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Shigesato Itoi has recently taken a liking to Chiikawa and started sharing art he’s drawn of the characters. The creator of the Mother (Earthbound) RPG series released on Nintendo consoles has been spotted increasing his social media posts about the franchise ever since Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island launched in Japanese theaters in late July 2026.
Itoi had watched the movie multiple times, and with each visit, he also increased his pace on the same topic. He eventually started drawing Chiikawa characters on his own from August 20, 2026.
Shigesato Itoi has since made an almost daily tweet showcasing his own Chiikawa drawings and art. He also notably increased the number of character drawings every passing day.
Chiikawa originated as a manga series made by Nagano on Twitter in 2020, and Kodansha subsequently published its volumes starting in 2021. It also has a television anime adaptation that launched in 2022. Most recently, Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island launched in theaters, first in Japan on July 24, 2026.
The ever-rising popularity of Chiikawa has also resulted in the release of merchandise themed after the franchise. Uniqlo and McDonald’s have released items themed after the characters. Sanrio also launched a two-way crossover lineup where its mascots dress as Chiikawa characters, and vice versa.
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