For a company like Bandai, video, toys, and games are so inextricably linked that they almost can’t exist without each other. For their mastery of multimeda culture, Bandai is inducted into the Pop Culture Hall of Fame for 2025.
What exactly is Bandai? For some, it’s primarily a toy company, making action figures and video games starring those characters. For others, it’s a media company producing television shows and movies… also starring those characters. Bandai does all of that, of course. The magic comes from connecting the characters as TV and video games, and action figures so seamlessly that it’s hard to remember which element came first.
The Power Rangers brand is probably their biggest and most influential property, easily morphing to fit all different media and evolving over time to appeal to new audiences. Looking back, their kaiju adventures can feel a bit silly, but younger viewers swear by the version of the show they grew up with. Over three decades in, it’s still going strong.
Gundam, another Bandai brand, transformed mech design into another multimedia empire, including model kits. Intricately designed models with dozens of functioning parts are marvels of engineering that keep fans occupied beyond movies and video games. The phenomenon of homemade cardboard Gundam suits can be seen worldwide at comic cons and Halloween.
They have also brought other companies’ properties to life as video games. The wildly successful Dragon Ball or One Piece series, for example, would not be available in this form without Bandai. Before all that, of course, they brought Pac-Man and Tekken to arcades worldwide. And don’t forget their fidgety pocket games like Digimon and Tomagochi, which pioneered a new form of video game not involving points, explosions, or any sort of real competition. Just plain ol’fun.
Basically, everything Bandai touches becomes an all-consuming lifestyle brand. But rather than seeming insidious, it feels like a natural evolution. For their wide expanse of successful brands, Bandai becomes part of the world of the Pop Culture Hall of Fame for 2025.
