From East to Everywhere: what kids want from global and local IP

For decades, global licensing followed a familiar pattern: IP originated from a select number of countries and exported outward. Today, that model is breaking down. Across entertainment, games, music and consumer products, Asian-origin IP is reshaping the global licensing landscape.

Why Asian IP is rewriting the global licensing playbook

From anime and video games to K-pop and character-driven franchises, content from Japan, South Korea, China and India is travelling faster, resonating deeper, and generating fandoms – something once the preserve of franchises typically originating in Hollywood. Crucially for the licensing trade, this success is not driven by scale alone, but by authenticity, emotional depth and ecosystem thinking.

Kids are no longer regional audiences, they are global fandom communities

One of the most profound shifts influencing licensing today is how children engage with media. It’s widely known that kids no longer experience content through national broadcasters or single platforms. Using the screens they have access to, they curate their own worlds across YouTube, TikTok, games, streaming platforms, merchandise and other social networks, and often do this simultaneously.

As a result, borders matter less than fandoms. Children in Brazil, Greece or South Africa may discover Japanese anime, Korean music or Chinese mythology through the same digital pathways. Algorithms, peer recommendations and social sharing ‘flatten’ geography and accelerate global discovery.

For licensors, this means success is no longer dependent on territory-by-territory rollout alone. Instead, properties that feel culturally specific yet emotionally universal can ignite globally, and with that licensing demand follows.

Why Asian IP travels so well

Asian content resonates not because it tries to be global, but because it doesn’t. Across markets, kids consistently respond to:

• Deep character development that rewards long-term emotional investment.
• Strong world-building that invites the curious mind to explore beyond a single format.
• Clear moral and emotional stakes, often centred around friendship, family, perseverance and belonging.
• Distinctive visual identities that stand out in cluttered digital feeds.

Japanese anime exemplifies this approach. Its commitment to craft, serialised storytelling and emotional nuance has created franchises that sustain licensing relevance for decades. Pokémon remains one of the strongest global licensing properties precisely because it has evolved without losing its core identity.

Similarly, content originating in India thrives through its focus on family co-viewing, moral storytelling and local cultural adaptation. These are factors that drive parent approval and cross-generational engagement, both of which are critical to licensing longevity.

Relatability is the new global currency

For kids, ‘relatable’ does not have to mean culturally familiar, it also means emotionally meaningful. Children are more likely to engage with content that:

• Reflects their everyday lives, friendships and environments.
• Makes them feel understood, comforted or inspired.
• Becomes part of their daily routines.
• Is talked about, shared and played with among peers.
• Allows self-expression through avatars, play, customisation or creation.

This explains why anime, games and character-led universes dominate kids’ conversations globally. They build social identity and community through gaming; anime supports emotional exploration and personal identity. Together, they create fertile ground for licensing ecosystems that extend well beyond screen time.

Licensing thrives where ecosystems exist

The most successful Asian-origin IPs are not single products, but cross-platform ecosystems, exemplified by the likes of Pokémon and Mario.

Kids rarely meet a brand in a single place. They encounter it through games, TV, videos, music, merchandise, apparel, publishing, live events, and increasingly, social content and creator collaborations. Properties designed with cross-media potential from day one consistently outperform those retrofitted for licensing later.

A clear example is the collaboration between LEGO and One Piece. The partnership worked because both brands respected the other’s DNA. One Piece retained its distinctive visual identity and narrative depth, while LEGO added a physical play layer that expanded the franchise into new demographics. The result was not just strong sales, but sustained engagement beyond launch.

What this means for the licensing trade

As Asian IP continues to scale globally, several clear implications emerge for licensors, agents and partners:

1. Authenticity beats adaptation:watering down cultural specificity to chase mass appeal often weakens licensing potential. Kids value originality and so do fandoms.
2. Think cross-media from day one:licensing works best when IP is designed for engagement across multiple touchpoints, such as toys, apparel, publishing, games, food & drink and attractions.
3. Characters come first:strong, emotionally defined characters travel better than concepts. They anchor merchandising, storytelling and long-term brand equity.
4. Community drives growth:peer recommendation remains one of the most powerful discovery drivers. Successful licensing strategies actively nurture fan communities rather than relying solely on paid promotion.
5. The future is ‘glocal’:the winning model combines local cultural DNA with modular formats that can adapt globally without losing identity and authenticity.

Looking ahead: what could be the next phase of Asian IP?

Several trends point to where licensing opportunities will emerge next:

• Anime-inspired formats tailored for younger audiences.
• Genre hybrids blending games, fantasy, comedy and social storytelling.
• Fantasy worlds rooted in local folklore.
• Gaming-influenced narrative structures.
• Continued growth of ‘glocal’ franchises built for digital-first discovery.

These are not speculative trends, they reflect how kids already consume, talk about and engage with content. The success of Asian IP globally cannot be ignored. Kids are telling the industry what they want through their behaviours, conversations and fandoms.

For the licensing trade, the opportunity lies not in copying these properties, but in learning from them. Lead with authenticity, design ecosystems not single products, prioritise characters, and let fandom and not geography guide expansion.

Today, the most powerful IP does not travelfrom West to EastorEast to West. It travels from authenticity to everywhere.

For access to independent, forward-looking market intelligence on the global kids and family economy,chat with a member of our team.

These insights were first presented at Asia TV Forum & Market, December 2025, by Adam Woodgate, VP Research Solutions for The Insights Family.