Things are about to get delightfully bananas. Crunchyroll the global brand serving anime-fandom worldwide, and Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS) Entertainment one of the largest, most established anime studios are doubling down on the cuddly world of Bananya, unveiling Bananya Buddies, the franchise’s first original mobile game alongside a brand-new anime special celebrating the feline fruit’s 10th anniversary.
Launching this summer on Crunchyroll Game Vault, Bananya Buddies marks the first original title developed for Crunchyroll’s gaming platform. Created by Crunchyroll games and TMS in collaboration with indie studio The Mix, the cosy cat-collecting game invites players to build friendships with the banana-loving felines through mini-games, customisable hangout spaces and collectible rewards.
Players will welcome visiting Bananyas to Bananya Planet, earn in-game currency through mini-games, spoil their furry guests with toys and treats, and strengthen friendships by unlocking buddy points. Reaching best buddies status opens up sleepovers, while those who go the extra mile can discover what lies beyond best buddies forever. The game will support English, French, German, Italian, Spanish (Latin America) and Spanish (Spain), with pre-registration already live on Google Play ahead of its summer launch.
The title joins Crunchyroll game vault’s catalogue of nearly 100 premium games, available to mega fan and ultimate fan subscribers across more than 200 countries and territories.
The celebrations don’t stop there. Bananya will return to screens with a special 10th anniversary anime premiering at Anime Expo on 4 July, exactly a decade after the first episode debuted in 2016. The special will stream globally on Crunchyroll from 9 July.
The anniversary outing follows a curious new adventure in which the Bananyas embark on a treasure hunt through mysterious new lands, complete with a fresh theme song, Nyanderful Nyanderland, and an all-star Japanese voice cast featuring Atsumi Tanezaki, Yuina Ito and Toshiyuki Morikawa.
The new game and anniversary special are just the opening act of a year-long celebration for the franchise, with TMS promising more merchandise, fan events and special projects in the months ahead.
For Crunchyroll, it’s another play to deepen fan engagement beyond streaming. For Bananya, the message is simple: after 10 years, these banana-loving cats are still ripe for more adventures.
