Duolingo’s Duo battles Japan’s beloved mascots in sumo-themed campaign via UltraSuperNew

There are two major obsessions in Japanese culture: sumo wrestling and brand mascots. Now, an offbeat new campaign by language learning app Duolingo brought them together in the form of a championship sumo tournament, which will see some of Japan’s most iconic brand symbols grapple with Duolingo’s own mascot – Duo the owl – for the top spot.

Created by Duolingo Japan and supported by independent creative agency UltraSuperNew, the campaign – called Duo’s Sumo Showdown – aims to raise Duolingo Japan’s profile with a unique activation that taps into the country’s love affair with mascots. With every brand, from train companies to health insurance providers, fighting for a piece of people’s attention with their cute emblems, the campaign riffs on the fiercely competitive nature of the language app’s beloved – but borderline psychotic – owl character, Duo.

Ahead of a dedicated battle for the chance to become Japan’s first-ever Mascot Yokozuna (champion), the campaign sees Duo challenge eight of the country’s most well-known mascots to join him in the ring. These national titans range from longstanding videogame icons like Sonic, Pac-Man, and Bub to supermarket stalwarts such as Ponta and Uny’s Apitan, discount store Don Quijote’s Donpen, as well as ZAQ, a character from cable internet provider J:COM.

Running across Duolingo’s TikTok, Instagram and X channels, the campaign initially launched with an intriguing series of posts revealing Duo’s part-human DNA test results and his journey of self-discovery and part-sumo heritage. The story continued on social media with a series of posts and key visuals featuring Duo’s invitation to the mascots, the unveiling of the full line-up of competitors, a parody of an official sumo press conference, and the mascots in training for the event.

The campaign culminated in a real-life activation where Duo faced off against the other mascots in a Grand Sumo Tournament attended by key opinion leaders, media and 125 selected Duolingo learners. Held at Lumine 0 event space in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district, the sumo showdown represented Duo’s ultimate chance to honour his heritage and clinch the title of top mascot.

Bunrei Yamane, Social Media Manager, Duolingo Japan, said: “This was our most challenging social campaign ever in Japan, and we knew it had to be something iconic. Sumo and mascot culture are both deeply loved here, so we threw Duo into the ring to see what chaos he could create. What happened next wasn’t scripted. This was a real match, with real competition, and we didn’t know who would win. That raw unpredictability was part of the magic. The reactions, the UGC, and even trending on X proved how much people resonated with it. Huge thanks to every mascot, partner, and creator who made this wild idea possible.”

Andrés Aguilar, Creative Director, UltraSuperNew, added: “For a mascot, Japan is the big leagues. The competition is fierce, the cuteness level off-the-charts, and the fanbases are die-hard. So, to give Duo a shot at that coveted top of mind, we leaned on upper-body strength, a bit of slapping, and a whole lot of stomping.”

Credits
Duolingo
Sho Mizutani, Director of Country Marketing
Bunrei Yamane, Social Media Manager for Duolingo Japan
UltraSuperNew
Francois Claverie, Executive Creative Director
Andrés Aguilar, Creative Director
Oguzcan Kaganoguzbeyoglu (Ozy), Associate Creative Director
Utsumi Tetsuya, Sr Art Director
Anh Tran, Junior Art Director
William Matsuda, Jr Graphic Designer
Shota Kawanabe, Jr Creative
Milla Dytham, Creative Intern
Rinka Ueno, Copywriter
Nobuaki Nogamoto, Copywriter
Alex Schmidt, Assistant Producer
Takanori Sumi, Account Director
Justyna Jakubik, Account Manager
Lisa Kerr, Content Strategist
Abbey Kruska, Content Planner