The spectacular anime business: Evangelion statue generates millions in Japan

Spending government money on building giant robot statues sounds like madness, but in Japan, it turned out to be the perfect business move. This Friday, within the world of business and anime, authorities in Hamamatsu City left everyone speechless by revealing that their massive figure of the Eva-01 from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise generated multimillion-dollar profits thanks to international tourism.

The best otaku investment in history

The tourism project began as a tribute to the final film in the franchise, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, as the famous "Village 3" featured in the movie is inspired by this real-life city. The local government spent 52 million yen out of pocket to build and install an imposing six-meter-tall statue in front of their city hall. The result? That initial investment multiplied brutally, generating an economic impact of 1.1 billion yen for the city.

A global invasion of tourists

The city's mayor confessed that the numbers exceeded all expectations. More than 51,800 people traveled exclusively to see the purple robot. Most impressively, it wasn't just Japanese locals; the city was filled with otakus who flew in from the United States, Brazil, France, Germany, and Taiwan. Instead of just taking a photo and leaving, fans stayed to walk the streets, spending millions of yen at local restaurants selling themed food and crowding the tourist train tours.

The future of Village 3

Seeing that mecha fans have full wallets and a strong desire to travel, the city has already confirmed they will keep the project alive for the coming year with the following updates:

• New menus: Local restaurants are already preparing more collaboration dishes and drinks inspired by the series' characters.
• Exclusive merchandise: They will launch more official products that collectors can only purchase if they travel directly to the city.
• Floral art: They plan to debut a cultural dynamic called "Mosaic Culture," where people can create art inspired by the franchise using real plants and flowers.

Seeing that building anime monuments is a gold mine for attracting tourists from all over the world, which character or giant robot would you like to see have its own six-meter statue in your city's main square?