Daruma in Pop Culture: From Naruto to Studio Ghibli — How an 800-Year-Old Doll Became a Worldwide Icon

Apr 26, 2026 · Takaaki Watanabe

Daruma in Pop Culture: From Naruto to Studio Ghibli — How an 800-Year-Old Doll Became a Worldwide Icon

You may have seen a daruma without knowing it. In a Naruto opening sequence. In a Studio Ghibli film. On a Pokémon card. In a Nike collaboration. Tattooed on a J-pop idol.

The daruma has quietly become one of the most internationally recognized Japanese symbols — not through tourism marketing, but through pop culture infiltration. This guide traces how a 1,500-year-old Buddhist symbol turned into a globally visible icon.

The Beginning: Folk Tradition (1600s-1900s)

For most of its history, the daruma stayed local. Each Japanese region had its own style. People bought them at New Year shrines, set wishes, and burned them. International awareness was minimal.

The first wave of foreign exposure came through:

Japanese immigrants (Hawaii, California, Brazil) bringing daruma to overseas Japanese communities
Post-war American servicemen bringing them back as souvenirs in the 1940s-50s
Japan's economic boom in the 1980s drawing global attention to Japanese aesthetics

Anime and Manga (1990s-2000s)

The breakthrough was anime. Major series began featuring daruma not as background props but as characters and symbols:

Naruto — Daruma appears in dojos, training scenes, and as motivational props throughout the series. The phrase "Nana korobi ya oki" is referenced multiple times. Naruto himself, who fails repeatedly but never gives up, is essentially a daruma in human form.

Studio Ghibli films — Daruma appear in Spirited Away (in the bathhouse setting), My Neighbor Totoro (in the family home), and various Ghibli films as quiet background symbols of Japanese domestic life.

Pokémon — The Pokémon Darumaka and its evolution Darmanitan are directly named after daruma. They have the round, weighted body, fierce expression, and resilience theme. They were introduced in Generation V (Black/White, 2010) and have remained popular.

Crayon Shin-chan — Numerous episodes feature daruma comedically, often through Shin-chan misunderstanding the wish-making ritual.

Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) — Daruma appear in training scenes and dojos, particularly in flashback sequences.

J-Pop and Music (2000s-Present)

Japanese musicians have leaned into daruma as a visual and lyrical motif:

BTS — Even Korean acts have incorporated daruma in tour merchandise and photo shoots, recognizing its visual power
Babymetal — Daruma appears in stage designs and album imagery
Various visual kei bands have used daruma extensively in album art
Western rappers like Logic and Lil Yachty have referenced or worn daruma imagery

The daruma has become shorthand for "Japanese authenticity" in a way few other symbols can match.

Sports and Athletics

The daruma's "fall seven, rise eight" philosophy made it natural for sports culture:

Japanese Olympic teams traditionally paint daruma eyes when teams qualify (the second when they win)
Sumo wrestlers commonly own daruma — the resilience metaphor is perfect for a sport built on falling and standing
NBA player Yuta Watanabe has been photographed with daruma in his locker room
MLB stars from Japan (Ichiro, Ohtani) often have daruma in their training spaces
Kobe Bryant, before his death, was reported to keep a daruma in his office, calling it a reminder of the "Mamba mentality"

Fashion and Design

The daruma has become a streetwear staple:

Nike released a "Daruma" colorway of certain shoes in collaboration with Japanese designers
Supreme has incorporated daruma imagery into multiple collections
Bape (A Bathing Ape) regularly uses daruma in graphics
Comme des Garçons Rei Kawakubo has cited daruma as inspiration
Japanese fashion brands like Visvim and KAPITAL use daruma extensively

Tattoo Culture

The daruma is now one of the most popular Japanese tattoo subjects globally — outpacing samurai, ronin, and even cherry blossoms in many tattoo studios. The reason: it carries clear symbolism (perseverance) without being controversial (no political/religious heaviness).

(For more on this, see our dedicated Daruma Tattoo Meanings guide.)

Western Co-Optation: Good or Bad?

This is a sensitive topic, so let me be direct. As a 14th-generation daruma maker, here's my view:

Japanese culture has historically been generous with sharing its symbols. The daruma's spread is not appropriation in any harmful sense — it's the symbol doing what symbols do, traveling. The original meaning (perseverance, "fall seven, rise eight") is intact in nearly all Western uses.

Where it goes wrong is when:

The doll is depicted with both eyes pre-filled (defeats the entire ritual)
It's used purely as decoration without any acknowledgment of meaning
Cheap mass-produced versions undercut the actual craftspeople who keep the tradition alive

The way to honor the tradition while enjoying it: buy from real Japanese makers, learn the meaning, use it as intended.

The Numbers: Daruma's Global Reach

Some estimates of daruma awareness today:

Approximately 100 million daruma are made and sold each year in Japan alone
Pokémon Darmanitan has been seen by an estimated 500 million people worldwide through games, anime, and merchandise
Daruma-related Instagram posts exceed 2 million
Naruto, with daruma references throughout, has been watched by over 250 million people globally
Tokyo Olympics 2020 medal podiums featured daruma imagery, broadcast to a billion viewers

What This Means for the Tradition

For traditional daruma makers like our family workshop, the global popularity is a double-edged sword. On one hand, demand has grown — international customers now make up a significant portion of our orders. On the other hand, mass-produced "daruma" from non-Japanese sources flood the market.

The way the tradition continues is by connecting people to authentic makers. When you own a hand-painted daruma from Fukushima, you're not just owning a doll — you're keeping a 300-year tradition alive.

The Daruma's Next Chapter

The daruma will continue to spread. New anime will reference it. New fashion brands will use it. New cultures will adopt the "fall seven, rise eight" philosophy.

What matters is that the meaning travels with it. As long as someone, somewhere, is painting an eye and setting a wish, the tradition is alive.

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