"Touken Ranbu" 10th Anniversary! Looking Back at Oohomaru Haku 2025 [Report]

The “Touken Ranbu Dai Honmaru Haku 2025” event was held over two days in January 2025 at Makuhari Messe. This report will cover the highlights of the event.

Touken Ranbu ONLINE is a sword-raising simulation game where famous historical swords transform into warriors known as Touken Danshi and battle through various historical conflict zones. The game first launched its service in 2015 and celebrated its 10th anniversary on January 14, 2025.

Over the past decade, it has become a hugely popular franchise with extensive media mixes including musicals, stage plays, anime, films, and even Kabuki performances, as well as various collaborations with museums and art galleries.

Touken Danshi 116 Swords… And Saniwa Galore!

Upon entering, the entrance zone was lined with the familiar Keishu (scenery) from the game. The outer walls featured a stunning display of standing illustrations of all 116 Touken Danshi in their ‘Normal’ forms, creating a truly impressive sight. While these are the familiar looks we see in the game, it was a special treat to view them as life-sized illustrations! Every character looked fantastic, making it easy to just stand and admire them, though it could be quite the task trying to find your personal favorite (oshi)!

Further inside, the Touken Danshi gathered together, dressed in their celebratory Shukusou (10th Anniversary Ver.) suits. There was a booth showcasing near life-sized illustrations of the characters in their Shukusou outfits, allowing fans to take their time admiring each one. This spot became an incredibly popular photo opportunity, with the sound of Saniwa (players/masters) camera shutters constantly clicking away. These outfits have a calmer atmosphere than their usual battle gear or Naiban (internal affairs) attire, and the resulting gap between looks is simply captivating! This special attire could also be captured in a commemorative photo at the “Dai Honmaru Haku Kinen Satsueikan” (Dai Honmaru Haku Memorial Photo Studio) booth.

Other photo spots included panels designed to make you feel like you’ve stepped right into the game screen, as well as smaller spots perfect for taking photos with plushies and other merchandise.

There were also displays of actual swords, including those related to the Hajimari no Go Furi (The Beginning Five Blades) and the “Fukugen Mikazuki Munechika Shin” (Restored Mikazuki Munechika True), which were absolute must-sees for Saniwa. Many visitors were also spotted checking the bulletin board listing sword-related facilities present at the venue.

Throughout the venue, sponsor booths featured merchandise sales and exhibits from various companies. Over the past 10 years, countless goods have been developed for Touken Ranbu by companies like Animate, Tanita, Mochi Mochi Mascot, and more. Yet, the franchise continues to offer things that make you think, “I want that!”, “That’s new!”, and “It’s so cute!”, showcasing its seemingly infinite potential. Though it does make one a little concerned for the wallets of the Saniwa… (laughs).

Moving further in, we arrived at the “Toaru Honmaru Booth” (A Certain Honmaru Booth). This area showcased the extensive media mix, including musicals, stage plays, anime, films, Kabuki, and manga adaptations. It was a great reminder of how Touken Ranbu has transformed into so many different works. Seeing it all laid out also brought back vivid memories of desperately trying to secure tickets for stage plays! Costumes from these stage plays and films were also on display here, allowing visitors to examine them closely.

At the Sakura Stage within the venue, scriptwriters and directors from the musicals and stage plays, as well as Kabuki actors, took the stage for valuable talk sessions. Meanwhile, the Fuji Stage in the adjacent event hall saw a grand assembly of the voice actors who portray the Touken Danshi, truly making it a celebratory banquet to mark the 10th anniversary.

This event was packed with content. Ten major announcements, or “Juu Juu Happyou,” were made, making the upcoming 10th anniversary period even more exciting. The future developments for Touken Ranbu are definitely not to be missed!

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