Yo-kai Watch

Concept and plot

The franchise was first conceived as a Doraemon IP, something that could last over 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 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 nekomata 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 series's run, other Yo-kai were introduced.

Characters

In most English-language Yo-kai Watch media, the character names are changed to new names. In the Shogakukan Asia English manga published in Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries, the original Japanese names are used.

Nathan "Nate" Adams / Keita "Keta" Amano (天野景太 / ケータ, Amano Keita / Keta)

Voiced by: Haruka Tomatsu (Japanese); Johnny Yong Bosch (Season 1-2), Griffin Burns (Season 3), Meyer DeLeeuw (Blasters) (English)

Nathan "Nate" Adams is a 11-year-old fifth-grade student who is average at most things, which bothers him. However, he is active, cheerful and well-liked by his classmates and he has a crush on Katie. While bug hunting in the forest to find a rare bug to impress Katie, he discovers a capsule machine under a sacred tree, from which he frees Whisper and is given the Yo-kai Watch, which allows him to see and befriend Yo-kai and obtaining Yo-kai Medals to summon them into battle against mischievous Yo-kai. In the shōjo manga series, he does not possess a Yo-kai Watch and is unaware of the existence of Yo-kai.

Katie Forester / Fumika "Fumi-chan" Kodama (木霊文花 / フミちゃん, Kodama Fumika / Fumi-chan)

Voiced by: Aya Endō (Japanese); Melissa Hutchison (Season 1-2), Reba Buhr (Season 3) (English)

Katie Forester is a 11-year-old fifth-grade student who is Nate's childhood crush and classmate, she is very popular and highly intelligent, but afraid of failing to meet her mother's standards. She is often admired by her fellow male students, particularly Nate. In contrast to Nate's Yo-kai Watch, Katie's Yo-kai Watch is shaped like a pocket watch with a floral design, which she wears as a pendant around her neck. In the shōnen manga series and in a dream Whisper has in episode 67 of the anime series, she does not possess a Yo-kai Watch and is unaware of the presence of Yo-kai. Katie is also featured in the Mini Corners, where Kyubi tries to win unsuccessfully over her heart.

Barnaby "Bear" Bernstein / Gorōta "Kuma" Kumashima (熊島五郎太 / クマ, Kumashima Gorōta / Kuma)

Media

Main series

The main video game series are role-playing video games where 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, the battle system was changed to a grid-based movement system, with the added ability to use Dream Link and Yo-kai Blaster against foes during battle.

The first video 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 was released in North America on November 6, 2015, and in Europe on April 29, 2016.

The second video game in the main 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 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 led by Dame Dedtime, the main antagonist of the second game. 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 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: Nathan "Nate" Adams and Hailey Anne Thomas, each with their own story. Nate's story focuses on him and his family moving from Springdale to 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, Meriken) Yo-kai are found. Hailey Anne's story focuses on her meeting her partner Merican 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, The main antagonist of the third game. A third version, Sukiyaki, was released in Japan on December 16, 2016, combining Sushi and Tempura into one game and adding additional features.

Spin-off video game series

A spin-off video game, Yo-kai Watch Busters (妖怪ウォッチバスターズ, Yōkai Wotchi Basutāzu) 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") 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 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 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 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 Blasters 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.

Manga and comics

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 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 parallel timeline, in which Katie Forester would receive the Yo-kai Watch. This is in contrast to the main timeline, where Nathan "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 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, 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.

Anime

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 mischievous Yo-kai. Some episodes have 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. To help promote the series for its sister network, Disney Channel aired a special preview episode on December 18, 2015.

On April 7, 2015, Level-5 unveiled a promotional video for the anime series' second season, which premiered in July 2015. The second season features a new protagonist named Hailey Anne Thomas and her Merican Yo-kai companion Usapyon, as well as new models of the Yo-kai Watch called "Yo-kai Watch Model U" and "Yo-kai Watch Dream". The third season premiered on January 4, 2017, and entered a Blasters Arc in July. In February 2018, a new anime series and follow-up to the Yo-kai Watch Shadowside: Oni-ō no Fukkatsu film called Yo-kai Watch Shadowside started airing after the original anime series ended on March 31, 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 is a sequel to the original Yo-kai Watch anime series that introduces new Yo-kai while serving as a sort of prequel to the Yo-kai Watch Shadowside: Oni-ō no Fukkatsu film, as Nate receives "Yo-kai Watch Arcane Model K", which resembles "Yo-kai Watch Arcane" used by Summer Adams and occasionally Tate Adams in Shadowside. While mostly based on the original series, it features elements from Shadowside, such as the Yo-kai Keystones and the Lightside and Shadowside forms.

Yo-kai Watch Jam: Yo-kai Academy Y: Close Encounters of the N Kind ran from December 27, 2019, to April 2, 2021, as a follow-up of the Yo-kai Watch Jam the Movie: Yo-Kai Academy Y – Can a Cat be a Hero? film.

Another revival series, Yo-kai Watch♪, officially known in English as Yo-kai Watch: Reborn started airing on April 9, 2021, to March 31, 2023, it is the sequel to the Yo-kai Watch! anime series and prequel to the Yo-kai Watch Shadowside: Oni-ō no Fukkatsu film which Nate now uses an "enhanced" version of the original Yo-kai Watch model which can recognize all types of Yo-kai Medals.

Music

The music for the games and anime series is composed by Level-5 employee Kenichiro Saigo. The following themes are used in both the video games and anime series. In the original anime, all opening themes are performed by King Cream Soda, with lyrics by m.o.v.e vocalist Motsu. The anime themes are also dubbed into English for its North American broadcast.

Recent seasons of the anime have had opening and ending themes performed by Japanese YouTubers such as Soraru, Rinu, and Strawberry Prince.

Merchandise

Various toys, such as the eponymous Yo-kai Watch and Yo-kai Medals, have been produced based on the series, receiving high commercial success. Hasbro released a toy line based on the series worldwide in December 2015. In July 2016, Square Enix's MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn held a special crossover event lasting until October which allowed players to gather Medals from existing in-game battles and exchange them for minions modeled after the franchise's titular Yo-kai as well as weapons inspired by them. In January 2018, McDonald's began offering Yo-kai Watch toys in US Happy Meals, alongside the much more popular Shopkins.

Reception

The original Yo-kai Watch game received a score of 36/40 from Famitsu, with its sequel Yo-kai Watch 2 also scoring 36/40. Yo-kai Watch 2 won the Grand Prize in the Japan Game Awards. It also won 3 other awards: The Best Sales Award, and two Excellence Awards (for the 2nd game and its third version). In 2014, Yo-kai Watch's manga in CoroCoro Comic won the 38th Kodansha Manga Award in the Best Children's Manga category. In the following year, it also was awarded the Best Children's manga at the 60th Shogakukan Manga Awards.

Series mascot Jibanyan was at the center of artwork for the 2014 holding of the World Hobby Fair, was chosen as the kids goodwill ambassador of the Hawaii Tourism Board in Japan in 2015, and was one of the 8 "Olympics Ambassadors" for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

When the anime first aired, in 2014, the franchise became popular in Japan. By February, the first game, which originally sold only 53,654 copies, was at over 500,000 shipped and the anime was surpassing Pokémon in the TV rankings; being compared to it and being dubbed the "Pokémon Killer". By the second game's release, the first game had sold 1,195,287 copies and the second game surpassed that at release at 1,316,707 copies. The third version also impressed, at 1,244,171 units.

Even the president of Level-5, Akihiro Hino, was surprised by Yo-kai Watch's popularity. "While I did believe that it would get its break, honestly, to have it come this far, where the children of Japan would get so hopped-up on Yo-kai, to the point where all the goods would sell out, is something I didn't expect." They were the second most popular characters in Japan, in a survey by Video Research Ltd. Explanations for its popularity ranged from catchy songs and dances, to being something parents and kids could enjoy together, to "weird adults" not being interested in it. Hino himself said that it was the relatable characters and situations relatable to modern kids that made it popular.

This also translated into toy sales, racking in 55.2 billion yen for Namco Bandai. Yo-kai Watch toys were frequently out of stock; people having to wait in lotteries to get a Yo-kai Watch and search hard for medals. Other merchandise had to wait longer because of the long licensing wait times. This demand made it the second highest product in Nikkei Trendy that year.

Decline

By 2015, sales had started to fall to numbers ranging from around a quarter to 1/8 of what they were the previous year. Prices were cut and there was less visible excitement among children. By the time the third games were released, in 2016, it was on a downward slope with the game launching with about half of what the second games did, with 632,135 units and the third version of the game launched with half of what the first versions sold with 337,979 units. The toy sales were 10.4 billion yen in 2016 and estimated to be at 6.3 billion yen in 2017. This was largely due to hype building for two games that were coming from Nintendo's Pokémon franchise, the Pokémon Go smartphone app and Pokémon Sun and Moon for the 3DS.

In addition to the wake of Pokémon's renewed popularity, analysts had a few other theories on why Yo-kai Watch was falling. Ken Hōri of The Business Journal and Ollie Barder of Forbes thought it was mainly distribution issues; products that were ordered from the summer vacation were over stocked, because of the six-month waiting period for copyright approvals. Another reason he had was that the toys had incompatible medals with later watches, leading to a loss of interest. Barder and Sato of Siliconera also mentioned oversaturation, with it being Sato's main focus.

Unlike in its native Japan where it experienced a short period of great popularity, Yo-kai Watch had an overall underwhelming performance in the United States. Although it got off to a promising start in that region, with the original game selling at least 400,000 units there as of 2016, the sequel, Yo-kai Watch 2, sold less than 200,000 copies in comparison. Meanwhile, Disney XD's English broadcast of the anime series has estimated only 100,000-300,000 viewers per episode, and was removed from the network's schedule in 2017. Despite the franchise's unsatisfactory Western response, it maintains a cult following with attempts to revive the franchise such as #SaveYoKaiWatch which trended on Twitter. The franchise is also popular in Europe, with the original game's sales out pacing the Japanese release as of October 2016.