Google’s AR character selection now includes Pac-Man, Hello Kitty

It’s available on all Android phones running Nougat and above.

What you need to know

• Google has now added some of the most popular Japanese pop culture characters to AR search.
• You’ll now find icons like Pac-Man, Ultraman, and Hello Kitty present via AR search in the Google Search app or any Android browser.
• It also works in iOS on any iPhone or iPad running iOS 11 and above.

Google’s AR character search already includes cute farm animals, Marvel superheroes, and even those terrible lizards from the Jurassic past. Now, the company is adding several new characters to AR search, including popular characters from Japanese pop culture. The company says that it has seen a rise in anime interest, reaching a crescendo over the last month, even ranking higher than video games.

You’ll now find anime characters from Neon Genesis Evangelion and Gundam, as well as Hello Kitty, Ultraman, Pac-Man, and more. Some of these characters even make sounds, as Google shared in its Japanese blog post.

Some of these characters are the most popular franchises by Google’s metrics, with the company saying that Pac-Man is one of the most searched characters, followed by Hello Kitty.

The full character list follows below:

• Ultraman
• Ultraman Zero
• Ultraman Belial
• Gomorra
• Evangelion (Evangelion Unit 1)
• Gundam
• Odysseus Gundam
• Kusui Gundam
• Penelope
• Cogimyun
• Taiko Master
• Pac-Man
• Pompompurin
• Hello Kitty
• Little Twin Stars

You can access these new creations on any Android phone running Android 7.0 Nougat and above via the Google Search app, Chrome, or any Android browser. Simply search their names and select “View in 3D”. Though viewing their AR versions would need an ARCore enabled phone. All the best Android phones have that built-in though, so if you’re using a modern phone, you need not worry. As for iOS users, they can use it if they’re running a modern iPhone that’s powered with iOS 11 or later.

Do you enjoy playing around with Google’s ARCore characters? Let us know in the comments below.