Burger King Splits 6 Dragon Ball Figurines Into 6 Separate Meals

Burger King is handing out one random Dragon Ball Super figurine per meal, and there are six of them to collect.

The chain teamed up with Toei Animation for the "Dragon Ball Super Power Up Pack," which launched September 1 at participating U.S. restaurants.

Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Beerus, and Super Saiyan Blue versions of Goku and Vegeta each come packed in their own box.

Completing the set means six separate trips to the counter.

The pack comes with a 10-piece order of Burger King's new white-meat Chicken Nuggets.

The meal also includes the new Super Saiyan Sauce, medium fries, and one of six exclusive figurines.

The drink is the Dragon Ball Burst Lemonade, a mango-peach mix with mango-flavored popping boba.

The Power Up Pack arrives in limited-time Dragon Ball Super packaging with a themed crown.

"At Burger King, we're always looking for ways to create experiences that go beyond the meal," Joel Yashinsky, CMO of Burger King U.S. & Canada, said in a press release.

Burger King is chasing a category that keeps getting bigger.

Grand View Research estimates that the global anime market reached $37.7 billion in 2025 and projects it to reach $41.7 billion in 2026.

Merchandising accounted for more than 31% of the market’s revenue share in 2025.

A licensing deal only returns money when it produces something customers keep, which is why co-branding leans on physical goods.

One Collection, Two Meal Sizes

Burger King is also putting the collaboration in front of both adult customers and families.

A Dragon Ball Super-themed King Jr. Meal gives younger fans a choice of hamburger, cheeseburger, or four- or six-piece Chicken Nuggets.

It comes with a side, drink, themed crown, and one of the six mystery figurines.

The food, the drink, the collectible, and the packaging all run the license, giving Burger King several physical touchpoints in one order.

"Dragon Ball Super has inspired generations, and this collaboration gives families a fun, unexpected way to engage with a world they love," Yashinsky shared.

The collab travels with the order itself, so the campaign follows customers from the drive-thru window to the kitchen table.

Experiential marketing runs on the same logic, where the space and the product both invite interaction.

Fast Food's Anime Collectible Race

The strategy fits an anime merchandise market where figurines represent the largest product segment, accounting for 37% of revenue in 2025.

McDonald's SpongeBob SquarePants x One Piece Happy Meal launches September 15 with 15 collectible toys, running the same anime-driven strategy.

Both chains are selling the collectible and treating the meal as the delivery method.

These three lessons apply to any brand licensing a popular character for a limited run:

• Give the IP a physical reason to matter. A collectible gives a licensed character something customers can take home, display, and photograph.
• Bake repeat behavior into the offer. A multi-piece collection creates a natural second-visit mechanic without adding a discount to every purchase.
• Push the idea across the customer journey. Themed packaging, menu items, and ordering channels keep a partnership visible before, during, and after the meal.

A licensing partnership gets more valuable when the IP has a clear role in the customer behavior you want to create.

Our Take: Can Fandom Drive the Second Visit?

The first thing we noticed was how Burger King gave a licensed property several jobs to do at once.

However, splitting six figurines across six separate meals randomly is arguably the most important marketing mechanic in the campaign.

This kind of promotional strategy naturally creates a reason for fans to make additional purchases if they want the full lineup.

You eat, you drink, and then a little plastic Beerus sits on the table asking where the other five are.

It's a very old retail trick, but fandom makes it personal.

But we think that six is a number people can actually finish, and that's Burger King's real edge here.

Collectibles only work when the campaign gives customers something to do with them.

Check out our top experiential marketing agencies that design promotions around physical interaction.