AIRDO's Massive 'Golden Kamuy' Collaboration Flies High, Ignites Fan Excitement

Hokkaido-based airline AIRDO has announced a large-scale collaboration project with the popular manga and anime series, Golden Kamuy, generating significant buzz, particularly on social media.

This collaboration is set to roll out a wide range of projects, starting with a dedicated special page scheduled to launch in December 2025. The most highly anticipated aspect is the application of newly drawn illustrations of the main characters as decals on the boarding doors of 11 of AIRDO's passenger aircraft. As one of AIRDO's 12 aircraft is already a "Rokon Jet" (Pokémon-themed), this effectively means almost all of their fleet will adopt the Golden Kamuy theme, an unprecedented scale that has fans exclaiming with excitement: "It's practically all Golden Kamuy planes!" and "I'm only flying AIRDO next year!"

On X (formerly Twitter), the announcement was met with an outpouring of appreciative and welcoming comments like "Thank you, AIRDO" and "Great collaboration!". In particular, the characters depicted in the new illustrations have become a hot topic, with fans intensely scrutinizing the detailed artwork: "Tsukishima with the intercom in the AIRDO collab really gets me. He's the best character in Japan who suits an intercom," "Is Koito ground staff?" and "The captain is too cool." Humorous posts also appeared, such as "The plane with Shiraishi on it looks like it's going to crash, and the one with Ogata on it looks like I'll be assassinated," further demonstrating the immense excitement among fans.

Collaboration merchandise is also planned for sale, with fans eagerly anticipating their availability through online shops. Furthermore, existing AIRDO services, such as the widely praised "delicious scallop soup" served onboard, are also receiving renewed attention at this opportune moment.

Phrases evoking the series' world, like "Let's go find the golden treasure with AIRDO!", have also emerged, prompting active consideration among fans to use AIRDO because of this collaboration. Comments such as "I've already booked AIRDO for my trip to Tokyo next January" and "Maybe I'll use AIRDO for my return home..." are frequent, indicating anticipation for their future flights. There are also calls for the expansion of routes within Hokkaido, with expectations that this collaboration will contribute to further boosting Hokkaido tourism.

The context

AIRDO is a regional Japanese airline based in Sapporo, Hokkaido, primarily operating flights connecting Hokkaido with other major Japanese cities. Its fleet consists mainly of Boeing 737 and 767 aircraft. Golden Kamuy is a hugely popular historical adventure manga series, adapted into an anime, set in the late Meiji era of Japan (early 20th century). It follows Saichi Sugimoto, a veteran of the Russo-Japanese War, and an Ainu girl named Asirpa, as they search for a massive hidden gold treasure in the wilderness of Hokkaido. The series is acclaimed for its blend of action, humor, detailed historical research, exploration of Ainu culture, and vivid depiction of Hokkaido's natural landscape. The collaboration is particularly fitting given the series' strong ties to Hokkaido, making it a natural partnership for a Hokkaido-based airline.