Top Gun: Maverick Announces Wild Anime Collab

Top Gun may not be on the radar these days like it was decades ago, but that should change before long. After all, the film is going to be back in theaters next year when its sequel goes live. Fans of the high-octane film are thrilled to see the return, but others may not know the first thing about the Tom Cruise project. And to help educate the public, one anime is teaming up for a special Top Gun collab.

The whole thing went live this week courtesy of Top Gun and Uma Musume. The anime announced one of its heroines has been asked to become a mascot for the high-flying sequel. Obviously, the show was on board, so Mayano Top Gun is going to join the movie’s parade.

For those confused about this crossover, well – it makes more sense than you may realize. Uma Musume is an anime all about famed racehorses, and one of its stars has ties to Top Gun. Mayano Top Gun is based on the racehorse of the same name, so the character (much like the horse) is inspired by the movie. In fact, Mayano wears an aviator jacket and uses lingo frequently used in the movie. So when Top Gun: Maverick was looking for a mascot in Japan, this was an easy pick.

According to the report, Mayano is a promotional pilot for the sequel, and she will take part in more campaigns down the line. This is far from the first time the movie franchise acknowledged the anime heroine, but this is the first official collaboration between the two. Fans are curious to see how this deal works out, and it has a long shelf life. This week, Top Gun: Maverick moved its release from this November to May 2022. No Japanese release date has been settled upon, but you can Mayano will be first in line to check out the film!

Did you ever see this Top Gun collaboration coming? Which other wacky crossovers like this need to happen? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.

HT – ANN