The short answer
Gachapon (ガチャポン) are capsule toys from Japan. You put a coin in a machine, turn the crank, and a plastic capsule drops out with one small toy inside. Each machine holds a series of toys, so you can see the whole set on the front, but you never know which one you will get. Collecting the full set, and trading the doubles, is half the fun.
The word also gave its name to gacha, the way many video games hand out characters and items: you spend a pull, and you receive one reward at random from a published pool.
Where the name comes from
The name is two sounds. Gacha (or gasha) is the click of the crank turning, and pon is the capsule landing in the tray. Capsule vending machines came to Japan from the United States in 1965, and in 1977 the toy maker Bandai began selling capsule toys under its own name, Gashapon, which is still a Bandai trademark. Today there are whole shops in Japan with hundreds of machines side by side, from tiny food replicas to cats sitting in cups.
Gachapon, gashapon, gacha: what is the difference?
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Gachapon | The everyday Japanese word for capsule toys and their machines. Also shortened to gacha-gacha or gacha. |
| Gashapon | Bandai's brand of capsule toys and machines. People often use it for any capsule toy. |
| Capsule toy | The English name for the same thing. |
| Gacha game | A video game where you pull for random characters or items, named after the machines. Pulls usually cost an in-game currency. |
How gacha games work
A gacha game copies the capsule machine. Each "machine", often called a banner, holds a pool of rewards. Every reward has a rarity, and rarer rewards have lower odds. You spend a pull and get one reward at random. Most games add three more ideas:
- Odds. The chance of each rarity, shown before you pull.
- Pity. A guarantee that a rare reward arrives after a set number of pulls without one, so bad luck has a ceiling.
- Duplicates. Getting something you already own, which games usually turn into a currency you can spend elsewhere.
Gacha is popular because the moment of opening something is exciting, and because a set gives you a goal. It is also argued about, because a random reward bought with real money can encourage spending. Rules have followed. In 2012 Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency ruled that "complete gacha", where a grand prize was only unlocked by collecting a whole random set, broke the law against unjustifiable premiums. Since 2019, Google Play's payments policy has required games that sell randomized items to show the odds before the purchase.
Can you play gachapon on your phone?
Yes. Some apps simulate the capsule machine itself, some put a claw machine on your screen, and many games use gacha for characters. If you want the feeling of a real capsule shop, look for a game where you can see the machines, hear the crank and open the capsule yourself, and check that its odds are published before you spend anything.
How Pawpon does it
Pawpon is a cozy cat collecting game for Android built around a capsule shop that opens at night. You walk the shop in first person, earn Moon Credits by keeping it running, swap them for tokens, and pull the claw machines. Every capsule holds one of 42 cats, from common to mythical.
It keeps the fun of the capsule machine and leaves out the parts people dislike:
- Tokens are earned by playing. They are never sold, so money never buys a random pull.
- The odds are printed on the glass. Every machine shows the chance of each rarity before you pull, and the same tables are on the odds page.
- Pity has a ceiling. A rare cat is guaranteed within 25 pulls, an epic within 60, a legendary within 120 and a mythical within 240.
- A dropped capsule costs nothing. If the claw loses its grip on the way to the chute, the next try is free, and the third try always lands.
- Duplicates still count. They turn into Moon Dust, which brings home a cat you are still missing, and the back-room Hush machine lets you pick the exact rare cat you want.
The optional purchases are a one-time Nightlight Pass and packs whose contents are shown in full before you buy. You can meet every cat in the Catbook, or try a paper version of the claw in your browser.
Questions
What does gacha mean?
Gacha comes from gachapon, the Japanese capsule toy machine. In games it means a reward you receive at random, usually by spending a pull, the way you would turn the crank on a capsule machine.
Is gashapon the same as gachapon?
Almost. Gachapon is the everyday word for capsule toys. Gashapon is Bandai's trademarked brand of capsule toys, and many people use it for all of them.
Is there a cat gacha game?
Yes. Pawpon is a cat collecting game for Android where every claw machine pull brings home one of 42 cats. Pulls use tokens you earn by playing, and every machine shows its odds before you pull.
What is pity in a gacha game?
Pity is a guarantee: after a set number of pulls without a rare reward, the next one is guaranteed. In Pawpon, a rare cat always arrives within 25 pulls, an epic within 60, a legendary within 120 and a mythical within 240.
Do you need to spend money in Pawpon?
No. Pawpon is free to play and every cat except the six Afterglow companions can be earned by playing. Tokens for the claw machines are only earned in the game and are never sold.
