Junji Ito’s Epic Hello Kitty Collab Is Now Online and Selling Out Fast

Junji Ito is arguably the greatest horror mangaka of all time. Despite a long history of poor anime adaptations, stories like Uzumaki, Tomie, Sensor, and many, many more are all considered to be horror classics. Fans are obsessed with his twisted imagination, blending paranormal elements with gruesome body horror. So, how do you make Junji Ito’s horrifying stories and characters even more terrifying? Simple. You mix them with Hello Kitty.

Junji Ito’s works have appeared as part of many collaborations. The most recent was with the fashion brand UNIQLO, with panels from Tomie and Uzumaki being plastered across t-shirts and sweatshirts. But, the new Junji Ito x Sanrio collab might be the wildest one yet. But, if you want merch that blends horror with bright pink cats (because who wouldn’t?), then you’d better get them soon because they’re selling out fast!

Junji Ito’s Sanrio Collab Is Already a Major Hit

Junji Ito’s new collaboration with Sanrio and their Hello Kitty franchise isn’t just an incredibly bizarre and juxtaposing merger, it’s also a phenomenal hit. The new collab only went live yesterday on YTE, but many of the items are already sold out. While over half of the stock is already gone, there are still plenty of items from this wacky collaboration left.

If you read Tomie and thought, ‘This isn’t kawaii enough,’ then why not treat yourself to some new Juni Ito x Sanrio threads, like t-shirts, sweatshirts, and totes? Or, if you want to add a horrifyingly pink aesthetic to your wardrobe, then there are still keyrings, badges, and stickers available. As well as Hello Kitty the range also includes designs from the wider Sanrio IP catalog, including My Melody, Cinnamoroll, and Pompompurin, all with a Junji Ito twist.

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Junji Ito x Sanrio Might Be the Mangaka’s Weirdest Crossover Yet

Despite almost every attempt at adapting one of Junji Ito’s mangas into an anime having crashed and burned, either in the production stages or with critics and audiences, Ito has still achieved mainstream success in comparison to many other mangaka. That is partly due to the sheer quality of his stories, which has led to them being a frequent staple on BookTok and BookTube. But, it is also due to Ito’s talent at staying relevant in pop culture with frequent, and sometimes unexpected collaborations.

This year, Ito, along with Berzerk and Parasyte, collaborated with the fashion brand UNIQLO for a new range of clothing. Ito also recently signed off for some of his characters to appear in the hit horror video game, Dead By Daylight. But, the Sanrio crossover easily stands out as the weirdest in Ito’s career — if not one of the weirdest in anime history.

When the collaboration was announced back in July 2024, even Ito himself revealed that he was skeptical. “When I was approached about collaborating with Sanrio’s characters, I [wondered] why a horror mangaka should be involved,” the legendary mangaka said. But, he was quickly persuaded by his family’s love of Sanrio’s characters. “But my wife and daughter love Sanrio products. I jumped on the chance to do it, as I wanted to boost my ‘father stock’. When I actually started drawing, I realized the cuteness of Hello Kitty and other characters comes from an exquisite design.”