An ''ita''-bag (also ''ita'' bag or ''itabag''; , ) is a

handbag A handbag, commonly known as a purse or pocketbook in North American English, is a handled medium-to-large bag used to carry personal items. Purse, handbag or pouch The term "purse" originally referred to a small bag for holding coins. In man ...

backpack A backpack—also called knapsack, schoolbag, rucksack, rucksac, pack, sackpack, booksack, bookbag or backsack—is, in its simplest frameless form, a fabric sack carried on one's back and secured with two straps that go over the shoulders ...

or other kind of bag covered in badges, buttons, figurines and other merchandise pertaining to

anime and manga fandom Anime and manga fandom (otherwise known as fan community) is a worldwide community of fans of anime and manga. Anime includes animated series, films and videos, while manga includes manga, graphic novels, drawings and related artworks. The anime a ...

. In Japan, ''ita''-bags are a popular piece of apparel among female anime and manga fans. ''Ita''-bags began to appear in Japanese popular culture in the 2010s, and were covered by national news beginning in 2015. They have themselves been depicted in anime, e.g. in ''

Shōnen Hollywood is a Japanese media franchise created by Ikuyo Hashiguchi. It consists of an idol project, a novel by Hashiguchi that was published by Shogakukan in 2012 and an anime television series by Zexcs that aired between July 5, 2014 and September 2 ...

'' (2014). Although usually individually put together by the owner, ''ita''-bags can also be purchased ready-made in

otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, particularly in anime, manga, video games, or computers. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in '' Manga Burikko''. may be used as a pejorat ...

shops. These stores also often partner with game centers to create ''ita''-bag contests. Spread through the international anime and manga fandom, the ''ita''-bag fashion is also growing outside Japan. ''Ita''-bags serve to publicly express how much their owners love a particular fictional character or media franchise. In that respect, they are the equivalent of ''

itasha In Japan, an is a car decorated with images of characters from anime, manga, or video games (especially ''bishōjo'' games or ''eroge''). The decorations usually involve paint schemes and stickers. The cars are seen prominently in places su ...

'', "painmobiles", which are cars covered with fandom-themed stickers and decals. In both cases, the "pain" refers to the pain inflicted on the bag or car, and to the owner's wallet. ''Ita''-bags are an expensive hobby, given that some buttons are of a limited edition and command high prices. Some fans spend more than the equivalent of a thousand U.S. dollars on their ''ita''-bags. When creating ''ita''-bags, fans often "buy the same item many times."

References

{{reflist Anime and manga fandom Bags (fashion) Japanese fashion Anime and manga terminology