Umamusume: Pretty Derby


is a Japanese multimedia franchise created by Cygames. The franchise centers on anthropomorphized racehorses known as Umamusume, who compete in races inspired by real-life race tracks managed by the Japan Racing Association. Most of the characters are named and modeled after actual racehorses, reflecting their namesakes' personalities, racing records, and relationships with other racehorses. Initially announced in 2016 as a mobile game, the franchise soon expanded to include multiple anime series, manga, and live concerts.
The game was scheduled to debut in late 2018 for iOS and Android devices, but it was delayed to a February 2021 release, with a Windows client releasing a month later on DMM Games. The game was later released on Google Play Games in April 2023. The game was released in Korean by Kakao Games and Traditional Chinese by Komoe Game in June 2022, with the former language getting a PC version in a stand-alone client a year later, then later in Simplified Chinese by Bilibili in August 2024. An English-language edition was released worldwide in June 2025 for the aforementioned platforms, alongside a Steam release for both the Japanese and English versions.
An anime television series adaptation produced by P.A. Works aired from April to June 2018. A second season produced by Studio Kai, with the former studio assisting in its production, aired from January to March 2021. A third season produced solely by Studio Kai aired from October to December 2023.
Alongside the main anime series, multiple anime spin-offs have been made. An anime television series adaptation of the manga Umayon aired from July to September 2020. Its sequel, titled Umayuru, was released from October 2022 to March 2023. A web anime produced by Cygames' in-house animation studio CygamesPictures titled Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Road to the Top was released from April to May 2023. An anime film also produced by CygamesPictures titled Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Beginning of a New Era premiered in Japan in May 2024. An anime television series adaptation of Umamusume: Cinderella Gray produced by CygamesPictures aired from April to December 2025, with a short spin-off anime titled Umayuru: Pretty Gray being released from April to May 2025.
The franchise has been received positively, both domestically in Japan and worldwide following the game's global release in 2025. The franchise has also had a significant cultural impact, with observers notably remarking its positive impact to the sport of horse racing and bringing awareness to the stories of racehorses.
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Premise

Umamusume: Pretty Derby is set in a fictional universe similar to the real modern world but featuring the titular Umamusume, female kemonomimi with the ears, tails, and capabilities of horses who live alongside humans and replace actual horses in the franchise's setting. Many Umamusume are inspired by real-life Thoroughbred racehorses of the past and present who seek fame and fortune as both racers and idols by competing in organized races akin to middle-distance and long-distance track events. The series centers on Umamusume who attend the elite Tracen Academy in Tokyo and train to compete in the Twinkle Series of professional races organized by the Umamusume Racing Association. The main stories across the series are focused on specific Umamusume and loosely based on the racing careers of the racehorses they are based on.

Anime

The main anime series depicts the journeys of various Umamusume who are affiliated with Team Spica, a racing team at Tracen Academy. Each season is a direct follow-up to the previous one, though the historical content greatly varies based on the real-life racing careers of the focused character.
Road to the Top and Beginning of a New Era respectively feature Narita Top Road and Jungle Pocket in the rivalries that defined their generation of Umamusume, with Narita Top Road facing off against T. M. Opera O and Admire Vega, and Jungle Pocket against Agnes Tachyon, Manhattan Cafe, and Dantsu Flame. They are based on events surrounding the Classic races of 1999 and 2001.

Manga

Cinderella Gray and its anime adaptation depict the races between Oguri Cap, who transfers from the regional racing scene to the Twinkle Series, and rivals of the previous and next generations that include Tamamo Cross, Inari One, and Super Creek. The story is based on Oguri Cap's races from 1987 to 1990.
Star Blossom depicts the races of Sakura Laurel and her peers such as Sakura Bakushin O, Mayano Top Gun, Marvelous Sunday, and Narita Brian, as she aspires to achieve acclaim through defeating Narita Brian and racing at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in spite of her fragile body. The story is based on Sakura Laurel's races from 1994 to 1997.

Video game

Part 1 of the main story focuses on the efforts of Team Sirius as it flourishes following the retirement of the team's star racer and previous trainer. The story is based on the races run by Mejiro McQueen, Rice Shower, Winning Ticket and Narita Brian in the 1990s, while additionally covering Silence Suzuka and Special Week's races in the late 1990s. A number of supporting characters appear throughout the story including Gold Ship, Biwa Hayahide, and Narita Taishin.
Part 2 of the main story focuses on the efforts of Team Ascella and the journeys of Tiara Umamusume, who are characters based on racemares. The story is based on the races run by racemares Rhein Kraft, Cesario, and Fusaichi Pandora in the mid-2000s, and features a supporting cast such as King Halo, Air Messiah, and Daring Heart.

Gameplay

Umamusume: Pretty Derby is a sports simulation game that allows players, who are referred to in-game as "trainers", to raise and train Umamusume to compete in races whilst achieving the Umamusume's individual goals. Players collect two types of units through the game's gacha system: playable Umamusume or "trainees," and support cards that provide skills and bonuses.
The main gameplay mode, "Career," lets players choose a scenario, trainee, and support cards, then work to achieve specific goals. Players must also factor in the trainee's preferred terrain type, track distance, and running style in order to perform well. The game operates on a calendar system, with each action or turn taking up half a month, requiring strategic planning and balancing of the actions to be taken.
The calendar used is based on the real-life JRA's race schedule, with the races that players can enter being based on their real-life equivalents, such as the Japan Cup or the Arima Kinen. Succeeding scenarios would also allow players to enter international races, notably the French Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and the American Breeders' Cup.
Players use turns to raise their trainee's five attributes, rest to restore energy, or enter races to earn skill points and fans. Additionally, random events can occur during a Career attempt that may grant additional stats, skills, and buffs or debuffs, as well as positively or negatively impact the trainee's mood, which affects training effectiveness and race performance.
Completing or failing a trainee's goals, as well as reaching certain stat totals and acquiring skills, grants stats and potential skills known as "sparks". These can be passed down to trainees as "legacies," allowing them to inherit these and be strengthened in future Career attempts.
Alongside the Career, players can also partake in other game modes, including the PvP "Team Trials" and "Champion's Meeting" races, where players use their best trainees and compete against each other in a set of races for various rewards, and "Legend Races," where players race against notable Umamusume to gain rewards and upgrade their trainees.

Media

Live events

  • Umamusume 1st Event "Special Weekend!"
  • Umamusume 2nd Event "Sound Fanfare!"
  • Umamusume 3rd Event "Winning Dream Stage"
  • Umamusume 4th Event "Special Dreamers!!"
  • * Tokyo Stage
  • * Yokohama Stage
  • * Extra Stage
  • Umamusume 5th Event Arena Tour "Go Beyond"
  • * -Wish-
  • * -Gaze-
  • * -Yell-
  • * -New Gate-
  • Umamusume 6th Event "The New Frontier"
  • * -Spring Performance-
  • * -Autumn Performance-

Video games

''Umamusume: Pretty Derby''

The game was announced in 2016. An animated trailer by P.A. Works debuted at that year's AnimeJapan event. It was set to be released in late 2018, but was delayed until its release on February 24, 2021. The PC version was released on March 10, 2021, on DMM Games, then later on April 19, 2023, on Google Play Games. A YouTube channel titled Pakatube! was launched on March 25, 2018, to promote the game, prominently featuring Gold Ship., there are 114 playable horse girls in the game. Part 2 of the main story was released in March 2024.
On February 15, 2022, Komoe Game announced the release of a traditional Chinese version of the game app for Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau, and pre-registration began on April 27. The traditional Chinese version was officially released on June 27, 2022. In South Korea, Kakao Games released on June 20, 2022, and pre-registrations, which began on April 28, 2022, exceeded 1 million in 10 days. A PC version for the Korean version was released on June 15, 2024. In China, Bilibili released a simplified Chinese version on August 30, 2023, and pre-registrations, which began on August 4, 2023, exceeded 1 million in 10 days.
On June 24, 2024, a Paka Live TV livestream on Pakatube! announced the release of an English version of the game. As part of promotions for the English version launch, Cygames entered into sponsorship deals with several prominent U.S. horse racing events, and a booth was operated at Churchill Downs where attendees are able to play a demo of Umamusume: Pretty Derby. On April 27, 2025, a Paka Live TV livestream announced its release date, along with a PC version on Steam for both the Japanese and English versions. Pre-registration started on April 28, 2025, and the game was released on June 26, 2025.

''Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash''

Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash, a party video game developed by Cygames and Arc System Works, was announced during the Nintendo Direct live stream on June 21, 2023. The game was released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Steam on August 30, 2024.

Manga series

''Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Haru Urara Ganbaru!''

A manga series titled Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Haru Urara Ganbaru!, written and drafted by and illustrated by Huan Yu, began serialization on Cygames' website on its launch day on May 8, 2016, and ended on September 11 with 10 chapters released. It is based on the real-life racehorse Haru Urara, with her anthropomorphized counterpart as the main character. It is no longer available for distribution and has not yet been published in form.

''Starting Gate! Umamusume: Pretty Derby''

A manga series written and illustrated by S. Kosugi, titled Starting Gate! Umamusume: Pretty Derby, was serialized on Cygames' Cycomi website from March 25, 2017, to November 23, 2019. Kodansha originally published the series in four volumes, released from July 2017 to March 2019. A new edition by Shogakukan was released digitally starting in July 2020, with an additional fifth and sixth volume released in June and July 2021. The volumes were later published in print with new cover artworks from November 2021 to March 2022. Based on the setting of the CD drama Special Today! containing lore before the P.A. Works anime adaptation, the story focuses on the school life of the Umamusume before their debut as racers.

''Umayon''

A four-panel manga series titled Umayon, written and illustrated by Jet Kuma with storyboards by Jin Itō, was serialized on Cygames' Cycomi website from March 30, 2018, to January 15, 2021. The chapters were compiled into a booklet included with the anime adaptation's Blu-ray release on December 8, 2021.

''Umamusume: Cinderella Gray''

Another manga series, titled Umamusume: Cinderella Gray, produced by Junnosuke Itō, written by Masafumi Sugiura, and illustrated by Taiyō Kuzumi, was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump from June 11, 2020, to December 25, 2025. The first collected volume was released on January 19, 2021., twenty-two volumes have been released.

''Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Uma Musumeshi''

Another manga series that focuses on the "food" of Umamusume, titled Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Uma Musumeshi, written by Tsukumo Asakusa, began serialization on Cygames' Cycomi website on March 1, 2023., six volumes have been released by Shogakukan.

''Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Star Blossom''

Another manga series, titled Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Star Blossom, written by Monjūsaki and illustrated by Shin Hotani, began serialization in Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+, YanJan! app and Tonari no Young Jump website on April 10, 2023., five volumes have been released.

''Umamusume: PisuPisu☆SupiSupi Golshi-chan''

A gag comedy manga series that follows the antics of Gold Ship as a kindergartener, titled Umamusume: PisuPisu☆SupiSupi Golshi-chan, written and illustrated by Naoki Shibata, began serialization in Shogakukan's Weekly CoroCoro Comic manga website on November 29, 2023., six volumes have been released.

Anime adaptations

An anime television series adaptation aired from April 2 to June 18, 2018, on Tokyo MX, with the first two episodes being broadcast back-to-back. The anime is directed by Kei Oikawa at P.A. Works, with scripts written by Masafumi Sugiura and Akihiro Ishihara. Crunchyroll streamed the series and its succeeding seasons.
A second season, with a returning cast and Studio Kai replacing P.A. Works in animation production, with the latter studio assisting on the production, aired from January 5 to March 30, 2021. On February 22, 2022, a short serving as the epilogue to the second season, "1st Anniversary Special Animation", was released on YouTube to commemorate the first anniversary of the game.
A third season was announced on November 6, 2022. Shingo Nagai and Tetsuya Kobari supervised the scripts, while Studio Kai and the rest of the main staff returned from previous seasons. The season aired from October 5 to December 28, 2023.

Original net animations

An anime television series based on the four-panel manga spinoff Umayon aired from July 7 to September 22, 2020. The series is directed by Seiya Miyajima at DMM.futureworks and W-Toon Studio. A Blu-ray box set, which includes 12 new episodes, was released on December 8, 2021.
A new short anime series titled Umayuru was announced on May 5, 2022. It is animated by Scooter Films with Miyajima returning to direct and design the characters, with Seiichirō Mochizuki and Yumi Suzumori writing the screenplay. It was released on YouTube from October 16, 2022, to March 26, 2023.
A new short anime series focusing on characters based on renowned gray racehorses, titled Umayuru: Pretty Gray, was released on YouTube from April 30 to May 6, 2025.

Spin-offs and film

An anime ONA series titled Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Road to the Top was announced on May 4, 2022. It is animated by CygamesPictures and directed by Cheng Zhi Liao, with Tetsuya Kobari supervising the scripts and serving as scenario director, and Jun Yamazaki designing the characters and serving as chief animation director. The series was released on YouTube from April 16 to May 7, 2023. A compilation film opened in Japanese theaters on May 10, 2024.
An anime film titled Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Beginning of a New Era was announced on December 28, 2023. It is animated by CygamesPictures and directed by Ken Yamamoto, with Kiyoko Yoshimura writing the script, Tetsuya Kobari serving as scenario director and story organizer, Jun Yamazaki designing the characters and serving as chief animation director, and Masaru Yokoyama composing the music. The film was released in Japanese theaters on May 24, 2024. On January 14, 2026, GAGA Corporation International and GKIDS announced that it will be releasing the film in North American theaters on February 27, 2026.
An anime television series adaptation of the Umamusume: Cinderella Gray manga was announced on August 23, 2024. It is produced by CygamesPictures and directed by Yūki Itō and Takehiro Miura, with Aki Kindaichi handling series composition, Takuya Miyahara and Keigo Sasaki designing the characters, and Kenji Kawai composing the music. The series aired in two split cours on TBS and its affiliates, with the first cours airing from April 6 to June 29, 2025, and the second cours airing from October 5 to December 21, 2025. Remow licensed the series for streaming on Amazon Prime Video, the It's Anime YouTube channel, Anime Onegai, ADN, and Netflix.

Stage play

Umamusume Pretty Derby: Sprinters' Story was performed from January 15 to 29, 2023, in Stellar Ball, Shinagawa Prince Hotel, Tokyo. Performances from January 16 to 26 were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but resumed on January 27. The stage play features Daitaku Helios as the main character, with its story based on the events leading to the 1991 Sprinters Stakes.

Reception and cultural impact

Video game

The game received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. Critics praised the diversity of content offered, gameplay depth that encourages replay value, and character writing which respects their real-life inspirations. However, critics have also criticized the monetization through the gacha system as being predatory and the gameplay potentially being difficult for casual players.

Revenue

The mobile game, within ten months of release, grossed nearly in Japan by December 2021, making it the ninth-highest-grossing mobile game in 2021.
The game has since generated over in revenue as of March 2025, making it one of the most profitable mobile games in Japan.
Following its global release in June 2025, the game generated worldwide for the first 30 days, of which 50.3% comprised sales outside Japan. Among international markets, the United States accounted for 68% of all overseas spending and 34% of total global revenue.

Manga

The manga spin-off, Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray, was nominated in the seventh Next Manga Awards for the Best Print Manga category and placed second of 50 nominees after Oshi no Ko.

Anime

The Blu-ray release of the second season of the anime television series became the highest-selling home video release of a television anime series in Japan.
The compilation film Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Road to the Top debuted at sixth at the Japanese box office on its opening weekend. Two weeks later, the film Uma Musume Pretty Derby: Beginning of a New Era debuted at first in gross, earning over ¥354 million on its opening weekend, and at second in attendance.
Between April and June 2025, it was ranked number one in the world in the AniLab Global Weekly Anime Rankings a total of four times. In the spring 2025 season, it took first place in the weekly rankings of Anime Trending, a major voting site for overseas anime fans, in its seventh week, beating out Weekly Shonen Jump's Witch Watch, and continued to hold the top spot until the final episode. Uma Musume Cinderella Gray took first place in the weekly rankings of Anime Trending for the fall 2025 season, and won the Best Anime of 2025.
Uma Musume Cinderella Gray won the Spring Anime Award on Anime Corner, an international website used by 20 million people monthly across the global community. It was described as a "true Cinderella story" as the first time in history that a series topped the final ranking despite not having topped the weekly rankings. Overseas fans and viewers commented on the series' late-stage comeback, saying it was "just like Oguri Cap ".

Cultural impact

The franchise has had a significant cultural impact, particularly in Japan, becoming a multi-billion dollar multimedia franchise. The franchise also consistently emphasizes universal themes like perseverance, teamwork, personal growth, and overcoming challenges, which resonate with a broad audience. While its primary market is Japan, the game has also been released in other Asia-Pacific territories, and an English version was eventually released, indicating its broader global impact.

Domestic

Masayuki Gotō, a chairman of the Japan Racing Association, showed his gratitude to Umamusume: Pretty Derby for its positive influence on the horse racing community in an interview on Weekly Gallop published in December 2021. The franchise has also helped bring awareness to retired racehorses represented within the franchise, such as Haru Urara and Nice Nature, allowing them to receive donations from the franchise's fans.
The franchise was also commented by media observers to contribute to a significant revival of horse racing pop culture, such as idol performances, slice-of-life elements, and a global sporting powerhouse. The popularity of the game's idol culture can be observed with various covers and dance videos of one of the game's songs,, being uploaded to social media. In January 2023, italic=no was awarded a Gold streaming certification by the Recording Industry Association of Japan for reaching over 50 million streams.

International

In September 2025, a Cygames developer reflected on the overseas launch of Umamusume, noting initial uncertainty about how a game rooted in Japanese horse racing culture would be received internationally. Despite these concerns, the title was met with a positive response following its June 2025 global release, aided by its established multimedia presence through anime and manga, as well as careful globalization that preserved Japanese cultural elements while making them accessible to international audiences. The developer reported that overseas players quickly became a significant share of the game's mobile revenue and expressed hope that the game might also foster greater interest in horse racing outside Japan.
Within the first week of Umamusume global English language release on June 26, 2025, Steam's player charts revealed that there was a consistent rate between 15,000 and 30,000 players, with content creators such as Ludwig Ahgren and Northernlion enjoying the game, as well as Cygames' panel at Anime Expo 2025 having life-sized statues of some of the characters. Many people on social media have commented on the racing aspect of the game, driving interest and awareness towards the real-life horses the characters are based on.
Following its global release, cosplayers and fans of the franchise began appearing at horse racing events around the world. In the United States, meet-ups were held at Turf Paradise in Arizona and at Santa Anita Park in California during the Cygames-sponsored American Oaks, where fans experienced horse racing live for the first time. Observers believe that Umamusume: Pretty Derby can impact American horse racing despite skepticism towards its positive effects, as horse racing enthusiast Nathan Klein points out how the sport's initial perception of being "an old man’s sport and a gambling den" has softened in the wake of the franchise's popularity, with a younger audience becoming drawn and interested in horse racing and its stories.
Cosplayers and fans also appeared at horse racing events in Southeast Asia, with event organizers endorsing them. Notable examples include the Queen's and King's Cups of Thailand, the Merdeka Cup of Malaysia, and the Indonesia Derby and the Piala Raja Hamengkubuwono X of Indonesia, where participating venues and organizers including the Royal Bangkok Sports Club and Indonesian event promoter Sarga Co. acknowledged fans and invited them to visit in cosplay, sometimes also organizing cosplay races on the track, and participate in fan art competitions portraying local racehorses.
During the 2025 NFL season, some fans of the Denver Broncos began to attend games while cosplaying as Umamusume characters. Additionally, an online trend of posting Broncos highlight reels set to the game's theme song started to gain traction.

Collaborations

In August 2021, Cygames and Paramount Pictures announced a collaboration in Japan between Umamusume: Pretty Derby and Top Gun: Maverick. Mayano Top Gun – whose namesake horse was also named in part after the original 1986 Top Gun film – was named a special advertising pilot, and the collaboration featured her in an alternate version of the movie's poster, with her voice actress, Mio Hoshitani, additionally interviewing some of the cast and crew of the movie.
A collaboration campaign with Starhorse 4 was held on July 20, 2022, and February 2023, which added background music, chat stamps, and a Career scenario titled "Grand Masters" featuring Starhorse series race commentator Kiyoshi Sugimoto to the game.
Collaborations with Japanese sports magazine Sports Graphic Number and horse racing magazine Weekly Gallop were released on October 20, 2022, and October 22, 2023, respectively, featuring special feature articles on the franchise, alongside special illustrations of several Umamusume characters.
In May 2025, the franchise was highlighted as part of an exhibit at the Smithsonian-affiliated International Museum of the Horse at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Titled, the exhibit displays the Japanese horse world including horses' spiritual, cultural legacy, and sporting roles in the country. The exhibition was also held during the Expo 2025 in Osaka and the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in Annecy, France, in collaboration with France Galop ahead of Cygames Grand Prix de Paris.
In October 2025, as the Umamusume: Cinderella Gray anime adaptation aired on TBS at the same time as live action horse racing drama The Royal Family, Oguri Cap was featured in promotions alongside Umamusume personifications of Royal Family and Royal Hope, two of the main horses in the show.
Alongside these, minor collaborations have also been held. Haru Urara and Oguri Cap appeared in Cygames' Shadowverse card game as crossover characters. Select characters from the franchise were also chosen as participants in Love Live!'s 15th anniversary tribute album released in was January 2026. Tokai Teio, Oguri Cap, Gold Ship, Still in Love and Almond Eye were named as the singers of a cover of Bokura wa Ima no Naka de by µ's, the opening theme of Season 1 of the School Idol Project anime.