Umamusume: Pretty Derby is one of those franchises that sounds ridiculous until you realise how deep the love goes. Anime horse girls, gacha game energy, idol concerts — and now, a very real impact on retired racehorses in Japan.
According to Automaton Media, Japan’s Nice Nature Memorial Donation has raised over US$1.8 million across the past 10 years. The yearly month-long campaign supports retired racehorses, and a huge part of its recent momentum appears to be linked to Umamusume’s popularity — especially because Nice Nature herself is represented in the franchise.
The campaign first started on April 16, 2017, under the name “Nice Nature Birthday Donation,” marking the real Japanese thoroughbred’s 29th birthday. For the first few years, donations were modest but steady. Then 2021 happened.
In 2020, the fund collected 1.08 million yen, roughly US$11,000. In 2021, donations jumped massively to 35.8 million yen, around US$225,000. That timing is hard to ignore: Umamusume: Pretty Derby launched in Japan on February 24, 2021, turning real-life racehorses into fan-favourite characters for a much wider anime and gaming audience.
Nice Nature passed away on May 30, 2023, at the very impressive age of 35. After that, the campaign was renamed the Nice Nature Memorial Donation, but the support clearly did not slow down.
This year’s campaign pulled in more than 48 million yen, about US$302,000, in just over a month. That is 195% of its initial target, which is honestly wild for a charity drive built around retired racehorses. Retired Racehorses Association representative director Kyoko Numata also noted that international supporters responded strongly, helped by Umamusume: Pretty Derby’s 2025 global release.
For Malaysian and SEA fans, this is the part that makes Umamusume more than just another Japanese mobile game finally going global. A lot of us discover these franchises through anime clips, gacha screenshots, or character art first. But Umamusume has always been tied to real horses and real racing history, and this donation campaign shows how fandom can spill into something genuinely useful.
The money raised will help the association take in and foster more retired racehorses. It will also support the recruitment of more foster parent members — basically caregivers who can provide individual attention to the horses after their racing careers end.
That matters because racing animals do not just disappear after the spotlight fades. They need food, land, medical care, and people who know how to handle them. Umamusume turning names like Nice Nature into beloved characters gives fans an emotional bridge to the real animals behind the stories.
Not every fandom needs to become a charity movement, of course. But this is a pretty strong example of what happens when a franchise treats its inspirations with enough respect that fans want to give back. For SEA players jumping into Umamusume through the global version, it adds another layer to the game: behind the waifu pulls and training runs, there is actual legacy being preserved.
Source: Automaton Media