Azuki NFTs have become a hot topic, with the Azuki #9605 selling for a whooping $1.4 million sometime in March 2022.
The project might just topple Bored Ape Yacht’s Club popularity over the past months.
The Azuki NFTs paved the way for many Anime/Manga Projects.
Sold out in just 3 minutes, the Azuki NFTs, a group of 10,000 anime-themed profile picture projects, are taking over the internet.
In fact, since their mint in January, they have consistently made headlines and racked up a trading volume of 177.9k ETH (almost 569 million at the time of writing).
All Azuki run on the Ethereum blockchain with a unique token, ERC 721A. The creators of this project, 4 men based in Los Angeles, earn a 5% royalty on any sale. Isn’t that mind-blowing?
Azuki NFTs: Record-breaking $1.4 million sales of Azuki #9605
An Azuki NFT, Azuki #9605, made headlines almost two weeks ago when it sold for for 420.7 ETH. No other NFT in this collection has sold for this much before.
The piece is not the rarest of the Azuki collection but the second rarest. The only Azuki that has ever come close to that price is Azuki #4666, sold for 204 ETH (about $550,000) in January.
Anime Culture in NFTs
One of the reasons why Azukis are so popular lies in their art: their anime theme. An anime collection provides a fresh feel in a world where apes and pixelated art have long dominated the NFT space.
Azuki’s rapid popularity has also kicked off new waves of other Anime NFT projects throughout the ecosystem, like Akuma, Kiwami, Shinsekai, etc.
According to OpenSea rankings, anime NFTs might just be the next hot theme. For example, Clone X-X TAKASHI MURAKAMI, Akuma Origins, Kiwami Genesis, and Shinsekai Portal are all on the list of top 10 OpenSea currently.
Can Azuki NFTs topple BAYC?
More than just hype, the real reason why NFTs can be relevant over time is their utility. Does Azuki have utility? Yes. According to the project’s official website, holders enjoy exclusive access to the “Garden,” a place in the metaverse where creatives can meet and interact.
There are talks of Chiru Labs wanting to turn the collection into an animated series. If this happens, then you can be almost sure that the Azukis would topple the Apes because who doesn’t love Anime?
Deluxe streetwear collaborations and Azuki games are two other things that might just propel the Azuki collection to the top. The collection focuses more on being a top decentralized metaverse brand than another PFP.
As for Bored Ape Yacht Club, the primary utility is giving its members exclusive access to its community called the Yacht Club, where holders can interact online and offline.
Compared to the BAYC, the Azukis win the utility contest and might just win the popularity contest.
Bored Ape Yacht Club might just have had its run as the most popular and coveted NFT collection, and it’s finally time for Anime skateboarders to take over.
