Cup Noodle Goes “Isekai”: Nissin Fuses Its Classic Flavors With Three Japanese Snack Icons
In isekai anime, ordinary heroes get dropped into strange new worlds. Nissin Foods has now done the same thing to its most famous product.
On Nov. 9, the company released three entries in its “Cup Noodle Isekai Gattai” series, which roughly translates to “Otherworldly Fusion.” Each one combines a classic Cup Noodle flavor with a beloved Japanese brand from a completely different part of the supermarket. All three are sold nationwide for 279 yen, tax included.
A 55th Birthday Party in a Cup
The timing isn’t random. The series is part of Nissin’s celebrations for Cup Noodle’s 55th anniversary.
Each partner is a household name in Japan. There’s a takoyaki chain, a spicy potato chip brand and a seaweed paste that has been spread on rice for generations.
Takoyaki You Can Slurp
The first fusion pairs the original Cup Noodle with Tsukiji Gindaco, Japan’s best-known takoyaki chain. Its official nickname is “Kagindako Nundako,” which is about as easy to say as it looks.
The soup adds dashi, aosa green laver, red pickled ginger and a hint of sauce to the familiar Cup Noodle base. In place of real octopus, the cup is filled with octopus-style balls and tempura bits, along with Cup Noodle’s famous “mystery meat” and egg.
The finishing touch is a packet of fragrant oil. It’s meant to recreate the toasty aroma of batter crisping on a takoyaki griddle.
In an early taste test, an ASCII writer said the cup tastes remarkably like real takoyaki, even though it doesn’t rely on the usual heavy sauce flavor.
Curry Meets Karamucho
The second fusion brings together Cup Noodle Curry and Koikeya’s Karamucho, the fiery potato chip that has been making Japanese snackers sweat for decades. Fans can call it “Ka-Mucho.”
The curry soup gets a boost of chili heat, garlic and vegetable umami. It also comes with chunks of hot chili-flavored potato and a separate packet of chili powder for people who like the burn to last.
“Sea Desu Yo!” Steals the Spotlight
The third fusion may be the strangest, and it might also be the most interesting. It combines Cup Noodle’s Seafood Noodle with Momoya’s Gohan Desu Yo!, a sweet-salty nori paste that many Japanese people grew up eating on plain rice.
The result is called “Sea Desu Yo!” The seafood soup is infused with seaweed flavor and filled with squid, crab stick and cabbage, plus egg and green onion.
A separate paste made with Gohan Desu Yo! is supposed to deepen the seaside aroma. ASCII’s reviewer picked it as the one to watch, suspecting it could be surprisingly delicious, even though they admitted the pun is a bit of a stretch.
The Crossover Goes Both Ways
The partners are crossing over in the other direction too. Gindaco launched a limited-time “mystery meat” takoyaki topped with Cup Noodle’s signature pork and egg, a teriyaki-style sauce and plenty of mayonnaise.
A tray of eight costs 842 yen for takeout or 858 yen to eat in, and it’s available at most Gindaco locations while supplies last.
Koikeya is joining in with a Cup Noodle Curry-flavored Karamucho stick snack. It went on sale at convenience stores on Nov. 9 and reaches supermarkets nationwide on Nov. 16.
For snack fans in Japan, that means the whole otherworldly lineup can be collected this month, and the crossovers can go into a cup, onto a takoyaki tray or into a bag of chips.
