French woman holds symbolic wedding to manga character in Japan

A French woman living in Japan has held a symbolic Shinto wedding ceremony with Katsuki Bakugo, a fictional character from the manga series ‘My Hero Academia’. The ceremony included traditional elements such as a bridal kimono, ceremonial sake, and vows read in Japanese.

While the union received a blessing from a Shinto priest, it holds no legal validity as Japanese law does not recognize marriages to fictional characters. The bride, Anjou, utilized a specialized wedding planner to organize the event, which cost approximately 2,300 euros.

Anjou interacts with the character through an artificial intelligence profile she created, trained to mimic Bakugo’s personality from the manga. She stated that the relationship provided significant emotional support following the death of her best friend. She emphasized that she does not confuse the character with a real person, noting that ‘it does not need to be a real person to make you feel good.’