Zombie Zoo Keeper
Description
Zombie Zoo Keeper is the creator name used by a Japanese artist born in Tokyo on November 23, 2012, who first gained recognition as an NFT artist while in elementary school. He is best known as the original creator of the concept and artwork for the animated project Zombie Zoo, produced by Toei Animation. His creative work began in 2021 when, at the age of eight, he launched an NFT art collection titled Zombie Zoo as a summer vacation independent research project with the help of his mother, artist and musician Emi Kusano. The collection consists of pixel art depicting zombie versions of various animals, a concept he derived from the zombies in the video game Minecraft combined with animals he encountered in picture books.
His rise to prominence was rapid. After initially listing his pixel art on the NFT marketplace OpenSea, his work was purchased and used as a profile picture by notable figures including DJ and music producer Steve Aoki and Trevor McFedries, the CEO of the company behind the virtual character Lil Miquela. This high-profile attention led to widespread media coverage and recognition. By the end of 2021, he had been named to the Forbes JAPAN 100 list, and his Zombie Zoo project was selected as one of 2021's Best (Non-Celebrity) NFT Projects by NYLON magazine.
The most significant professional adaptation of his work came when Toei Animation, the studio behind franchises like Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon, announced an anime project based on his Zombie Zoo art. The resulting animated promotional video, also titled Zombie Zoo, was released in May 2022 and was promoted as Japan's first animation project based on NFT art. For this project, Zombie Zoo Keeper served as the original creator, with his pixel art designs providing the foundation for the anime's characters and world. The studio explicitly stated that this project was intended to support and reflect the creativity of children, with Zombie Zoo Keeper being described as the main creator. The production was directed by YP, with character designs by Jiro Sameyama.
Beyond the Toei Animation project, Zombie Zoo Keeper has engaged in numerous other collaborations and exhibitions. In 2022, he collaborated with musician Piko Taro to create a music video for the "Zombie Zoo Song". He has also developed a video game titled Zombie Zoo Rescue, for which he created all character designs and selected the weapons. His work has been exhibited in prestigious venues, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo as part of the "MOT Annual 2023" exhibition, where he was the youngest participant at age eleven. He has also collaborated with the traditional Japanese brand Imabari to produce original towels featuring his designs.
The artistic identity of Zombie Zoo Keeper is characterized by the pixel art style and the recurring theme of zombified animals, which he produces using a tablet and free applications. His creative process has been described as spontaneous and rapid, with early reports indicating he could complete a piece in approximately three minutes. He has cited watching anime such as Pokémon, Naruto, and Yu Yu Hakusho as an influence, noting that he would imagine and draw his own original characters based on what he watched.
In terms of industry significance, Zombie Zoo Keeper represents an unusual case of a very young creator being directly involved in the development of a professional anime production. His career began in the emerging field of NFT art, and his collaboration with a major traditional animation studio like Toei Animation marked a notable early example of a studio developing a franchise based on user-generated digital art rather than a pre-existing manga or original script. He continues to work as a creator, balancing his artistic projects with his education.
His rise to prominence was rapid. After initially listing his pixel art on the NFT marketplace OpenSea, his work was purchased and used as a profile picture by notable figures including DJ and music producer Steve Aoki and Trevor McFedries, the CEO of the company behind the virtual character Lil Miquela. This high-profile attention led to widespread media coverage and recognition. By the end of 2021, he had been named to the Forbes JAPAN 100 list, and his Zombie Zoo project was selected as one of 2021's Best (Non-Celebrity) NFT Projects by NYLON magazine.
The most significant professional adaptation of his work came when Toei Animation, the studio behind franchises like Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon, announced an anime project based on his Zombie Zoo art. The resulting animated promotional video, also titled Zombie Zoo, was released in May 2022 and was promoted as Japan's first animation project based on NFT art. For this project, Zombie Zoo Keeper served as the original creator, with his pixel art designs providing the foundation for the anime's characters and world. The studio explicitly stated that this project was intended to support and reflect the creativity of children, with Zombie Zoo Keeper being described as the main creator. The production was directed by YP, with character designs by Jiro Sameyama.
Beyond the Toei Animation project, Zombie Zoo Keeper has engaged in numerous other collaborations and exhibitions. In 2022, he collaborated with musician Piko Taro to create a music video for the "Zombie Zoo Song". He has also developed a video game titled Zombie Zoo Rescue, for which he created all character designs and selected the weapons. His work has been exhibited in prestigious venues, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo as part of the "MOT Annual 2023" exhibition, where he was the youngest participant at age eleven. He has also collaborated with the traditional Japanese brand Imabari to produce original towels featuring his designs.
The artistic identity of Zombie Zoo Keeper is characterized by the pixel art style and the recurring theme of zombified animals, which he produces using a tablet and free applications. His creative process has been described as spontaneous and rapid, with early reports indicating he could complete a piece in approximately three minutes. He has cited watching anime such as Pokémon, Naruto, and Yu Yu Hakusho as an influence, noting that he would imagine and draw his own original characters based on what he watched.
In terms of industry significance, Zombie Zoo Keeper represents an unusual case of a very young creator being directly involved in the development of a professional anime production. His career began in the emerging field of NFT art, and his collaboration with a major traditional animation studio like Toei Animation marked a notable early example of a studio developing a franchise based on user-generated digital art rather than a pre-existing manga or original script. He continues to work as a creator, balancing his artistic projects with his education.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview