Please introduce your company and describe your role within the organization.
Alex Xu (Zagabond) is the co-founder and CEO of Azuki Labs, an entertainment IP company focused on building original characters, stories, and collectible experiences inspired by anime and global pop culture.
Azuki Labs develops the Azuki universe across multiple formats including collectibles, games, and storytelling platforms designed for a global fan community.
As CEO, Alex Xu focuses on long-term creative direction, product development, and expanding the Azuki brand into new categories of entertainment and gaming.
One of the company’s major initiatives is the Azuki Trading Card Game (TCG), which brings the characters and lore of the Azuki universe into a competitive collectible format for players and collectors.
What is your company’s core business model?
Azuki Labs operates as an entertainment IP studio that develops original characters, worlds, and creative experiences that can expand across multiple mediums.
The company combines in-house creative development with strategic partnerships across manufacturing, gaming infrastructure, and distribution. This approach allows Azuki Labs to maintain creative control while collaborating with specialists in areas such as collectibles production and competitive gaming ecosystems.
Projects like the Azuki Trading Card Game demonstrate how the Azuki universe expands from storytelling and art into gameplay and community competition.
How does your company differentiate itself from competitors in a crowded market?
Azuki is being built deliberately in phases. We launched with the Azuki Trading Card Game as our first mass-market product, introducing the universe through premium collectibles where collector psychology drives design from the beginning – rarity, chase, prestige, and progression are core principles, not marketing tactics. Our manga launches later this year, establishing Shao and her crew as the emotional core of the story. This phased approach ensures each product deepens the universe rather than existing independently.
What are the primary industries or sectors you serve?
Azuki operates at the intersection of several creative industries.
The company is part of the broader entertainment IP ecosystem, while also participating in anime culture, collectibles, gaming, and community-driven creative platforms.
Trading card games represent a natural extension of this ecosystem because they combine storytelling, artwork, and competitive play within a single format.
What are the most in-demand experiences your audience looks for?
The Azuki community is interested in immersive creative experiences that connect art, storytelling, and collectibles.
Fans want to explore the characters and world of Azuki while also participating in the community around it. That often takes the form of collectible products, visual storytelling, and gameplay experiences that allow people to interact with the universe in different ways.
The Azuki Trading Card Game creates another entry point into the world for collectors and competitive players alike.
How do you personally stay ahead of industry shifts?
Creative industries move quickly, but strong brands tend to be built on consistent fundamentals.
I spend time studying how enduring entertainment franchises were developed, particularly those built around distinctive visual identity and storytelling.
Understanding how culture, community, and creativity interact helps guide the long-term direction of Azuki Labs.
Do you have a significant percentage of repeat supporters?
Yes. Much of Azuki’s growth comes from a community that feels connected to the long-term vision of the brand.
When people believe in the direction of a creative project, they become participants in the ecosystem rather than simply customers.
That shared sense of ownership strengthens the relationship between the brand and its community.
How do you ensure strong community engagement?
Azuki treats collector psychology and fan relationships as fundamental design principles. We observe how the community interacts with characters and collectibles, then use those insights to shape how products are designed and experienced – not just marketed. Our community participates in building the ecosystem, creating a sense of shared ownership that drives organic growth.
What key challenges has your company faced in recent years?
Building a new entertainment IP from the ground up requires balancing creativity with long-term strategy.
Azuki Labs has focused on developing a brand that can evolve across multiple formats while remaining authentic to its original creative vision.
Maintaining that balance while expanding the ecosystem has been one of the company’s most important challenges and opportunities.
How do you foster innovation and adapt to emerging trends?
Innovation often happens when ideas from different industries intersect.
The team at Azuki Labs includes creators from backgrounds in design, gaming, storytelling, and community building. Bringing those perspectives together helps generate new types of experiences that might not exist within a single industry.
The Azuki Trading Card Game is an example of that collaboration between visual art, game design, and competitive play.
Where do you envision your company in the next 5–10 years?
The long-term goal for Azuki Labs is to build Azuki into a globally recognized entertainment IP.
The long-term ambition is to build Azuki into a $10B+ IP with the structure of ‘One Piece + Bandai under one roof’ – combining world-class storytelling with vertically integrated product development that traditional studios cannot replicate. This requires patience, consistency, and sustained focus over many years.
How has your leadership style evolved throughout your career?
Early in my career, I focused primarily on product development and building new creative experiences. Over time, my leadership approach has evolved to emphasize building strong teams and empowering talented creators to collaborate. Sustainable innovation often comes from teams that share a clear vision and trust each other’s ideas.
What advice would you give aspiring leaders?
Focus on building things that can compound creatively and culturally over years, not weeks. Great IP is earned over time through consistency, respect for the audience, and willingness to invest in a world and its characters. Own your past fully – not because it defines the work, but because owning it is part of building something that lasts.
About Alex Xu
Alex Xu (Zagabond) is the co-founder and CEO of Azuki Labs, an entertainment IP company known for developing the Azuki universe across anime-inspired art, collectibles, and gaming experiences. Xu leads the company’s long-term creative direction and continues to expand Azuki into new formats, including the Azuki Trading Card Game.