota Liberta (YURU Coin CMO), Chairman Nishikawa (YuruVerse Executive Committee Chairman)
- Content: Post-event review and future outlook following YuruVerse 2025 final voting event
Historic Achievement at the Event
Record-Breaking Attendance at Sumida Park
The YuruVerse 2025 final voting event held at Tokyo’s Sumida Park on September 28, 2025, achieved overwhelming success beyond expectations. Final attendance reached 18,000 people, setting a new record for events at Sumida Park.
Mr. Kubota, attending the venue for the first time, shared his impressions: “I truly felt the incredible energy of this event firsthand.” He experienced directly the “passionate energy of fan support activities” as fans from across the country gathered autonomously to take photos and cheer for their favorite yuru-chara characters. What particularly impressed him was that this massive gathering occurred not at a theme park with famous characters like Disneyland, but at a public park like Sumida Park, for relatively unknown regional mascot characters.
2025 Grand Prix Winner: Gaming Character’s Shocking Victory
This year’s Grand Prix was won by “Okkii Konnosuke” from the game “Touken Ranbu” (Sword Dance), marking a groundbreaking moment. Chairman Nishikawa commented, “This was unthinkable in the past,” emphasizing the revolutionary nature of a gaming character winning the Yuru-Chara Grand Prix.
This character has transcended being merely an in-game entity, actively engaging in regional collaboration by visiting temples and shrines nationwide and collaborating with the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan. This has created anime pilgrimage phenomena, generating both domestic and international inbound tourism, achievements that were highly evaluated.
2026 Venue Announcement: Saitama Super Arena
Exceptional Reverse Offer for Venue Selection
A major announcement revealed that the 2026 YuruVerse will be held at Saitama Super Arena (Saitama Shintoshin). Typically, securing Saitama Super Arena requires a 3-4 year waiting list and passing strict screening. However, this was arranged through an exceptional reverse offer from Saitama City, requesting “Please use our facility for next year’s event.”
This decision had been in progress for several months, and for the announcement, famous Saitama characters including “Kobaton,” “Kapal,” and “Fukkachan” gathered at the final voting venue for a grand announcement ceremony.
Significance as the 15th Anniversary Event
2026 marks the 15th anniversary of YuruVerse (formerly Yuru-Chara Grand Prix). Chairman Nishikawa stated, “2011 was the year of the Great East Japan Earthquake. This will be an important event to examine how the world has changed over 15 years.”
In 2011, the iPhone 3 had just been released and smartphones were beginning to spread. Now in the era of iPhone 17, AI and cryptocurrency have rapidly proliferated. “By 2026, these technologies will have evolved even more dramatically,” he projected.
New Forms of Regional Revitalization
Dissolution of Public-Private Boundaries and New Content Strategies
Chairman Nishikawa revealed his theme since 2023: “There are no longer boundaries between regional, private, and public sectors.” This event showcased diverse participants including:
- Traditional municipal yuru-chara: Characters following the lineage of Kumamon and Bari-san
- Game characters: “Okkii Konnosuke” from Touken Ranbu
- YouTuber characters: Characters created by individual creators
- AI and voice-changer enhanced characters: “Sasa-Dangan” with comedian-level talk skills
Notably, the mayor of Yokkaichi City in Mie Prefecture entering the M-1 Grand Prix comedy competition demonstrates that “doing anything for regional revitalization” has become normalized.
Transition from Hometown Tax System
Chairman Nishikawa pointed out current regional revitalization challenges: “The hometown tax point system is ending, and means of regional revitalization are changing.” He revealed ongoing efforts to arrange lectures with the Ministry of Finance’s special cryptocurrency team through politicians, promoting movements for local governments to independently establish new financial policies.
YURU Coin Project Progress
Converting Enthusiasm into Assets
Chairman Nishikawa analyzed: “Today’s world fundamentally runs on enthusiasm. American politics runs on enthusiasm, and that enthusiasm is changing even financial systems.” He emphasized that the sight of adults seriously pouring energy into voting for seemingly casual yuru-chara events, children hugging unknown characters, and adults becoming passionate about them represents a special phenomenon occurring not at Disneyland but at Sumida Park.
Transition to Community-Led Operations
Mr. Kubota made an important proposal to recruit executive committee members from the actively engaged “Yuru-Katsu” community on Discord. He suggested creating a system where YURU Coin holders can increase their asset value through their own ideas and efforts, stating “When people who truly love and want to support this project get involved, it generates enthusiasm, ideas, and execution power.”
Major Burn Plan Announcement
Mr. Kubota announced the following significant plans:
November 2025 Major Burn
- Planning to burn $300,000 worth (approximately 400,000 coins) of YURU Coin
- Funded by Amazon revenue, YURU Coin voting fees, and operational funds
- Goal of burning 3 million coins (30% of total supply) over 10 years
Significance of the Burn
- Bitcoin inflates 1.5% annually, gold increases 1% annually
- YURU Coin achieves 3-4% annual supply reduction
- Securing scarcity as a truly deflationary token
Staking System Deployment
Exchange Staking (Launching Soon)
- Confirmed implementation on L-Bank exchange
- Negotiations ongoing with MEXC
- 20% annual yield (maximum 4 months, 1.66% monthly)
Proprietary Staking (Under Development)
- Releasing 1 million coins over 4 years
- Early participants may approximately double their holdings
- NFT lock functionality also planned
Chairman Nishikawa’s New Book and Media Development
Novel “The One Who Makes Yuru-Chara Cry Is You”
Chairman Nishikawa’s novel is selling well. The writing inspiration came from:
- Inspired by the 2015 Indian film “3 Idiots”
- Desire to send a message that “Japan is a peaceful country where yuru-chara dance in groups” during North Korean ICBM launches
- Story combining Miyazaki’s hebesu citrus and Saijo City’s horseshoe crabs
- Conceived all episodes in 2 weeks, refined over 2 years
Netflix Adaptation Challenge
Chairman Nishikawa is currently pitching to Netflix, expecting that adaptation would make “the power of yuru become immeasurable.” He’s also writing a second volume, aiming for completion within the year.
Community-Participatory Video Production Concept
Mr. Kubota proposed video production by DAO members:
- Video production using AI
- Theme songs created by community members
- Possibility of English animation
- Picture book production offer from “Udon-no-U” designer
Purchase Bonus Campaign
The following bonuses were offered for purchasers of Chairman Nishikawa’s new book:
- Lottery drawing for 1 winner among September purchasers: 100 YURU Coins
- All purchasers receive 1 YURU Coin + 1 YURU Token for posting reviews
- Call for Amazon reviews
Market Analysis and Future Outlook
Current Market Position
Mr. Kubota presented the following analysis of YURU Coin’s current market situation:
Market Cap and Ranking
- Currently ranked #1,350 on CoinMarketCap
- Market cap approximately $10 million
- “It’s unthinkable that projects with this much enthusiasm and Saitama Super Arena events are among the top 1,300”
- Evaluated as having actual strength equivalent to top 100-300
Price Appreciation Potential
Realistic Target Scenarios
- Reaching #300: Price 50x × Staking holdings 2x = 100x return
- Reaching #100: Price 110x × Staking holdings 2x = 220x return
Mr. Kubota emphasized “the importance of holding from the beginning like early Bitcoin holders,” stating “Now that 1 Bitcoin = 1.2 billion yen, if someone had 100 Bitcoin… YURU Coin has the same potential.”
Expected Significant Increase in Sponsor Revenue
Holding the event at Saitama Super Arena is expected to attract major corporate sponsors more easily, significantly increasing funds for sponsor revenue-based buyback and burn mechanisms.
Technical Update (Audio Issues During Event)
At the start of the Space, approximately 10 minutes of audio transmission issues occurred, with content from Mr. Kubota’s account not reaching participants. The issue was resolved by switching to the official “YURU Coin” account, recorded as a technical challenge.
Mid-Year Event Concepts
Beyond the annual YuruVerse, the following intermediate events are being considered:
- Mid-year event around spring
- Development of YURU Coin consumption content on Roblox
- Creating additional burn mechanisms through these activities
Formation of Enthusiasm Economy
Fusion of Fan Support × Regional Revitalization × Cryptocurrency
Chairman Nishikawa emphasized the need for a new economic model of “how to convert human enthusiasm into assets and connect it to regional revitalization.” He predicted that by 2026, new forms of regional revitalization using AI and cryptocurrency would be in full swing, transcending limitations like hometown tax return gift competition and donation limits.
New Forms of Donation
Chairman Nishikawa’s question “Why should there be limits on donations?” points to the limitations of the current hometown tax system. He presented a vision where “both donors and recipients, regardless of limits, can advance regional revitalization through ideas.”
Gift Campaign
The following gift campaign was conducted for Space participants:
- “YURU Coin Thank You Campaign”
- 10 YURU Coins for 30 winners
- Participation method: Like & quote repost official post, post impressions, add #ゆる hashtag
- Post Solana address in reply section (exchange addresses not accepted)
- Deadline: 22:00 same day
Summary: Major Turning Point at Year 15
Transformation from 2011 to 2026
The Yuru-Chara Grand Prix, which began following the Great East Japan Earthquake, has evolved over 15 years from a simple character contest to a new model for regional revitalization. As public-private boundaries dissolve and diverse participants from game characters to AI-enhanced characters gather, fusion with the new financial system of cryptocurrency is realizing unprecedented forms of regional activation.
Evolution into Community-Driven Project
YURU Coin holders are transitioning from mere investors to project operators, creating value through their own ideas and actions in a “DAO-style operation.” The path forward shows recruiting executive committee members from the community for the 2026 Saitama Super Arena event, developing as a truly decentralized organization.
New Value Created by Enthusiasm
The sight of 18,000 people gathering at Sumida Park holds meaning beyond mere numbers. Pure “fan support” enthusiasm for unknown regional yuru-chara is visualized through cryptocurrency and circulates as actual economic value. This new model has the potential to be transmitted globally as Japan-originated regional revitalization innovation.
Chairman Nishikawa’s words, “This isn’t Mickey, Minnie, or Snoopy – adults and children are passionate about characters nobody knows,” symbolically express how Japan’s unique cultural phenomenon, by merging with cutting-edge cryptocurrency technology, is creating new forms of value creation.
The 2026 Saitama Super Arena event is expected to be not just a 15th anniversary celebration, but a historic event heralding the dawn of a new era in regional revitalization.
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