BODY: Kyoto has seen plenty of kimono, but probably none made for a sci-fi shooter. On September 14, cosplayer Moe Iori showed up at Kyoto Station in a custom-made kimono based on Goddess of Victory: NIKKE, and that evening the city's best-known tower lit up for the game.
Publisher Level Infinite held a press conference at Karasuma Koji Plaza inside the Kyoto Station Building. The event marked the start of the second phase of "NIKKE in Kyoto with Oshi-Tabi," the game's collaboration with the city. The Nidec Kyoto Tower lighting ceremony followed, turning the landmark just outside the station into a glowing ad for the campaign.
Iori is one of Japan's best-known cosplayers and has a large following in gaming circles. Her custom kimono mixed traditional Kyoto style with NIKKE's character designs, which fits a campaign built on pairing the game's world with the old capital's history.
Voice actress Natsumi Murakami, who plays Arcana, also appeared. She introduced limited-edition voice lines recorded for the collaboration, which she described as amaama ("sickly sweet"). Fans can only get these lines through the campaign. Exclusive audio like this is a common way for Japanese collabs to get players to travel in person instead of just logging in.
The "Oshi-Tabi" name (roughly "trips for your favorite character") shows what the campaign is going for. It wants fans to plan real trips around the characters they love.
The insider take
From Tokyo, this looks like a standard move from the oshi-katsu ("fan activity") tourism playbook. Kyoto Tower has become a regular spot for anime and game tie-ins since Nidec bought its naming rights in 2022. Kyoto Station is an ideal place for this kind of event because nearly every tourist passes through it. NIKKE is made by Korea's Shift Up, but Japan is one of its biggest markets. Hosting a second Kyoto round is a good sign that the first one drew real crowds. Kyoto is also dealing with overtourism, so the city has reason to like campaigns that send devoted fans to specific venues on specific dates instead of adding to crowds on already packed temple streets.
Originally reported by GAME Watch (Japanese).