Anime shops in London are opening all the time – from the new Pop Mart Oxford Circus branch to several anime stores in Camden (London’s anime capital), there are so many cute Kawaii gifts and Manga merchandise.
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From Manga and anime comics and collectibles, there are over a dozen anime shops in London – otaku heaven! So if you like to see a bit of Whitebeard in the West End or Cowboy Bebop in the Great British capital, Plan My Japan has got you covered!
From familiar favourites like Forbidden Planet to the new breed of joyful Japanese shops and toys, here is our ultimate guide to the best manga and anime shops in London and more.
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London Anime, Manga & Kawaii Stores map
London Anime, Manga & Kawaii Stores List Updated 2024
1. Forbidden Planet London Megastore
For central London’s biggest collection of anime collectibles at reasonable prices, head to Forbidden Planet.
We last visited Forbidden Planet in summer 2024 and we counted over a dozen displays of anime goods on the ground floor plus several huge sections of manga books in the basement bookshop.
On our last foray to Forbidden Planet, we spotted Spy x Family figurines, Popup Parade, a whole One Piece collection including mugs and hats, Bandai dolls like Effectreme and Puella Magi Madoka Magica plus SEGA RE Zero Ram dolls. We also noticed a giant Gundam collection of Gundam mecha figures.
Head to the basement for Manga novels and a huge international comic book collection featuring the likes of Slam Dunk, Solanin and Spy x Family. We also found the prices at Forbidden Planet a lot cheaper than other nearer London anime stores like Animetal.
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2. Animetal
The other contender for central London’s largest anime collection, Animetal is close to Covent Garden and has an awesome array of anime dolls, Manga models (plus other Japanese animation characters like Studio Ghibli).
Animetal has more of a personal touch than nearby Forbidden Planet as the staff are very helpful and knowledgeable. There are dozens of cabinets of dolls plus an Animetal ‘adult section’ out the back (it kind of reminds us of the Don Quijote adult sections in Japan!)
Most of the models at Animetal are £40 plus but they currently have (as of summer 2024) a 3 for £99 offer on some anime stock. Their store window also has huge glass cabinets chock full of anime dolls and Japanese characters.
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3. Art Box
A haven for Kawaii fans, Artbox in Covent Garden is one of the best Japanese shops in London to buy cute and colourful character merchandise such as Hello Kitty, Pusheen and Sanrio, plus K-Pop branded items. They also have a few anime bits (but not much to be honest).
Despite it being a rather compact shop it is packed from floor to ceiling with plush toys, stationary, mugs, keyrings, purses and much more – it will be hard to leave Artbox without purchasing something completely cute and Kawaii!
Note – the shop is a little on the pricey side as all the stock is authentic merchandise imported from Japan.
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4. Bubble Pop
A small London anime shop close to Seven Dials, Bubble Pop packs a lot of collectibles and cute Kawaii gifts into a very small space – it can get pretty cramped when some of the shoppers turn up in huge cosplay outfits (we are talking from experience!).
Bubble Pop has a joyful Japanese shop and ace anime shop in London’s West End, containing merchandise such as One Piece board games and trading cards, Dragon Ball dolls, SEGA Spy X Family figurines and Naruto Shippuden keyrings.
You’ll also find more cute non-anime collectibles like My Neighbour Totoro, Super Mario and Sanrio.
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5. Gosh! Comic Books Soho
One of central London’s best anime and Manga comic shops, Gosh! is your best place in Soho to collect Japanese comics, get more manga or grab graphic novels galore.
There are two stories of comics and novels plus a dedicated basement of Manga comics – if you can’t attend in person on your next trip to London they also do online sales and international shipping.
Just to mention that Gosh! Comics mainly sell classic Manga comics and graphic novels like Shigeru Mizuki’s Kitaro or Kaiji and not so much anime merchandise.
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6. Japan Craft Anime and Manga Store, Stables Market Camden (2 stores)
Located within the alleys of Camden Market, this cosy store is one of the best Japanese anime shops in London with two separate stores.
The shelves inside this Aladdin’s cave are rammed from the floor to ceiling with manga figures, anime cards, comics, t-shirts and plushies.
They also sell Japanese sweets such as crunchy pocky sticks and matcha-flavoured snacks, plus there is a small section for Harry Potter merchandising!
Prices are on the slightly higher side here but that is because most of the stock is imported from Japan.
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7. Camden Anime
Camden calling – it really is one of the best places in London for Japanese shops and anime stores. Not only does it have London’s first official gachapon store (Bandai Namco Cross Store) and the Japan Craft Anime and Manga Store, Camden Anime has now also joined the ranks.
Located in the new Camden Water Lane development behind Hawley Wharf, Camden Anime is a compact and cute cartoon store selling anime figures, Manga merchandise and cute kawaii characters.
From Dragon Ball to Yusuke, Spy X Family to SEGA, Camden Anime has cabinets full of characters, dolls and fine figurines so hopefully you’ll find that ‘One Piece’ of anime awesomeness you adore.
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8. Bandai Namco Cross Store
Newly opened in 2023, London’s newest (and biggest) gachapon store recently opened in Camden Market and other London locations.
Gachapon are the cute capsule toys dispensed by vending machines. Popular in Japan, they’ve now arrived in the UK capital with popular gachapon Japanese shops in London locations like Camden, Soho, Victoria station and Ealing.
Gachapon / Gashapon toys originated in Japan in the 1960s, originally conceived by famous Japanese toy and video game manufacturer Bandai.
Located in the iconic Camden Stables, London’s flagship Bandai Namco Cross store is one of the biggest Japanese anime shops in London and has two floors of gachapon machines, anime and manga merchandise plus Japanese games galore.
On the upstairs level, you also find a cafe with Japanese tea and soft drinks and a huge trading card game store and lounge, selling Pokémon, Dragon Ball, One Piece and other merch.
Read more in our guide to Camden’s Bandai Namco gachapon store >
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9. Anime and manga selection at Foyles Bookshop
A gamut of graphic novels await at Foyles Bookshop with a flagship Foyles on Charing Cross road plus smaller Foyles at Westfield London, Waterloo and Royal Festival Hall on London’s Southbank.
Foyles reckon they have one of London’s biggest manga selections from Junji Ito horror novels to the more subdued Shōnen manga books.
We’ve been to Foyles on Charing Cross Road a fair few times and the manga and anime section is always one of the most popular (although it mainly seems to be young people reading the books without actually buying them).
Whilst not an independent anime shop in London, Foyles is one of the better bookshops in the capital and a good place in central London for anime, manga and more.
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10. Pop Mart Soho and Oxford Street (opens June 2024)
Pop Mart has arrived in central London! With one location already in Chinatown/Soho, another will soon be arriving on Oxford Street.
Known for its cool kawaii collectibles, Pop Mart is a collectible toy company that is famous for its blind boxes and colourful cartoon characters.
Pop Mart characters and toys are available in over 20 countries and have over 350 Pop Mart stores and over 2,000 physical Pop Mart Roboshops worldwide.
Pop Mart Oxford Circus opened on 22nd June 2024 at 262 Oxford Street.
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11. Mega City Comics
Our final London anime shop in Camden inclusion – Mega City comics is one of the most well established comic book shops in London, having opened in the late 1980s.
Specialising in international comic books, anime and manga magazines, Mega City Comics features Japanese anime characters from Dragon Ball to Demon Slayer, One Piece to One Punch man
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12. Japan House – The Library
Did you know that the Japan House in Kensington has a free to browse Japanese library, featuring graphic novels, travel guides and more? It also often plays host to pop-up exhibitions.
Japan House on High Street Kensington is not just a shop, but is also a concept store! Known as the cultural home of Japan in London, this store presents the very best of Japanese art, design, gastronomy, innovation, and technology.
Arranged over three floors, in addition to the library you’ll find a cafe, tourist information and Japanese gift shop on the ground floor, and a bar and a Michelin-listed restaurant on the top floor.
Japan House also holds regular demonstrations, talks, workshops and screenings – check out their website for their upcoming events schedule.
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13. Kissaten Fuyu JP in Soho
Located in the heart of Soho along Old Compton Street, Kissaten Fuju is a bubble tea shop that also has a selection of anime character gachapon toy capsule machines.
As well as the usual ‘kawaii’ gachapon characters like Doraemon and Hello Kitty, Kissaten in London has an array of anime gashapon machines like Dragon Ball and Demon Blade (although the toy capsule machine contents change regularly).
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14. Japan Centre, Piccadilly
Located just a stone’s throw away from Leicester Square is the daddy of all Japanese shops in London, selling a huge range of high quality imported Japanese magazines and comic book characters not to mention groceries, hot food, sushi, Japanese Kit Kats, gifts, cookware, beauty products and more.
Japan Centre opened in 1976 and this branch is their flagship store – they have two other stores that have opened in the past few years, one located in Shepherd’s Bush and one in Stratford.
Japan Centre has a whole section dedicated to Japanese anime and Manga comics (although note many are in sealed wrappers so you can’t ‘try before you buy’).
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