A few days ago, I had the opportunity to discuss Chiikawa with Professor Jayson Chun from the University of Hawaii.
Professor Chun researches East Asian pop culture in Japan, China, and South Korea, and has been continuously studying Chiikawa. Since it was a rare chance, I asked him something that had been on my mind.
"Do you think Chiikawa will become popular in America too?"
Actually, this is the same question I was asked when a CNN reporter recently sought my cooperation for an interview.
Honestly, I struggled with this question because I wondered if the content itself would be accepted in America despite its "cute appearance," given the vastly different cultural backgrounds. In fact, the movie release is still limited to Asia, and we are watching future developments closely.
The professor's answer was that there is potential. He spoke quite positively about its compatibility with Generation Z in particular.
However, what stuck with me most during that conversation wasn't actually that part.
In America, "weak heroes" are not necessarily favored.
That was the gist of his point.
Looking back, he might be right. But that realization didn't disappear from my mind. So today, I want to write about what I've thought since then.
Indeed, American Heroes Are Strong
When people hear "American hero image," many think of Marvel: Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man.
To avoid misunderstanding, I'll state upfront that they are not "people who don't struggle."
Tony Stark suffers panic attacks and continues to agonize over how his creations destroyed the world. Steve Rogers has lost the entire era he was supposed to live in. Peter Parker loses loved ones, lacks money, fails at school and romance—he is almost entirely a protagonist on the "failing side."
They get hurt, cry, and break down at least once.
Yet, in most cases, they eventually stand up again.
And what they do after standing up is fairly predetermined:
Fight evil. Protect friends. Protect loved ones. Use their power to change the situation or the world.
In other words, America already has a highly polished cultural image of "what a hero is." This isn't about old vs. new; it's a completed form refined over a long time.
By That Standard, Chiikawa Is Quite Different
Now, let's look at Chiikawa.
Chiikawa fails exams. Cries out of fear. Can't say what they want to say. Struggles with work. There are many things they can't do alone. They get help from friends. They panic seriously over minor daily events.
It is fundamentally not a story about saving the world. It is not a narrative about defeating a great evil and restoring a broken world order.
Regarding the movie, the general plot involves defeating Siren (who is made into the villain) so children can understand it easily. (Of course, I understand there are other perspectives.)
Lined up like this, one might naturally think:
—Wouldn't this be perceived as "too weak" in America?
I paused there myself once.
But What Interested Me Was Beyond That
There is something that has been nagging at me while watching Chiikawa.
They are weak. But they are not characters who keep running away.
Even if scared, they go to extermination jobs. Even if they fail exams, they study again. They fail. They cry. They get help from others. Still, when the next day comes, they wake up and work again. And if a friend is in danger, they try to help even while trembling.
What kind of state is this?
It is not a story of "overcoming weakness to become strong." They do not level up and become strong by overcoming their weakness until the end.
But they continue.
Thinking this far, I began to wonder if overcoming weakness is the only definition of "strength." Perhaps continuing daily life while remaining weak could be called a different kind of strength.
I don't intend to declare "this is the new hero," but looking at it from this perspective, the story of Chiikawa seems slightly different.
"Saving the World" vs. "Living Today"
This is the main point I wanted to write about today.
If Marvel is a story about "saving the world," then Chiikawa might be a story about "living through daily life."
I don't rank these two in terms of superiority. Neither is better, nor is either inherently newer. Rather, they satisfy different desires.
The feeling of admiring a hero who defeats a giant enemy and the feeling of identifying with a character who barely survives another day can coexist normally within the same person. Someone who clenches their fists watching Avengers in a theater sends a Chiikawa sticker on the train home. That is not contradictory at all.
Therefore, if Chiikawa is accepted in America, it won't be because it replaces existing hero culture.
It might simply mean creating a seat for "protagonists living daily life" in a place separate from "heroes who save the world."
Why Generation Z?
I feel I understand why Professor Chun specifically mentioned Gen Z in this context.
Of course, this isn't a generalization like "all Americans are like this." There are generational differences within the country, and individuals vary greatly. That premise remains unchanged.
However, American Gen Z has grown up encountering Japanese anime and character culture quite naturally. They have already seen many protagonists who differ from traditional American heroic images.
You don't always have to win. You can be a protagonist without being strong. It's okay to get help from others. You can be in the center of the story even if you aren't perfect.
Perhaps the soil to accept such characters is already prepared. This is also not a definitive statement, but rather my hypothesis.
In China, Chiikawa Is Read as "Painkiller"
Here is another interesting perspective.
In Professor Chun's research on China, entities like Chiikawa are discussed in the context of "Digital Ibuprofen."
Ibuprofen is a painkiller. It doesn't solve real-world problems. Exams, job hunting, competition—none of them disappear. But it eases the pain slightly and helps you get through today.
Even though it's the same Chiikawa, what is seen differs.
In Japan: "Cute," "want to protect," "identify with self."
In China: A small painkiller for surviving a competitive society.
In America: Potentially becoming a "protagonist living daily life" placed separately from traditional heroes.
This is not strict academic classification, but my own organization. Yet, lining them up reveals one clear thing:
Characters are read differently depending on the country.
Today's Conclusion
If Chiikawa becomes popular in America, I don't think it's because "the era of weak heroes has arrived." Nor is it because Marvel is becoming outdated.
It is because there are people there who need stories about "living today," separate from stories about "saving the world."
And those two probably don't need to sit on the same shelf.
Just this September 2026, The Economist published an article featuring Chiikawa and the theme of "an age of anxiety." Professor Chun also contributed expert commentary. I believe this character is beginning to be read from angles different from domestic Japanese analysis.
How does Chiikawa look from overseas?
Professor Chun's research in Japan and China, and the concept of "Digital Ibuprofen," are introduced in more detail on the Oshikatsu Mirai Kenkyujo note.
▶ https://note.com/oshikatsu_labo/n/n84f22d373ab8
Here is the article supervised by the professor in The Economist:
"Chiikawa, star of a Japanese blockbuster, appeals in anxious times"
