Virtual Idol MIRAI: A New Star in the Web3 Space or a Flash in the Pan?

The MIRAI project has recently caused a stir in the cryptocurrency circle. This project combines popular elements such as virtual idols, artificial intelligence, and Web3, raising approximately $12.9 million in a short period, setting a fundraising record for Japanese Web3 projects. Subsequently, MIRAI also landed on the incubation section of a well-known trading platform, further expanding its influence.

MIRAI is jointly launched by Aww Inc. and a certain blockchain AI platform, aiming to explore the possibilities of combining CGI virtual characters with blockchain technology. The project team stated that they hope to leverage Aww Inc.'s expertise in CG modeling and character design, along with the partner's blockchain infrastructure and AI technology, to create a virtual character ecosystem with autonomy and intelligent agent capabilities.

Aww Inc. was established in 2019 and is headquartered in Tokyo. It is the first company in Asia to focus on "virtual humans" technology. They are committed to combining 3DCG, artificial intelligence, and real-time streaming to provide highly realistic digital character solutions for brand marketing, content creation, and metaverse applications. Aww Inc. has launched several virtual avatars, among which the most representative is the virtual model imma.

imma made her debut in 2018 and quickly became a leading "virtual influencer" in the fashion and business sectors with her unique pink short hair and detailed CG modeling. She has served as a digital ambassador for several internationally renowned brands and participated in the closing ceremony of the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics as well as hosting the opening ceremony of the 2025 Osaka Kansai Expo. By the end of 2024, imma has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, demonstrating strong commercial value and influence.

In terms of technological research and development, Aww Inc. has established a strategic partnership with a semiconductor giant, aiming to enhance the real-time emotional interaction and voice lip-sync capabilities of virtual characters. This collaboration marks Aww Inc.'s advance into the "AI-powered virtual humans 2.0 era."

The name of the MIRAI project is derived from Japanese, meaning "future," reflecting Aww Inc.'s determination to venture into the Web3 space. The project team stated that MIRAI will leverage the appeal and fan base of virtual IPs like imma to provide a stable community traffic entry point for its development in the Web3 ecosystem. At the same time, partners will inject the "agent + decentralization" power into the project through their underlying technology and on-chain infrastructure.

The vision of MIRAI is to create an AI-driven virtual character that is tied to a blockchain identity system. This model enables virtual characters to make autonomous decisions, interact with the community, and gain incentives through a token economy. The project allows the community to participate in the co-creation and co-governance of the character, breaking the traditional one-way creation method of virtual IPs.

However, the MIRAI project also faces numerous challenges. In terms of token economics, the early token distribution shows a high degree of concentration, which may affect future community governance. In addition, while the decentralized co-creation model can stimulate community vitality, it also brings issues such as content quality management and IP consistency maintenance.

The success or failure of the MIRAI project will depend on its ability to achieve a balance in areas such as technological innovation, community governance, and IP value maintenance. Although the project injects new ideas into Web3 content creation and the IP economy, it still requires time to verify its long-term sustainability. After the excitement fades, whether MIRAI can truly realize its grand vision remains a question worth paying attention to.