A Giant Leap for Anime! Global anime brand, Crunchyroll, launches anime character into Space from Sheffield!

An anime character’s dream came true when a 10cm plastic figurine of Senku, a character in the anime series Dr. STONE, was launched 35,032 metres into space from a field in Sheffield.
By Diana Stannard
Published 25th Jun 2021, 14:52 BST
Updated 25th Jun 2021, 14:52 BST
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Masterminded by Crunchyroll, the world’s biggest anime brand in collaboration with manga publishers Kazé, the replica of Senku, a teen genius who uses science to survive after the Earth is petrified, ventured into near space with the help of a hydrogen filled weather balloon.

The figurine’s epic journey was conducted by Sheffield based company Sent Into Space, which was founded in 2010 when two students studying Mechanical Engineering attempted to take photographs from space.

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The launch took place near Sent Into Space’s HQ at Parkway Rise in Sheffield. Senku lifted off at 8am and landed three hours later, 70km away just outside Hotham in East Yorkshire.

An anime character’s dream came true when a 10cm plastic figurine of Senku, a character in the anime series Dr. STONE, was launched 35,032 metres into space from a field in Sheffield.An anime character’s dream came true when a 10cm plastic figurine of Senku, a character in the anime series Dr. STONE, was launched 35,032 metres into space from a field in Sheffield.
An anime character’s dream came true when a 10cm plastic figurine of Senku, a character in the anime series Dr. STONE, was launched 35,032 metres into space from a field in Sheffield.

At the peak of his journey, more than 35km above the earth, the temperature was -65°C and the pressure was so extreme that the hydrogen balloon went from the size of your arm, to that of a two-storey house. At that point, it burst and Senku began his descent.

Initially, he hurtled down to earth at speeds of up to 150mph, but on re-entry to the Earth’s atmosphere, the parachute took effect.

“He descended at a gentle walking pace as he touched down,” explains Sent Into Space’s Business Development Executive Alex Keen. “Senku was taped securely onto a pedestal, and landed intact.”

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Senku was equipped with two GPS tracking devices and two cameras which filmed the entire journey and captured him in the inky blackness above the earth’s shimmering blue atmosphere alongside the Crunchyroll and Kazé logos.

An anime character’s dream came true when a 10cm plastic figurine of Senku, a character in the anime series Dr. STONE, was launched 35,032 metres into space from a field in Sheffield.An anime character’s dream came true when a 10cm plastic figurine of Senku, a character in the anime series Dr. STONE, was launched 35,032 metres into space from a field in Sheffield.
An anime character’s dream came true when a 10cm plastic figurine of Senku, a character in the anime series Dr. STONE, was launched 35,032 metres into space from a field in Sheffield.

“Sending Senku into space was a challenge and the final result is several months of work between our French and American teams and our partners in Japan. All this to tell you to watch Dr.STONE on Crunchyroll and on DVD and Blu-ray at Kazé,” says Crunchyroll’s Social Media Manager Bastien Guetta.

Riichirô Inagaki who wrote the manga script of Dr.Stone hinted to the show’s fans: “Although Senku hasn’t gone into space within the story of the Stone World, this may be him getting a preview in advance.”

A video of Senku’s time in Near Space is available to watch here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCeKdzrkAuw

Related topics:SheffieldSpaceEarth