McDonald’s x Gundam collab

McDonald’s Japan is turning a chicken sandwich ad into a full Mobile Suit Gundam mini-event, with a new animated television commercial, limited packaging, and six menu items tied to the campaign starting April 15, 2026. The commercial begins airing on April 14, 2026, and the promotion is scheduled to run until mid-May at stores across Japan. (mcdonalds.co.jp) The food anchor is Chicken Tatsuta, a McDonald’s Japan sandwich first introduced in 1991, which makes 2026 its 35th anniversary year. McDonald’s says this year’s lineup includes the standard Chicken Tatsuta, a new tartar yurinchi-style Chicken Tatsuta, and the first-ever cheese version of Chicken Tatsuta. (mcdonalds.co.jp) McDonald’s also bundled the burgers with two side items built for the same campaign window. The chain is bringing back Shaka Shaka Potato Jaga Butter with a Hokkaido butter recipe update, plus new Japanese citrus yogurt McFizz and McFloat drinks made with hyuganatsu and amanatsu juice. (mcdonalds.co.jp) The Gundam part is not just a logo swap. McDonald’s says Sunrise produced a completely new animation set in the world of the original 1979 Mobile Suit Gundam, with Amuro Ray facing Char Aznable in a parody of the series’ next-episode preview style. (mcdonalds.co.jp) The ad even gives the robot a joke variant name tied to the sandwich: “Gundam Chicken Tatsuta Custom.” McDonald’s says the campaign will also use quantity-limited collaboration packaging and an X social-media promotion, which is the part fans usually watch when they are trying to collect every version before stores run out. (mcdonalds.co.jp) This is landing at a moment when Bandai Namco says Gundam’s global recognition has been climbing, helped by Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury in 2022, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom in 2024, and Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX in 2025. Bandai Namco’s 2025 integrated report says that rise has been especially noticeable in North America, not just in Asia where Gundam was already strong. (bandainamco.co.jp) Bandai Namco also says streaming platforms and social media have made Gundam easier to push into daily life outside Japan. A fast-food chain is useful for that because it puts the brand on trays, wrappers, drinks, and television screens instead of asking people to buy a model kit or movie ticket first. (bandainamco.co.jp) The prices show this is meant to be a broad seasonal promotion, not a premium collector drop. McDonald’s lists the standard Chicken Tatsuta from 460 yen, the cheese version from 490 yen, and the tartar yurinchi-style version from 520 yen, with nationwide availability except at some locations. (mcdonalds.co.jp) For anyone outside Japan, the catch is that this is a McDonald’s Japan campaign, not a global launch. The part most likely to travel internationally is the animation clip and the branded art, while the burgers, drinks, and packaging are currently announced only for Japan’s domestic stores. (mcdonalds.co.jp)