Kadokawa Game Linkage, a subsidiary of Kadokawa whose business focuses on video game and entertainment media, recently announced that they would be publishing not one, but two brainrot-themed encyclopedias aimed at Japanese children. Yeah, you’ve heard that right. Italian Brainrot Illustrated Encyclopedia, a classic illustrated encyclopedia featuring over 100 AI-generated “brainrot characters,” and Italian Brainrot Encyclopedia: Tung Tung Tung Sahur and Friends Come Together, a picture-book-styled board book, presumably for much younger audiences, will release on April 1st this year.
As described in a press release by Dengeki Online, the two illustrated encyclopedias are marketed for really young children, and feature furigana (Japanese kanji readings) for those who are still learning how to read and write. Furthermore, the books are presented as an opportunity for bridging the big generational gap between children and parents who have no idea why their kid is talking about some “Tung Tung Tung Sahur” or “Chimpanzini Bananini.” Lastly, they also feature the lyrics to some of the “brainrot songs” popular among Japanese children. Though it is not confirmed whether it will be featured in either of the books, the most popular example is the song “I’m in love with Tung Tung Tung Sahur,” which has over 32 million views on YouTube (and even more on other platforms) at the time of writing, and initiated its own TikTok dance trend in Japan.
But is Italian brainrot really such a huge phenomenon in Japan? According to a recent survey conducted by JS Research Institute (in charge of major shoujo manga publication Ciao and girls’ magazine Pucchigumi) and Corocoro Comic Research Institute (in charge of long-running shounen manga magazine Corocoro Comic), the word “Italian brainrot” was the most popular 2025 buzzword among Japanese elementary school girls reading Pucchigumi, while it ranked second most popular among young boys reading Corocoro comic.
The bizarre AI-meme movement was further spread thanks to the rising popularity of Roblox’s Steal a Brainrot and Fortnite’s Steal the Brainrot among young gamers in Japan. Now, you can find tons of plushies, stickers and other kinds of merch of Tung Tung Tung Sahur and friends across the country, not to mention that they are pretty much a staple in any arcade game’s claw machines or capsule toy vending machines.
