Aku : Powerful Character IP Born in the Web3 Space

Created by artist Micah Johnson, Aku was inspired by one boy's question: Can astronauts be black?

Aku is rooted in four pillars:  community, vision, creativity, and relationships.

Micah Johnson envisions the future of Aku as “Building Worlds Around Dreams” alongside the Aku community.

The future is symbiotic: Grow the character of Aku. Build and Mobilize the Akuverse together. Empower, Encourage, and Educate each other.

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Enter the Ecosystem:
Original "Comic Book" NFTs
Unique Aku Identities
Commercial Rights Akutars
For Art Lovers
Oncyber Galleries
Aku Accessories

The Fundamentals

Who is Aku?
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Aku is one of the world’s first-ever digital explorers whose confidence and ingenuity have him on a mission to prove that no dream is too big and no obstacle is too large.
Who is Micah Johnson
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Micah, the creator of Aku, understands the pursuit of dreams that others may consider too grand. As a former MLB player who surprised many by retiring in 2018 to follow his passion for fine art, Micah's dedication quickly paid off. Within just two years, he hosted his first solo exhibit at Art Angels Gallery and earned the title of NFT Artist of the Year. Micah consistently challenges perceived boundaries, embodying the belief that anyone can achieve anything through deliberate and methodical effort.
What is the Akuverse?
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The Akuverse is a multiverse of story worlds for Aku to explore, each with its own characters, stories and inspirations. Community participation enables expansion of characters and stories with the shared ethos of empowerment, encouragement, and education.

Aku Chapters

What are Chapters?
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Aku Chapters are animated video NFTs of Aku’s journey. They began on February 21, 2021 with Chapter I (titled Genesis.001), and concluded on February 21, 2022 with Chapter X.

There are 15,434 editions in total among 10 unique Chapters. To purchase Chapters, visit the OpenSea or Nifty Gateway secondary markets.
What is a Moon God?
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Moon Gods are Aku Chapter collectors who own all 10 unique Chapters or 1 of the 10 original Aku statues.

Chapter III has the lowest edition count of 570, and is referred to as the Moon God “bottleneck”. As a result, there can only ever be 580 Moon Gods (including the 10 Statues).

Akutars

What are Akutars
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Akutars are a collection of originally 15,000 unique, 3D avatars released in April 2022.

Unique Akutar types and traits include: Handmade (56), Mega OG (529), Partner Trait (1,502), and OG (2,527).
What are Mega OG Akutars?
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Mega OG Akutars are a 529 edition subset of the Akutar collection with a distinctive look and helmet that allows for collector commercial rights.

All Mega OG Akutars not bearing an Aku mark or a partner trait have certain commercial rights (see terms).
Who holds Akutar IP rights?
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Generally, the IP relating to any Aku NFT remains the property of Aku. See terms here. Certain Mega OG Akutars enjoy limited commercial use rights as set forth in the detail here.
What Are Partner Traits? What Is Their Future?
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Partner traits are 1,502 editions of Akutars presented with traits co-designed by brands BBC, Ice Cream, Paper Planes, PUMA, Upscale Vandal, and Who Decides War.

This category of Akutar holders is a special tier with access opportunities to digital and/or physical collaborations. These opportunities consider a wide variety of brands - including but not limited to original partners - and exciting, relevant, one-off collaborations are prioritized.
What are Aku Cribs
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Aku Cribs are indoor/outdoor homes and advanced profiles for unique Akutar identities, built in Unreal Engine 5 - the development software of Epic Games.

Aku has traditionally been built alongside its community. Today Aku Cribs is in an early alpha test release to 50 individuals. Key features include 15,000 rigged identities and dynamically adjusted and saved environments.

Aku Cribs are part of a broader Aku mission: pursuing immersion and leveraging the 3D nature of Akutars. To achieve their full potential - mass distribution and gameplay - they will require an outside studio partner. Aku Worlds balance that longer-term process with the short-term (see below).

Aku Collections + Collaborations

What are yellow backpacks?
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Aku's Yellow Backpack serves as a vessel for goodwill and generosity in both the physical and digital worlds.

In the physical world, Yellow Backpacks will be used to change the lives of children for the better. Aku is rallying a network of game changers to help procure and distribute yellow backpacks to youth across the globe.

In the digital realm, yellow backpacks contain assets that can be digital, physical, or IRL experiences, and are acquired via sale, burn, or airdrop, depending on the release.
What is Aku's Art Collection?
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Aku’s Art Collection allows artists to express creative freedom with the Aku IP.

The genesis collection launched in February 2023 with 100 edition releases from Bryan Brinkman, Defaced, Shelby and Sandy, Terrell Jones, and Micah Johnson. Holders of all 5 genesis pieces will receive a free airdrop during season 2 of Aku’s Art Collection.
What are oncyber Aku Worlds?
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Oncyber is an Aku partner distributing an incredible digital gallery toolset. They allow for the display of both 2D and 3D assets and are viewable across mobile, web, and VR. New features are rapidly being deployed, including Chat GPT-4 integration.

Aku Worlds will ultimately be 10 oncyber galleries, each inspired by one of the original ten Aku Chapters. The first Aku World is based on the hallway from Chapter I and was distributed exclusively to those who burned an existing Aku Chapter.