FAQ

Who is Aku?

Aku is a young, black boy sporting an oversized astronaut helmet and a confident swagger, on a mission to prove that no dream is too big, and no obstacle is too large.

Who is behind Aku, what is Aku about?

Aku was created by former MLB player turned artist Micah Johnson. Micah is a self-taught figurative artist who uses strong gestural lines combined with loose brush strokes to create dramatic portraits primarily featuring African-American children. These subjects, which are often inspired by his young nephews, began appearing in Micah’s work ever since he overheard his 4-year old nephew ask, “Can astronauts be black?” After seeing the overwhelming response to his paintings, Micah realized he needed to expand this message to reach a broader demographic and he created an animated character named Aku.

Micah launched Aku as an animated 3D NFT in February 2021 with broad community support from the worlds of crypto & NFTs, art, music and culture including partner Summer Watson and founding Aku Creative Council members Pusha-T and Upscale Vandal. Over the course of Aku’s first year, the team behind Aku grew to include some of the top animation, creative design, technology and community management professionals in any industry. Meet us HERE!

In just his first year of existence, Aku has achieved many great things, including:

First NFT optioned for film and TV
First NFT sent to space
Aku World: MIami at Miami’s Art Basel, a three-day immersive experience
Selected as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies for 2022, alongside Canva, Microsoft, SpaceX, and more
Featured at auction at traditional art auction houses Christie’s and Bonhams, and at ComplexCon

What are Chapters?

Aku Chapters are short animated videos of Aku’s journey. The Aku Chapters started on February 21, 2021 with Genesis.001 aka Chapter I, and concluded on February 21, 2022 with Chapter X. Chapter holders have always been, and will be, rewarded for their belief in Aku. Chapter 4 was airdropped for free if you owned Chapters 1, 2, and 3 at the time. Chapter 8 was also airdropped for free to those collectors who owned Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7 (received two Chapter 8's) or Chapters 5, 6, and 7 (received one Chapter 8). Top holders have also enjoyed access to exclusive IRL events, and opportunities to contribute to creative decisions (e.g. creation of Aku’s friend Ady, and co-design of a limited merch drop for Aku World: Miami).

If you would like to purchase Chapters, they are now only available in the secondary market. These chapters can be found on OpenSea or Nifty Gateway.

How many Chapters have been minted?

There are 15,434 Chapters in total across 10 unique Chapters.

What is a Moon God?

Moon Gods are Aku Chapter collectors who own all 10 unique Chapters (or 1 of the 10 physical statues from Genesis.001). Due to Chapter 3 being the bottleneck of the Chapters (lowest number minted, with a mint of 570), there can only ever be 570 Moon Gods. Moon Gods carry special responsibility – as well as accompanying exclusive benefits and access – within the Akuverse.

What are Akutars?

Akutars are the next part of the Aku movement. Akutars are a collection of 15,000 unique, 3D avatars that dropped in April 2022 on the Ethereum blockchain. Each Akutar provides entry into the ever-expanding Akuverse, where lines are blurred between the digital and physical worlds. Akutar owners have exclusive access to culture-defining experiences, products, and collaborations.

What commercial rights do Akutar owners hold?

We have assembled some of the best and most experienced people in their respective industries to steer the Aku ship and it’s our belief that the Aku IP is best suited for everyone if it’s in our hands to ensure Aku can grow to become one of the most recognizable and impactful characters the world has ever seen, and for generations to come.

That said, we recognize some of the exciting opportunities for NFT owners to explore commercial rights. So, a subset of our Akutars — the MegaOG Akutar NFTs — were designed with a distinctive look and helmet to allow for these possibilities. Holders of certain MegaOG Akutar NFTs have commercial rights. Exceptions are MegaOG Akutar NFTs that include Aku Marks and/or are from an Aku partner collaboration that contains content not owned by us — in those cases, you can't use that specific MegaOG Akutar NFT for Commercial Purposes unless we or our partner explicitly provide our consent in writing or through a written public announcement.

If you are interested in pursuing commercial rights for your MegaOG Akutar NFT, please read HERE for more information, AND register your intended use HERE.

How do I buy an Aku NFT?

Akutars: available on OpenSea and LooksRare
Chapter 1: Genesis.001 (Edition Supply: 1402 Date Minted: February 21, 2021) available on Nifty Gateway and OpenSea
Chapter 2: Welcome to Aku World (Edition Supply: 706 Date Minted: April 18, 2021) available on Nifty Gateway and OpenSea
Chapter 3: Escape (Edition Supply: 570 Date Minted: August 1, 2021) available on NiftyGateway and OpenSea
Chapter 4: Aku x Ady (Edition Supply: 1024 Date Minted: August 2021) available on NiftyGateway and OpenSea
Chapter 5: Glitch (Edition Supply: 1931 Date Minted: October 17, 2021) available on Nifty Gateway and OpenSea
Chapter 6: Home (Edition Supply: 1854 Date Minted: November 26, 2021) available on Nifty Gateway and OpenSea
Chapter 7: Candle (Edition Supply: 2042 Date Minted: December 19, 2021) available on Nifty Gateway and OpenSea
Chapter 8: Origin (Edition Supply: 2316 Date Minted: January 19, 2022) available on Nifty Gateway and OpenSea
Chapter 9: Mission (Edition Supply: 1846 Date Minted: January 30, 2022) available on Nifty Gateway and OpenSea
Chapter 10: The Finale (Edition Supply: 1744 Date Minted: January 21, 2022) available on Nifty Gateway and OpenSea
Aku's New Friend (airdropped to Discord members who voted on traits for Aku's newfriend Ady)
Aku x Christies ("Hi, my name is...") available on OpenSea: the unveiling of the newest character in the Aku story. The character’s main traits were created with the help of the Aku community, and this Christie’s collaboration concludes by giving final control to the owner of the work. This programmable NFT enables the collector to ultimately decide if and/or when to remove the character's helmet to reveal their identity – and to name the character. Furthermore, because of it's programmability, this work changes every hour to reflect the rising and setting of the sun, symbolizing the determination it takes to achieve our dreams. The winning bidder named Aku's new friend after his daughter Ady
Aku x International Space Station (“Aku: Why Not Me?”) available on OpenSea: billed as the first piece of NFT artwork to travel to Space. The single piece went on sale on August 10, 2021 via NFT marketplace Notables.
Aku TIMEPiece ("Representation") available on OpenSea: launched in September 2021,TIMEPieces is TIME brand's evolution into web3 and this collection is the original, Genesis Drop - to which Micah contributed.
Raf Grassetti x Aku (“Aku.Generations”) available on OpenSea: a 3D sculpture collaboration between Raf Grassetti and Micah Johnson’s Aku for Aku World: Miami 2021.
Pranksy NFT Box (“Pre-Aku”) available on OpenSea: Micah’s contribution to Pranksy's November 2021 NFT Box: "Dreams", where Micah was the headlining artist.
Pranksy NFT Box (Sandbox x Aku “Lucidity”) available on OpenSea: Sandbox's contribution to Pranksy's November 2021 NFT Box: "Dreams", inspired by headlining artist: Micah Johnson.
Aku x Artifex available on OpenSea: Artifex’s 3D Sculpture of Becoming Aku by Micah Johnson
Aku World: Miami 2021 Personal Avatars: attendees at Aku’s inaugural Art Basel exhibition had the opportunity to mint 3D avatars of themselves set in one of Aku’s worlds
Aku World: Miami 2021 Easter Egg NFTs: attendees at Aku’s inaugural Art Basel exhibition participated in a scavenger hunt of NFTs that randomly appeared throughout the space over 3 days