It certainly seems to be the Age of the Geeks and Fans.
From global sensations like Demon Slayer, K-pop Demon Hunters and Pokémon taking the world by storm to Comic Cons spreading across India, it certainly is a good time to be a geek.
And it certainly seems to good time for companies and capitalism as well.
Cue nostalgia baiting: Taking old concepts of trends, characters, movies, TV shows and rebooting
it â or using it to bring in new consumers for the brand.
The upheaval of the past few years has made people increasingly susceptible to nostalgia, sparking a longing for events or products from a much shorter period than before. Quite often, certain series, games or characters often end up being associated with positive memories, several even serving as a source of inspiration and motivation to keep going against the odds(consider the typical shonen protagonistâŠyouâve got Goku, Natsu, Naruto, LuffyâŠwell, the list goes on). Every little mention of the series serves as a little mood-booster or pick me upâŠ.and companies certainly have been exploiting that fact.
Consider the case of the Pokémon franchise, especially the newer games that hit the market recently. Compare Pokémon Scarlet/Violet(often criticised for its many, many technical issues such as glitches, lag, frame rate issues, a boring environment in the new region of Paldea, and odd Pokémon designs, crashing issues) to the much beloved X/Y series (the only games which had direct sequels to them) and we have a staggering sales difference of 26.79 vs 16.78 (units sold in millions) as of March 2025. At this point, the popularity of the franchise itself serves as a safety net for the developer, as, regardless of quality, fans (myself, a guilty party) are keen to experience the new experience and Region Pokémon have to offer.
There are also anime/fandom-themed pop-up restaurants that often draw in crowds so much that you often need reservations a year prior for the more popular spots. These often offer food and drink thatâs themed around items, characters or events in a particular series, and often draw in many in spite of the minimal food quantities and food quality, with a lot of the ambience revolving around posters or streaming and offering limited collectibles (hey, extra sales!). The experience of it all, however, often ends up seeming like a âwin-win situation to most fans (I mean, which hardcore fan WOULDNâT want to dig into a doughnut smoothie thatâs a tribute to Rengoku vs Akaza?)
Finally, letâs touch on the concepts of mystery boxes and collectibles â every other fandom will almost have a collection to be completed, with a âblind boxâ concept where the curious fan buys a unit, hoping to score their favourite character or piece, and ultimately finish a set. The psychology behind this is said to be the release of dopamine when you acquire the little wrapped box, not knowing whatâs insideâŠwhile simultaneously buying out more units than there are collectibles (a clever marketing tactic to be sure, but not so kind to our wallets!)
I mean, have you seen the prices of figurines these days!?