As we roll into the holiday season in the US, Crunchyroll has announced that it will be teaming up with Walmart for a new “fan shop” at 2,400 locations nationwide. This new booth will serve as a physical location for fans and not-yet-fans to purchase anime, manga, figures, vinyl, and premium membership gift cards all under Crunchyroll’s branding. Series such as Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball Z, Akira, My Hero Academiaand Attack on Titan will be among the first selections that shoppers can find with new merchandise and releases coming throughout 2024. Some of these will also be exclusive to Walmart.
““Crunchyroll’s availability at Walmart will make anime more accessible than ever, inviting even more fans into this dynamic and exciting world,” said Mitchel Berger, SVP, Global Commerce, Crunchyroll. “This launch reinforces our commitment to spreading the love of anime to an even wider audience, and we can’t wait to see the joy it brings to fans this holiday season.”
If you’re interested in the new premium membership gift cards 1 month will cost $10, whereas 3 months will be $30, and 12-months may cause your wallet to seizure at a whopping $100. These cards do not require a credit card to purchase.
According to Crunchyroll, the following Walmart exclusive Blu-Ray Collections will be available at the new Crunchyroll Fan Shops:
-
Dragon Ball Z – Seasons 1-3 on Blu-Ray
-
Dragon Ball Z – Seasons 4-6 on Blu-Ray
-
Dragon Ball Z – Seasons 7-9 on Blu-Ray
-
Dragon Ball Super – Parts 1-2 on Blu-Ray
-
Dragon Ball Super – Parts 3-4 on Blu-Ray
-
Dragon Ball Super – Parts 5-6 on Blu-Ray
-
Dragon Ball Super – Parts 7-8 on Blu-Ray
-
Dragon Ball Super – Parts 9-10 on Blu-Ray
-
My Hero Academia – Seasons 1-2 on Blu-Ray
-
My Hero Academia – Seasons 3-4 on Blu-Ray
And the merchandise selection includes:
-
Attack on Titan: Attack on Titan 1 (Series #1) (Paperback)
-
Attack On Titan, Volume 34 (Paperback)
-
Fire Force: Fire Force 1 (Series #1)
-
Fire Force: Fire Force 2 (Series #2)
-
Toilet-bound Hanako-kun: Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, Vol. 17 (Series #17)
-
Toilet-bound Hanako-kun: Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, Vol. 18 (Series #18)
-
Blue Lock: Blue Lock 1 (Series #1) (Paperback)
-
Blue Lock 7
-
Demon Slayer Statues
-
Anime Plush
-
Naruto SH Figurarts
-
Dragonball Z SH Figurarts
-
Dragonball Z Banpresto Figures
-
Dragonball Z Ramen Bowl
-
Naruto Ramen Bowl
-
Jujutsu Kaisen Maxx Yume Capsules
-
Kanno Yugo – Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Golden Wind (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – Vinyl
-
Bleach Original Soundtrack – Vinyl
I’m someone who ventures to Walmart an unhealthy amount, and I’m always scouring the electronics section to see what new films and TV shows have gotten released, and that includes the anime section. What Walmart used to offer up until now was a pretty healthy selection of releases, usually most new anime films were available and Crunchyroll (previously Funimation), VIZ, and GKIDS all had a spot to compete.
With this new Crunchyroll booth, however, all of the competition has been removed from my Walmart’s shelves–at least for now–save for one lone Jujutsu Kaisen release I happened to spot in a different area. Perhaps they’re going to find new space to thrive at a later date, but for now this has lessened what options new fans have to discover anime.
