On pixiv, illustrations that bring characters from different works together often get tagged with #夢の共演 (lit. Dream Crossover). These unexpected mashups leap over the boundaries of the original canon, letting beloved characters meet in impossible encounters straight out of your dreams.

Mix it up with this collection of illustrations featuring dream crossovers!

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Exit 8 is a smash-hit indie game by creator KOTAKE CREATE, with over 1.8 million copies sold. Players find themselves trapped in an eerie underground passage in a Japanese train station. To escape this corridor, you’ll have to follow one deceptively simple rule: “If you notice something strange, turn back. If not, keep moving forward.”

Released on Steam on November 29th, 2023, Exit 8 quickly became a viral sensation. Its nail-biting suspense, hyper-realistic recreation of a subway, and subtly surreal atmosphere captivated players across the globe. A live-action film adaptation released in summer 2025 became another runaway hit.

This widely celebrated game has also inspired a flurry of art on pixiv. Many of these illustrations are clever parodies, blending beloved characters from other franchises with the uncanny imagery of the game.

See if you can spot any anomalies hidden in this collection of Exit 8 parody illustrations!

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A change of clothing can transform your whole aura! On pixiv, the tag #衣装チェンジ (lit. costume change) is often used for illustrations where characters swap outfits with each other or dress in completely new styles. Seeing your favs in unexpected attire reveals a fresh new side of their personality you never would have expected.

Switch things up with this collection of illustrations featuring costume changes!

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The Chiikawa franchise, created by Nagano, has captured hearts with its beloved manga, anime, and irresistibly charming characters. Chiikawa, Hachiware, Usagi, and all their friends continue to delight fans as part of this wildly popular series.

On pixiv, you’ll find countless fan artworks that take these characters beyond their original world, bringing them face to face with characters from entirely different universes in fun and imaginative crossover illustrations.

Join Chiikawa and friends as they venture into new worlds with this collection of illustrations.

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A photo of a baby barn owl determinedly running through the grass captured hearts worldwide with its surreal cuteness when it was shared online. In Japan, it became a meme called “eho eho,” named for the sound one makes when hurrying somewhere with a purpose. The charm of this fluffy little runner has inspired countless fan art, flooding pixiv with creative tributes.

This collection of illustrations showcases adorable fan art of the beloved baby owl, along with playful parodies featuring some of your favorite characters.

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Do you ever wonder what your favorite character might look like in another style or act in another world? Perhaps the most exciting, not to mention ambitious, form of fan art is crossover fan art, where two or more characters from different series are drawn together. Through the power of illustration, these characters are able to transcend borders—sometimes even time itself—and have an unexpected collaboration, often with magical results.

Which of these crossovers was your favorite or most unexpected, and do you have any dream collabs you’d like to see?

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If you live in Japan or watch a lot of Japanese YouTubers, you’re probably familiar with the website いらすとや (Irasutoya). Irasutoya is a popular Japanese website offering cute, royalty-free illustrations, and even government websites are known to use them sometimes!

Recently, the いらすとやチャレンジ (Irasutoya Challenge) has been trending on pixiv, where artists take various Irasutoya illustrations and draw them in their own style. From adorable chibis to humorous takes that will make you chuckle, these illustrations are as charming as they come!

Have you tried this challenge yet? If not, perhaps this feature will convince you to do so!

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Do you ever have that feeling where when someone tells you not to do something, it only makes you want to do it even more? That’s what 混ぜるな危険 (mazeruna kiken, lit. “danger, do not mix”) entails, but artists on pixiv have taken that phrase and turned it into a tag for crossover illustrations that will make you go, “Dang, never dreamt of pairing those two together!” Kitaro’s father and Gintoki Sakata look surprisingly good in each other’s outfits in the outfit swap drawing below, don’t you think?

Are you ready for these boundary-shattering crossover illustrations? Keep scrolling to test the limits of your imagination!

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It may not be canon, but a fan can dream! On pixiv, you’ll sometimes see illustrations with the hashtag #夢の共演 (yume no kyoen), which literally means dream crossover. When two or more completely different worlds collide, the results are often surprising, and you might find yourself going, “Wow, why have I never considered that crossover?” on more than one occasion!

Which of these dream teams do you think did it best?

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Are you a fan of crossovers? While some marriages simply aren’t meant to be, sometimes a crossover just works so well that it barely even registers that the drawing is a series mashup. That’s what the tag #混ぜるな自然 (mazeruna shizen)—a play on the word 自然 (shizen) meaning “nature” and the phrase 混ぜるな危険 (mazeruna kiken, lit. “Danger, do not mix”)—is essentially for. Mixing A plus B doesn’t always spell disaster: sometimes, the result is a fusion that’s so harmonious that you can’t help but go, “Genius, please DO mix”!

Which of these drawings was your favorite crossover, and are there any dream collabs you would love to see?

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Today, we're featuring some familiar faces like you've never seen them before. Are you ready to enjoy these transformations?

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This is a song for anyone who's experienced what it's like to step out the door and hit a wall of wind that has decided its raison d'être is to prevent you from going anywhere that day. The combination of the rhythm, recorder, and animation of the girl who is battling the wind makes for a fun watching and listening experience! Kudos to both Yukopi and Ozu!

Have you been seeing these remixes of the art from Kyoufuu All Back on pixiv? There's a lot! We've collected some of the best below!

*View count as of May 19th, 2023.

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Crossovers aren't for everyone, but they can be a lot of fun! Test the limits of your imagination by checking out other crossover illustrations below!

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Named for Art Nouveau Czech artist Alphonse Mucha, known for creating this distinct decorative style, the Mucha style is characterized by beautiful subjects in ethereal poses, surrounded by a patterned border that looks similar to stained glass. 

Link and Zelda (from The Legend of Zelda) look lovely against the lily-filled designs around them. 

Have any of the powerful poses below got you pondering your next piece?

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When you bring the worlds of historic art and familiar and lovable characters together the result is sure to be a masterpiece in its own right. Artwork that puts a spin on the work of famous artists of yesteryear can either bring a new level of intensity to the piece or even inject a bit of humor. There have been many pixiv posts featuring this kind of art.

Of the examples below, how many of the original artworks can you name?

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The tag 衣装チェンジ (ishou chenji, translated as “costume change” on pixiv) is used for fan art of characters swapping their usual outfit for one worn by another character. It can be a crossover between different series or a character stealing another’s outfit from within the same world.

Gold Ship wearing Mejiro McQueen’s (from Uma Musume Pretty Derby) is sure to cause a bit of controversy among fans…

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Most bookstores offer a robust magazine section dedicated to all sorts of periodicals. There are magazines dedicated to fashion, gossip, gardening, daily life tips, and so much more! Because they’re such a common sight in daily life, it’s not uncommon for artists on pixiv to create a fictional editorial cover featuring their favorite characters.

Do you find yourself wanting to read any of the imagined magazines below? Jinx (from League of Legends) seems like a fun character to interview, doesn’t she?

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Akira is widely considered one of the greatest science fiction films — and animated films — of all time. It has a cult following and is largely attributed to setting the stage for anime’s introduction into the west.

With such a large fanbase, it heavily influenced the cyberpunk genre as a whole, both within Japan and in other countries. Creative endeavors taking inspiration from the movie include films like The Matrix and video games like Valve’s Half-Life series.

So it’s no wonder that Akira has also inspired plenty of crossover fan art. How many characters do you recognize from among those featured below?

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