C108 Circle Count Stats Released: Blue Archive Dominates by a Landslide, Genshin Impact's Decline Sparks Heated Debate

Fresh statistics on C108 Comic Market circle participation have dropped, and a single chart has set the NGA forum ablaze with discussion. Blue Archive has once again claimed the undisputed top spot with a staggering lead in circle numbers, leaving every other game in the dust by a massive margin.

The gap between games is jaw-dropping. One player noted that Blue Archive's circle count is roughly five times that of its nearest competitor, declaring it an outright 'total domination.' Meanwhile, some legacy franchises that once ruled the doujin scene find themselves in a far more humbling position.

Genshin Impact's shrinking circle count sparked the most heated debate. One bluntly declared 'Genshin has fallen off,' but was quickly countered — someone pointed out that Comic Market skews heavily male-oriented, and Genshin actually has solid presence at a smaller, female-oriented convention. Using CM data alone to judge Genshin's doujin health is therefore misleading.

When someone asked why Blue Archive is so popular in the fan-creation scene, a community member offered a sharp analysis: BA borrows the best traits from Touhou Project, THE iDOLM@STER, and Fate (Type-Moon) — Touhou's open-ended world-building, iDOLM@STER's character-raising mechanics, and Type-Moon's flexible narrative framework. The character designs are quintessentially Japanese and moe, and the art and storytelling seized the right moment to explode in popularity. Another added that the real key to a thriving fan-creation ecosystem is simple, approachable character designs with zero barrier to entry.

Despite having only a small handful of circles, the veteran mobile game Arknights (Dusk Front/灰烬战线) drew heartfelt respect from commenters. Someone emotionally declared 'I'm crying, these people are real ones,' and an insider explained that several of the game's official artists genuinely love their character creations and make it a point to bring them to every event. That kind of devotion to their 'daughters' is genuinely touching.

The presence of some unexpected games also raised eyebrows. People were surprised to see 3 League of Legends (LoL) doujinshi, noting that LoL fan works tend to feature Western art styles, with characters mostly sticking to the 'evergreen' female champions like Ahri, Kai'Sa, and Nidalee. Mahjong Soul maintains a mysterious tradition — there's seemingly always exactly 1 Mahjong Soul book at every event. Some suspect it's the same dedicated artist every time, while others say Japanese mahjong enthusiasts are simply doing grassroots promotion.

Star Tower Traveler (星塔旅人), widely considered a 'Japan-exclusive title,' surprisingly had very low fan-creation output, disappointing players who hoarded its event merchandise hoping for value appreciation. Some noted it's still a new game and the doujin scene needs time to mature.

Other niche titles like Star Wings, PSO2, and Aether Gazer also had scattered representation. One player lamented that PSO2's IP wouldn't have declined so badly if Capcom had been running it instead of SEGA. As for the infamous prediction that Blue Archive was performing its 'last dance' (i.e., about to die) — the comment section collectively roasted that take: 'The ones who said that are all dead now.' A textbook boomerang moment in gaming community discourse.