Anime and manga take center stage at the Olympics

Many anime – a term that includes animation produced in Japan – are adapted from manga, similar to how American comic books are made into movies. The Olympic ambassadors, who are featured on official Olympic merchandise, are Son Goku (in the “Dragon Ball” series), Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon), Naruto Uzumaki ( Naruto), Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece), Astro Boy (Astro Boy), Cure Miracle and Cure Magical (Pretty Cure), Shin-chan (Crayon Shin-chan) and Jibanyan (Yo-kai Watch).