McDonald’s Has Launched An Extravagant Anime-Themed Marketing Campaign, Including Four WcDonald’s Shorts From ‘Naruto’ Producer Pierrot

The broadening appeal of anime is undeniable, most recently confirmed by the incredible North American opening weekend of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – To the Hashira Training, a spliced-together bunch of tv episodes that made $11.5 million in theaters over three days.

It stands to reason, then, that major global companies would look to exploit that popularity in an attempt to win customer dollars. The latest organization to jump on the anime bandwagon is McDonald’s, which is fully embracing its place in anime folklore as the fictional chain WcDonald’s, which first appeared in the 1981 manga and anime franchise Cat’s Eye.

As part of a more extensive anime-themed marketing campaign, the global fast food chain is teaming up with legendary Tokyo anime house Pierrot on four WcDonald’s-themed anime shorts. Pierrot has an impressive anime pedigree, having produced mega-franchises such as Naruto, Bleach, and Yu Yu Hakusho.

The first 30-second short, The Race to WcDonald’s, premiered on Monday, and new entries will be released weekly. According to McDonald’s, each short “will honor four of anime’s biggest subgenres – Action, Romance, Mecha and Fantasy.”

The four episode synopses read:

• The Race to WcDonald’s (drops Feb. 26): A rivalry strong enough to withstand the test of time as our two heroes embark on an epic race to WcDonald’s.
• Love from Across the Booth (drops March 4): Our two protagonists discover the WcDonald’s Sauce and WcNuggets aren’t the only perfect pairing.
• WcNuggets Space Frontier 3000 (drops March 11): A team of WcDonald’s pilots must protect the last WcNugget against an ominous force.
• The Wisdom of the Sauce (drops March 18): Three women are transported to a distant land to unravel the mystery surrounding the elusive sauce before it’s gone forever.

Tariq Hassan, chief marketing and customer experience officer at McDonald’s USA, said in a release:

Anime is a huge part of today’s culture, and we love that our fans have been inviting us into the conversation for years. The WcDonald’s universe is a reflection of what fans have created. It honors their vision and celebrates their creativity, while authentically bringing it to life in our restaurants for the first time ever.

Some of McDonald’s other anime-inspired initiatives include:

A Sauce that Packs a Punch

• Customers will be offered a new Savory Chili WcDonald’s sauce, which the company says mirrors “the bold, dynamic spirit of your favorite anime heroes.”

Manga Packaging and More from Acky Bright

• McDonald’s has teamed with manga artist Acky Bright, who has done work for DC Comics, Warner Bros., Netflix, Hasbro, and more, to create new custom WcDonald’s packaging for its products.
• The new packaging will also come with QR codes that customers can scan to receive access to weekly digital manga drops set in a WcDonald’s universe.

An Immersive Dining Experience at WcDonald’s

• On March 9-10, McDonald’s will transform one of its Los Angeles restaurants into an immersive, anime-inspired experience by using “360 projection mapping and immersive tabletop projections inspired by the four WcDonald’s anime episodic shorts.”
• Reservations may be required to catch a table for the event and can be solicited on the Opentable app or website.

A Celebration of Anime Fan Art

• McDonald’s will recognize the artwork of three promising anime artists who have created WcDonald’s-themed artwork with grants to help fund their upcoming projects. Each of the three artists will also receive a one-on-one mentoring session with Acky Bright.