A media franchise , also known as a multimedia franchise , is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film , a work of literature , a television program , or a video game . Bob Iger , chief executive of the Walt Disney Company , defined the word franchise as "something that creates value across multiple businesses and across multiple territories over a long period of time.”
74-450: Yo-kai Watch is a Japanese media franchise created and developed by Level-5 . The franchise's main work is the role-playing video game series of the same name, the first of which was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013. Three main sequels and several spinoffs, on both Nintendo and mobile platforms, have been released. In December 2019, the franchise expanded to PlayStation with
148-535: A "Mini-Corner" featuring one of the main Yo-kai. The English theme song is sung by Jeff "Swampy" Marsh , best known as one of the creators of the fellow Disney show Phineas and Ferb . On April 7, 2015, Level-5 unveiled a promotional video for the series' third season, which premiered in July 2015. The third season features a new protagonist named Hailey Anne Thomas and her Yo-kai companion Usapyon, as well as new models of
222-600: A character or fictional world becoming popular in one medium, and then expanding to others through licensing agreements , with respect to intellectual property in the franchise's characters and settings. As one author explains, "For the studios, a home-run is a film from which a multimedia 'franchise' can be generated; the colossally expensive creation of cross-media conglomerates predicated on synergistic rewards provides an obvious imperative to develop such products." The trend later developed wherein franchises would be launched in multiple forms of media simultaneously; for instance,
296-634: A collaboration with Ubisoft to release a special version of the Just Dance series was announced, set to feature songs from the anime's soundtrack. Titled Yo-kai Watch Dance: Just Dance Special Version ( 妖怪ウォッチダンス JUST DANCE ( ジャストダンス ) スペシャルバージョン , Yōkai Uotchi Dansu: Jasuto Dansu Supesharu Bājon ) , it was released exclusively in Japan for the Wii U on December 5, 2015. On June 27, 2018, Level-5 and GungHo Online Entertainment announced in
370-485: A franchise can even be created, which ultimately leads to the creation of brand worlds. Since the creation of Disneyland in 1955, bringing fictional media franchises to life through the theme parks slowly became increasingly popular as the way to perfectly blend tourism and real-life involvement with media itself. Similar to transmedia, the concept of bringing fictional media into a non-fictional space where fans can immerse themselves in real-life versions of elements from
444-537: A long period of time. Akihiro Hino , CEO of Level-5, researched extensively what makes a franchise long-lasting, and came up with Yo-kai Watch . Yo-kai Watch revolves around befriending Yo-kai that are haunting the city, which are based on traditional yōkai , but often with clever twists. If one befriends a Yo-kai, they get their Yo-kai Medal, an object that allows one to summon Yo-kai. With these, they can summon Yo-kai to either fight other Yo-kai, befriend others, or solve everyday tasks. The basic plot of most media
518-519: A manga series by Noriyuki Konishi started serialization before the release of Yo-kai Watch on the 3DS, and the debut of the original Yo-kai Watch anime. In the series, the art style was different from the current designs, like the early design of the Yo-kai Watch, and also has different character personalities. As the games and anime were released, the manga kept the art style, but the characters also slowly developed over time. Volume 16 transitioned
592-447: A mask. Their summoning jingle is "Wicked! Stic-ked! We're Wi-ckkkkkkkkk-ed!" ( カーイマカーイマ!呼んだカーイマ?本当カーイマ!? , Kāima Kāima! Yonda kā ima? Hontō kā ima!? , "Kaima Kaima! Did you call us now? For real now!?") . Yo-kai in this Tribe include: Boss Yo-kai ( ボス妖怪 , Bosu Yōkai ) are the bosses of the video games and, with some exceptions, cannot be befriended. Yo-kai in this category include: Yo-kai Watch 3 introduces more Yo-kai to
666-424: A modeling agency, several television shows ( Playboy's Penthouse , in 1959), and even its own television channel . Twenty-five years later, Playboy released private clubs and restaurants, movie theaters, a radio show , direct to video films, music and book publishing (including original works in addition to its anthologies of cartoons, photographs, recipes, advice, articles or fiction that had originally appeared in
740-630: A nationwide concert tour, an American Idol book that made the bestseller list and the film From Justin to Kelly . A transmedia franchise however is often referred to by the simpler term "media franchise". The term media franchise is often used to describe the popular adaptation of a work into films, like the popular Twilight book series that was adapted into the five films of The Twilight Saga . Other neologisms exist to describe various franchise types including metaseries , which can be used to describe works such as Isaac Asimov 's Foundation series . Multimedia franchises usually develop through
814-532: A nice day!) . Yo-kai in this Tribe include: Mysterious Tribe ( フシギ族 , Fushigi-zoku ) Yo-kai are strange and bizarre. Their summoning song is "Boo-shiggy, boo-shiggy! Boogie-woogie! Cling clang! Delirious! Mysterious!" ( フシギ！フシギ！ブギウギ！オレたちゃ、オオハシャギー！ , Fushigi! Fushigi! Bugiugi! Oretacha, ōhashagī! , "Fushigi! Fushigi! Boogie woogie! We only want to have a great time!") . Yo-kai in this Tribe include: Tough Tribe ( ゴーケツ族 , Gōketsu-zoku ) Yo-kai are tough and heroic and have high defense. Their summoning song
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#1732802479218888-432: A special live stream the release of Yo-kai Watch World. Before the same-day release of the game, Level-5 teased it online as a "game that will shock the world". Said to compete with Pokémon Go , it featured new gameplay mechanics as well as battle sequences similar to the original 3DS games. Currently, it is only able to work within Japan, as other locations do not mostly work outside of Japan. Service for Yo-kai Watch World
962-686: Is "Gruff stuff! Rough bluff! Red bang! Janga stang! Bling Blang Tough!" ( ゴーケツ！ゴーケツ！カンゼンムケツのダイシュウケツ！ , Gōkestu! Gōketsu! Kanzen muketsu no daishūketsu! , Gōketsu! Gōketsu! The flawless gathering!) . Yo-kai in this Tribe include: Charming Tribe ( プリチー族 , Purichī-zoku , "Pretty Tribe") Yo-kai are cute and fast fighters. Their summoning song is "Alarming! Boom boom walla walla! Dance, dance! Charming!" ( プリチー！オレッチ、トモダチ！ふくはウチー！ , Purichī! Oreccchi, tomodachi! Fuku wa uchī! , "Pretty! We're friends! That's lucky!") Yo-kai in this Tribe include: Heartful Tribe ( ポカポカ族 , Pokapoka-zoku ) Yo-kai are warm and inviting and excel at healing. Their summoning song
1036-703: Is "Lookily! Lookily! Flippedy-dee! Lookily! Lookily! Bubba Eerie!" ( ブキミー！ギブミー！ヘルプミー！ブキミー！ブキミー！ヘルプミー！ , Bukimī! Gibu mī! Herupu mī! Bukimī! Bukimī! Herupu mī! , "Bukimī! Give me! Help me! Bukimī! Bukimī! Help me!") . Yo-kai in this Tribe include: Slippery Tribe ( ニョロロン族 , Nyororon-zoku ) Yo-kai are hard to target and buff their allies' stats. Their summoning song is "Jibbery! Gibbery! Slobbly wobbly-doo! Slippery!" ( ニョロローン！デロローン！ソロソロ、イイダローン!? , Nyororōn! Derorōn! Sorosoro, ii darōn!? , Nyororōn! Let's go go! Isn't it so good!?) . Yo-kai in this category include: Legendary Yo-kai ( レジェンド妖怪 , Rejendo Yōkai , "Legend Yo-kai") are powerful Yo-kai acquired after unlocking
1110-685: Is "Speedy, Heartful! Sing La La La! Everywhere Heartful!" ( ポッカポカ！ナンカヨウカ！いっちょやーるカー！ , Pokkapoka! Nanka yōka! Itcho yāru kā! , Pokkapoka! Or whaever it is! How do you do!?) . Yo-kai in this Tribe include: Shady Tribe ( ウスラカゲ族 , Usurakage-zoku ) Yo-kai are hazy and shadowy and specialize in lowering their opponents' stats. Their summoning song is "Marvelously Gutsy free banshee Sing song Shady!" ( ウースラカーゲ！おれたちのオーカーゲー , Ūsurakāge! Oretachi no Ōkāgē! or "Usurakage! It's all our fault!" ) . Yo-kai in this Tribe include: Eerie Tribe ( ブキミー族 , Bukimī-zoku ) Yo-kai are spooky and specialize in inflicting status conditions on opponents. Their summoning song
1184-798: Is a continuation of the original series that introduces new Yo-kai while serving as a sort of prologue to the fourth movie, as Nate receives the Yo-kai Watch Arcane Version K, which resembles the Yo-kai Watch Arcane used in Yo-kai Watch Shadowside . While mostly based on the original series, it features elements from Shadowside, such as the Yo-kai Arks and the Shadowside Tribes. Yo-kai Watch Jam: Yo-kai Academy Y: Close Encounters of
1258-466: Is in Class 5–1. The following Yo-kai make recurring appearances in the anime, sometimes receiving their own story arcs. Spiritual beings based on Japanese mythological spirits and figures. They are divided into eight primary tribes: Brave, Mysterious, Tough, Charming, Heartful, Shady, Eerie, and Slippery, each with their own summoning song that plays when a Yo-kai is summoned. Yo-kai Watch 2 introduces
1332-504: Is licensed in French by Kazé . A shōjo manga series by Chikako Mori, titled Yo-kai Watch: Exciting Nyanderful Days ( 妖怪ウォッチ～わくわく☆にゃんだふるデイズ～ , Yōkai Wotchi ~Wakuwaku Nyandafuru Deizu~ ) , was serialized in Ciao magazine from December 27, 2013 to 2017. In this series, it was based on the alternate timeline, in which Katie Forester would receive the Yo-kai Watch. This is in contrast to
1406-424: Is that the main character, either Nathan "Nate" Adams or Katie Forester, obtains a Yo-kai Watch through Whisper, a butler Yo-kai. They then befriend Jibanyan, a cat Yo-kai who haunts an intersection because he thinks his owner from when he was alive named Amy called him lame for getting hit by a truck. During the anime's run, other Yo-kai were introduced. The main video game series are role-playing video games where
1480-484: Is the Japanese term for a transmedia franchise. The term media mix gained its circulation in late 1980s and is first used to describe adaptations of Sakyo Komatsu 's Japan Sinks , but the origins of the strategy can be traced back to the 1960s with the proliferation of anime , with its interconnection of media and commodity goods. Some of the earlier popular Japanese franchises such as Vampire Hunter D in
1554-609: The Yo-kai Watch anime would begin broadcast internationally in 2015. He also jokingly requested Etsuko Kozakura and Tomokazu Seki , who voice Jibanyan and Whisper respectively, to "study English". Dentsu Entertainment USA announced in April 2014 that they were seeking broadcast and merchandising partners in North America for the anime. The anime began broadcast as a 26-episode season on Disney XD on October 5, 2015, with
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#17328024792181628-491: The fantasy and science fiction genres. Similarly, fantasy, science fiction films and television shows are frequently adapted into animated television series , video games, or both. A media franchise does not have to include the same characters or theme, as the brand identity can be the franchise, like Square Enix 's Final Fantasy or the National Lampoon series , and can suffer from critical failures even if
1702-684: The seinen manga magazine Hibana on April 10, 2015, and ended on September 10 of that year. A manga series based on Yo-kai Watch Blasters by Atsushi Ohba began serialization in CoroCoro Comic in June 2015 and ended in October of that year. A comic book series was announced in January 2017, courtesy of IDW Publishing , and was released in May 2017. Loosely based on the main Yo-kai Watch series,
1776-423: The 1980s and Pokémon in the late 1990s, acted as benchmarks in the country's transmedia dominance. The latter in particular began as a video game available on Nintendo 's Game Boy , and crossed through the media of television, film, news, and other non-media related realms, such trading cards, merchandise, and more. A number of Japanese media franchises have gained considerable global popularity, and are among
1850-609: The Movie: Yo-Kai Academy Y - Can a Cat be a Hero? , was released in Japanese theatres on December 13, 2019. A seventh movie, Yo-kai Watch♪ the Movie: How Nate and I Met Nyan!♪ M-Me Too~♪♪, was released in Japanese theatres on November 12, 2021. It is based on the Yo-kai Watch ♪ series and features re-edited versions of segments from the anime, as well as some original content. An eighth movie, Yo-kai Watch♪: Jibanyan vs. Komasan - The Big Amazing Battle, Nyan ,
1924-424: The N Kind ran from December 27, 2019, to April 2, 2021, as a sequel and continuation of the sixth movie. Another revival series, Yo-kai Watch ♪ started airing on April 9, 2021, in which Nate now uses a "enhanced" version of the original Yo-kai Watch which can recognize all types of medals. In the course of the franchise's history, eight Yo-kai Watch movies have been made. The first, Yo-kai Watch: The Movie ,
1998-779: The Netherlands on Nickelodeon, and Israel on Noga. Cartoon Network also has it airing on their Portugal, Turkey, Poland and the Nordic, Central and Eastern Europe feeds, starting in Spring 2016. Viz has also hired Bulldog Licensing and German brand-management company m4e to represent the brand in the UK and German-speaking territories, respectively. An alternative English dub began airing on Cartoon Network Asia and Toonami Asia in Asian countries from June 27, 2015. The alternative English dub uses
2072-571: The Nintendo 3DS's production was discontinued. The Data Carddass game Yo-kai Watch: Tomodachi UkiUkipedia ( 妖怪ウォッチ ともだちウキウキペディア ) was first location tested in late December 2013, and debuted at the Next Generation World Hobby Fair Winter 2014 before being released in early 2014. The game is similar to Bandai's other Data Carddass games, as the player uses an interface resembling a slot machine to determine
2146-709: The United States and on April 7, 2017, in Europe. They received the Oni Evolution update on September 14, 2017, and gained compatibility with save data from Psychic Specters on September 29, 2017. In Japan, Yo-kai Watch 3 was announced alongside Yo-kai Watch Busters in April 2015 and released on July 16, 2016, with two versions: Sushi and Tempura . The game features two protagonists: Nate Adams and Hailey Anne Thomas, each with their own story. Nate's story focuses on him and his family moving from Springdale to
2220-494: The United States, which is called BBQ in the localized version, to the fictional town of St. Peanutsburg, where new American-themed "Merican" ( メリケン ) Yo-kai are found. Hailey Anne's story focuses on her meeting her partner Yo-kai Usapyon and opening a detective agency with him. These two stories converge in the game's latter half as the two team up to face a greater threat called the Ghoulfather. A third version, Sukiyaki ,
2294-528: The Wicked Tribe, and Yo-kai Watch 3 introduces a ninth main tribe, Wandroid. With some exceptions, Yo-kai are invisible to humans who do not possess the Yo-kai Watch. However, they can use leaves to disguise themselves as humans. The Yo-kai are listed below based on their numbering in the games' Yo-kai Medallium (as of Yo-kai Watch Blasters: Moon Rabbit Crew ), while those with fictional character biographies and casting information have made appearances in
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2368-538: The Yo-kai Watch called the "Yo-kai Watch Model U" and the "Yo-kai Watch Dream". The season premiered on January 6, 2017, and entered a Busters Arc in July. In February 2018, a sequel series called Yo-kai Watch Shadowside started airing after the original series ended on March 30, 2018, with its first two episodes broadcast as an hour-long special on April 13, 2018. The series lasted for 49 episodes, ending on March 29, 2019. A revival series known as Yo-kai Watch! ran from April 5, 2019, to December 20, 2019, in Japan. It
2442-562: The Yo-kai in this category are: Voiced by: Aya Endō (Japanese) The Wicked Tribe ( カイマ族 , Kaima-zoku , "Kaima tribe") Yo-kai are powerful Yo-kai introduced in Yo-kai Watch 2 , with five notable Wicked Yo-kai being collectively known as the Wicked Executives ( 怪魔エリート , Kaima Erīto ) and possessing control over the Wicked Servants ( 怪 , "Kai" , "customized") Yo-kai, Yo-kai who have become Wicked and wear
2516-530: The battle system was changed to a grid-based movement system, with the added ability to use the Dream Link and the Yo-kai Blaster against foes during battle. The first game in the main series, Yo-kai Watch , was announced at the 2011 Tokyo Game Show and first released in Japan on July 11, 2013. It sets the foundation for the rest of the video game franchise, introducing its main mechanics. The game
2590-437: The day-in-the-life episodes of the many different Real Housewives series. Documentaries and docuseries are other highlights of the non-fiction branch of media franchises, such as the popular Planet Earth series, which serves as both a film and television transmedia franchise. Usapyon The following is a list of characters from Level-5 's video game and anime franchise, Yo-kai Watch . The version of
2664-407: The different media, regardless of the fact that they are being presented in sometimes completely different ways, such as the shared, interweaving storylines and elements of Spider-Man films, television shows, comics and video games. Espen Aarseth describes the financial logic of cost-recovery for expensive productions by identifying that a single medium launch is a lost opportunity, the timeliness of
2738-536: The events of a battle between three of the player's Yo-kai and three enemy Yo-kai. Winning the game awards the player with a card that can be used in future Tomodachi UkiUkipedia play. Yo-kai Sangokushi ( 妖怪三国志 , lit. "Yo-kai Three Kingdoms") was announced alongside Busters and Yo-kai Watch 3 in April 2015. Sangokushi was made in collaboration with Koei Tecmo 's Romance of the Three Kingdoms series as well as several mobile games. In August 2015,
2812-485: The features it added. Yo-kai Watch 4 was released for the Nintendo Switch in Japan on June 20, 2019, featuring a new artstyle and character designs from Yo-kai Watch Shadowside , as well as the original designs. The game includes characters from previous games as well as the main characters from Yo-kai Watch Shadowside and Yo-kai Watch: Forever Friends . An enhanced version, Yo-kai Watch 4++ ,
2886-725: The fictional worlds they love, adds to the overall narrative the franchise creates through its other media. Marvel's Avenger's Campus park is one of the many franchise-based theme parks created in recent times, following the creation of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studio's Islands of Adventure and Star Wars' Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland and Disney World . Media franchises tend to cross over from their original media to other forms. Literary franchises are often transported to film, such as Nancy Drew , Miss Marple , and other popular detectives , as well as popular comic book superheroes . Television and film franchises are often expanded upon in novels , particularly those in
2960-470: The film The Matrix Reloaded and the video game Enter the Matrix were produced at the same time, using the same actors on the same sets, and released on the same day. Transmedia franchises occasionally release content through certain media that is not canon to the main or greater story that the franchise is built around, meaning that the elements of said content do not truly exist in the main timeline of
3034-497: The first Busters games as well as the three versions of Yo-kai Watch 3 . The first game was localized in English regions as Yo-kai Watch Blasters and released on September 7, 2018. The games were released under the names Red Cat Corps and White Dog Squad . A free update for both games, Moon Rabbit Crew , was released on September 27, 2018. Busters 2 has not been localized into English, and most likely will never be because
Yo-kai Watch - Misplaced Pages Continue
3108-555: The focus on the content of the commodity to "overlapping the commodity image with the character image". The book Anime's Media Mix: Franchising Toys and Characters in Japan, by Marc Steinberg, details the evolution of the media mix in Japan. Long-running franchises were common in the early studio era, when Hollywood studios had actors and directors under long-term contract. In such cases, even lead actors are often replaced as they age, lose interest, or their characters are killed. Spin-offs and adaptations of popular pieces of media within
3182-564: The franchise and create strong feelings of identity and ownership in its consumers. Those large groups of dedicated consumers create the franchise's fandom , which is the community of fans that indulge in many of its media and are committed to interacting with and keeping up with other consumers. Large franchise-based fandoms have grown to be even more popular in recent years with the rise of social media platforms, as many fans seek to interact with one another for discussion, debate and even to create their own fan-made pieces of media revolving around
3256-416: The franchise's North American launch was successful, with the original 3DS game selling 400,000 units, backed by the toys and the broadcast of the English dub on Disney XD in the United States. However, interest in the Yo-kai Watch franchise has since steadily declined. The franchise generated $ 2 billion in retail sales. The franchise was first conceived as a Doraemon IP, something that could last over
3330-507: The franchise, including the Merican Yo-kai ( メリケン妖怪 , Meriken Yōkai ) from the United States. The 'Merican Legendary Yo-kai are a set of Legendary Yo-kai that come from America. Half of the 'Merican Legendary Yo-kai debuted in Yo-kai Watch 3: Sushi and Yo-kai Watch 3: Tempura . In Yo-kai Watch 3: Sukiyaki , the remaining four 'Merican Legendary Yo-kai are introduced to complete the set. These Yo-kai appear as characters in
3404-405: The franchise, on websites like tumblr , Reddit and Fandom . In the case of successful transmedia franchises, each different medium should expand the target demographic and fandom, build the interest of the consumers and add to the overarching story and narrative of the franchise itself. A connection between the characters, settings, and other elements of the media franchise do still exist within
3478-415: The franchise. Canon content often times breaks continuity, leading fans to speculate or seek to confirm which media are canon and which are not, which can get confusing if the franchise does not provide an answer themselves since entire media can be non-canon to the greater story, with a popular example occurring. On the other hand, specific episodes, volumes or parts of a series can be canon while others in
3552-473: The magazine), footwear, clothing of every kind, jewelry, housewares (lamps, clocks, bedding, glassware), guitars and gambling, playing cards, pinball machines and pet accessories, billiard balls, bedroom appurtenances, enhancements, plus countless other items of merchandise. Non-fiction media franchises also exist in the television and film media, with reality TV being one of the most well-known examples; ranging from competition shows like The Amazing Race to
3626-831: The main timeline, where Nate Adams is the primary. A yonkoma series by Coconas Rumba, titled 4-Panel Yo-kai Watch: Geragera Manga Theater ( 4コマ妖怪ウォッチ ゲラゲラマンガ劇場 , Yonkoma Yōkai Wotchi Geragera Manga Gekijō ) , has been serialized in CoroCoro Comic SPECIAL from August 30, 2014, to June 30, 2018. Another yonkoma series by Santa Harukaze, titled Yo-kai Watch 4-Panel Pun Club ( 妖怪ウォッチ 4コマだじゃれクラブ , Yōkai Wotchi Yonkoma Dajare Kurabu ) , began serialization in CoroCoro Ichiban! from April 2015. A series by Shō Shibamoto, titled Komasan 〜A Time for Fireworks and Miracles〜 ( コマさん 〜ハナビとキセキの時間〜 , Komasan 〜Hanabi to Kiseki no Jikan〜 ) , began serialization in
3700-747: The manga distributed in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei, by Shogakukan Asia uses the original Japanese names. Where available, names from the English games, North American English dub, and the North American English manga are on the left while the original Japanese names are on the right. The five major human characters are students of Springdale Elementary / Sakura First Elementary School ( さくら第一小学校 , Sakura Daiichi Shōgakkō ) . Nate, Katie, Bear and Eddie are in Class 5–2, while Hailey
3774-458: The manga into the current " Yo-kai Watch! " anime timeline, while still keeping the art style of the previous edition. An anime television series based on the game, produced by OLM , aired from January 8, 2014, to March 30, 2018, in Japan and began airing on Disney XD on October 5, 2015. It is more comedic in tone, and has several segments per episode, with most focusing on Nathan "Nate" Adams solving problems caused by Yo-kai. Some episodes have
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#17328024792183848-400: The media fictional material is unrelated. Non-fiction literary franchises include the ...For Dummies and The Complete Idiot's Guide to... reference books . An enduring and comprehensive example of a media franchise is Playboy Enterprises , which began expanding well beyond its successful magazine, Playboy , within a few years after its first publication, into such enterprises as
3922-462: The network in a weekend-only timeslot in January 2020, re-taking the place of a previous replacement, Inazuma Eleven: Ares . The first season's first volume was released on DVD by NCircle Entertainment on February 26, 2019, and one version of that set comes with a free comic book. The first season's second volume was released on September 3, 2019. The first movie was also brought over, as a special screening one day screening, on October 15, 2016. This
3996-465: The official Yo-kai Watch YouTube channel posting episodes a month later. Since the show had performed well, a second season (no relation to the Japanese second season) with an additional 50 episodes was broadcast on August 1, 2016. The third season premiered on July 2, 2018, on Disney XD in the United States, and ended on December 29, 2018. In 2019, Disney XD removed the Yo-kai Watch anime from its lineup due to declining ratings; but eventually returned to
4070-461: The original Japanese names. Shogakukan Asia also licensed the series in the Philippines . Similarly, for a few years, GMA Network also made a Tagalog dub of the original anime. Media franchise A media franchise often consists of cross-marketing across more than one medium. For the owners, the goal of increasing profit through diversity can extend the commercial profitability of
4144-408: The player befriends Yo-kai and fights evil Yo-kai that seek to rule the world, with emphasis placed on fighting and befriending Yo-kai. Yo-kai Watch and Yo-kai Watch 2 have a battle system revolving around using the 3DS's touchscreen to rotate amongst the player's Yo-kai. All Yo-kai have powerful moves called Soultimates, with some being offensive and some being supportive. In Yo-kai Watch 3 ,
4218-733: The present day and the past. The plot revolves around the protagonist going back in time 60 years to meet their grandfather, who made the predecessor to the Yo-kai Watch, and fighting against the Wicked Yo-kai. A third version, Shinuchi, known in English as Psychic Specters , was released on December 12, 2014 to coincide with the first Yo-kai Watch film, Yo-kai Watch: Tanjō no Himitsu da Nyan! . Psychic Specters features characters and scenarios not included in Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls . Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls were localized in English and released on September 30, 2016, in
4292-423: The production and release is more important than its integrity, the releases should raise brand awareness and the cross-ability of the work is critical for its success. American Idol was a transmedia franchise from its beginnings, with the first season winner Kelly Clarkson signing with RCA Records and having the release of A Moment Like This becoming a #1 hit on Billboard Hot 100. The success resulted in
4366-598: The release of Yo-kai Watch 4++ . An associated toy line is produced by Bandai for the Japanese market, while Hasbro formerly sold the toys under license in the Americas and Europe. Six manga adaptations have also been produced; one, a series that began serialization in Shogakukan 's CoroCoro Comic from December 2012 to December 2022, was an award winner. An anime television series produced by OLM, Inc. aired in Japan from January 8, 2014, to March 30, 2018, and
4440-525: The same medium are not, such as the fact that only some of the Battlestar Galactica comics are canon, with a large amount of them breaking the continuity of the main story. In Japanese culture and entertainment, media mix ( wasei-eigo : メディアミックス , mediamikkusu ) is a strategy to disperse content across multiple representations: different broadcast media , gaming technologies, cell phones, toys, amusement parks , and other methods. It
4514-595: The seals on a particular page in the Yo-kai Medallium by befriending certain Yo-kai. The Legendary Yo-kai introduced in Yo-kai Watch (Shogunyan, Komashura, Dandoodle, Elder Bloom, and Gilgaros) resemble other Yo-kai and can also be classified into the other tribes. Their summoning song is "Imaginary! Incendiary! Flip flop! Squiggle boom! Slim slam! Legendary!" ( レジェーンド!レジェーンド!ブッタマゲーンドー! , Rejēndo! Rejēndo! Buttamagēndō! , Legend! Legend! Amazing!) . Among
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#17328024792184588-848: The series in Latin America, and it also localized the second movie despite never airing in the U.S., so the movie was dubbed based on the Japanese version (which also kept the promotional ending of the third Yo-kai watch movie despite never being dubbed afterwards). Viz Media Europe has licensed the series in Europe, Russia, and Africa. They premiered the anime in the UK and Ireland on Cartoon Network on April 23, 2016. In France it showed on three different stations: Boing in April, 2016, Gulli in September, 2016, and Cartoon Network France in March, 2017. Other countries it aired in are Germany and Austria (Nickelodeon), Spain and Africa on Boing, Belgium and
4662-456: The television series. Where available, names from the English games, North American English dub, and the North American English manga are on the right, while the original Japanese names are on the left. Brave Tribe ( イサマシ族 , Isamashi-zoku ) Yo-kai are physically strong and gallant. Their summoning song is "Sumo's shave! Flamo engrave! Flash team-a Brave!" ( イサマシ！メザマシ！ラッシャイマシー！ , Isamashi! Mezamashi! Rasshaimashī! , Isamashi! Wake up! Have
4736-477: The world's highest-grossing media franchises . For example, Pokémon 's penetration into the American market of the franchise along with others of Japanese origin, such as Yu-Gi-Oh! , gave rise to the recognition of what is variously called transmedia storytelling , crossmedia, transmediation , media synergy, etc. Researchers argue that the 1963 Tetsuwan Atomu marked a shift in Japanese marketing from
4810-443: Was a ratings success, boosting the franchise in popularity, and began airing in North America from September 2015. An animated film, Yo-kai Watch: The Movie , was released on December 20, 2014, with seven more films being produced since then. As of 2022, the game series has sold over 17 million copies worldwide. While the franchise is popular in Japan and Europe, it failed to meet Level-5's expectations in North America. Nonetheless,
4884-467: Was discontinued on December 23, 2022. Six manga adaptations based on the series have been published by Shogakukan . A series by Noriyuki Konishi began serialization in CoroCoro Comic from December 15, 2012. This series has been licensed by Viz Media under its Perfect Square imprint for its North American releases up to Volume 10, and is now directly from Viz Media as of Volume 11. The manga
4958-408: Was first announced in the April 2015 issue of CoroCoro Comic alongside Yo-kai Watch 3, allowing up to four players to cooperate in completing missions and battling boss Yo-kai. The first two versions of the game, Aka Neko-dan ( 赤猫団 , "Red Cat Troupe") and Shiro Inu-tai ( 白犬隊 , "White Dog Corps") , were released on July 11, 2015. A free expansion called Getto-gumi ( 月兎組 , "Moon Rabbit Crew")
5032-543: Was later released as paid downloadable content and at retail for both the Switch and PlayStation 4 on December 5, 2019. Level-5 confirmed during the Anime Expo 2019 that an English localization was under consideration, but due to the shutdown of American branch Level-5 Abby, the status of the game's localization is currently unknown. A spin-off game, Yo-kai Watch Blasters ( 妖怪ウォッチバスターズ , Yōkai Wotchi Basutāzu )
5106-547: Was only in the US, via Fathom Events . Those who attended got a Hovernyan medal. Outside of the US, the first season and the movie used to be available to stream on Netflix, but as of now, it is no longer available to stream. The English version of the anime dub used a cast from Sprite Animation Studios for the first two seasons, but they were replaced in the third season with actors from SDI Media due to budget costs and low ratings on Disney XD. MarVista Entertainment has licensed
5180-405: Was released in Japan on December 16, 2016, combining Sushi and Tempura into one game and adding additional features. On September 27, 2018, Nintendo of America announced that Yo-kai Watch 3 was getting a localized release outside of Japan. It was released on December 16, 2018, in Europe and on February 8, 2019, in North America. The localized version was based on Sukiyaki , and as such contains
5254-588: Was released in Japan on December 20, 2014, The second film, Yo-kai Watch: Enma Daiō to Itsutsu no Monogatari da Nyan! , was released in Japan on December 19, 2015, and the third film, Yo-kai Watch: Soratobu Kujira to Double no Sekai no Daibōken da Nyan! , a live-action animated film , was released in Japan on December 17, 2016 The fourth film, Yo-kai Watch Shadowside: Oni-ō no Fukkatsu , released in Japanese theatres on December 16, 2017. A fifth movie, Yo-kai Watch: Forever Friends , released in Japanese theatres on December 14, 2018. A sixth movie, Yo-kai Watch Jam
5328-531: Was released in Japan on January 13, 2023, based on the Yo-kai Watch♪ series and used as its two-part finale . The series is being released on DVD box sets, along with rental DVDs, in Japan by Kadokawa Media Factory . Every episode to date is available for streaming on multiple video on demand services in Japan, such as Hulu and Rakuten Video Showtime . At the premiere of the Yo-kai Watch film, Level-5's president Akihiro Hino officially announced that
5402-409: Was released in North America on November 6, 2015, and in Europe on April 29, 2016. The second main game in the series, Yo-kai Watch 2 , was released in Japan on July 10, 2014, as two versions: Ganso and Honke. These versions are known in English as Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls . Yo-kai Watch 2 adds several new areas, such as Kemamoto/Harrisville, and nearly 100 new Yo-kai to befriend, both in
5476-546: Was released on December 12, 2015, adding characters and settings featured in the second film, Yo-kai Watch: Enma Daiō to Itsutsu no Monogatari da Nyan! . A sequel, Yo-kai Watch Busters 2: Secret of the Legendary Treasure Bambalaya ( 妖怪ウォッチバスターズ2秘宝伝説バンバラヤー , Yōkai Wotchi Basutāzu 2 Hihō Densetsu Banbarayā ) , was released in two versions, ( ソード , "Sword") and ( マグナム , "Magnum") , on December 16, 2017. They are compatible with save data from
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