Umamusume: Pretty Derby is a Japanese multimedia franchise created by Cygames. The franchise centers on anthropomorphized racehorses known as Umamusume (ウマ娘; lit. 'horse girls'), who compete in races inspired by real-life race tracks managed by the Japan Racing Association. Most of the characters are named and themed after actual racehorses, reflecting their namesakes' personalities, racing records, and relationships with other racehorses. Initially announced in 2016 as a mobile game, the franchise soon expanded to include multiple anime series, manga, and live concerts.
The game was scheduled to debut in late 2018 for iOS and Android devices, but it was delayed to a February 2021 release, with a Windows client releasing a month later on DMM Games. The game was later released on Google Play Games in April 2023. The game was released in Korean by Kakao Games and Traditional Chinese by Komoe Game in June 2022, with the former language getting a PC version in a stand-alone client a year later, then later in Simplified Chinese by Bilibili in August 2024. An English-language edition was released worldwide in June 2025 for the aforementioned platforms, alongside a Steam release for both the bilingual (Japanese and English) versions.
The franchise has received generally positive reviews, both domestically in Japan and worldwide following the game's global release in 2025. The franchise has also had a significant cultural impact, with observers remarking on its positive impact on the sport of horse racing and bringing awareness to the stories of racehorses.
Contents
Premise
Umamusume: Pretty Derby is set in a fictional universe similar to the real modern world but featuring the titular Umamusume, female kemonomimi with the ears, tails, and capabilities of horses who live alongside humans and replace actual horses in the franchise's setting. Many Umamusume are based on and modeled after real-life Thoroughbred racehorses of the past and present. Umamusume seek fame and fortune as both racers and idols by competing in organized races akin to middle-distance and long-distance track events. The series centers on Umamusume who attend the elite Tracen Academy in Tokyo and train to compete in the Twinkle Series of professional races organized by the Umamusume Racing Association (URA). The main stories across the series are focused on specific Umamusume and loosely based on the racing careers of the racehorses they are based on.
Anime
The main anime series depicts the journeys of various Umamusume who are affiliated with Team Spica, a racing team at Tracen Academy. Each season is a direct follow-up to the previous one, though the historical content greatly varies based on the real-life racing careers of the focused character.
The first season features Special Week, who aspires to become the best Umamusume in Japan, all while idolizing Silence Suzuka's style and wanting to reach the same heights as her and their friends with King Halo, El Condor Pasa, Seiun Sky, and Grass Wonder. The story is based on Special Week's races from 1997 to 1999.
The second season features Tokai Teio, who continues to persevere despite suffering multiple injuries that endanger her career and struggling to remain one of the best racers of her generation that includes Mejiro McQueen, Rice Shower, and Mihono Bourbon. The story is based on Tokai Teio's races from 1991 to 1993.
The third season features Kitasan Black, who aims to win on her own merits through her camaraderie and friendly rivalry with Satono Diamond, while also facing a new generation of Umamusume such as Duramente, Satono Crown, and Cheval Grand. The story is based on Kitasan Black's races from 2015 to 2017.
Road to the Top and Beginning of a New Era respectively feature Narita Top Road and Jungle Pocket in the rivalries that defined their generation of Umamusume, with Narita Top Road facing off against T. M. Opera O and Admire Vega, and Jungle Pocket against Agnes Tachyon, Manhattan Cafe, and Dantsu Flame. They are based on events surrounding the Classic races of 1999 and 2001.
Manga
Cinderella Gray and its anime adaptation depict the races between Oguri Cap, who transfers from the regional racing scene to the Twinkle Series, and rivals of the previous and next generations that include Tamamo Cross, Inari One, and Super Creek. The story is based on Oguri Cap's races from 1987 to 1990.
Star Blossom depicts the races of Sakura Laurel and her peers such as Sakura Bakushin O, Mayano Top Gun, Marvelous Sunday, and Narita Brian, as she aspires to achieve acclaim through defeating Narita Brian and racing at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in spite of her fragile body. The story is based on Sakura Laurel's races from 1994 to 1997.
Video game
Act 1 of the main story focuses on the efforts of Team Sirius as it flourishes following the retirement of the team's star racer Oguri Cap and previous trainer. The story is based on the races run by Mejiro McQueen, Rice Shower, Winning Ticket, Narita Brian, Silence Suzuka, and Special Week in the 1990s. A number of supporting characters appear throughout the story including Gold Ship, Biwa Hayahide, and Narita Taishin.
Act 2 of the main story focuses on the efforts of Team Ascella and the journeys of Tiara Umamusume, who are characters based on racemares. The story is based on the races run by racemares Rhein Kraft, Cesario, and Fusaichi Pandora in the mid-2000s, and features a supporting cast such as King Halo, Air Messiah, and Daring Heart.
Gameplay
Umamusume: Pretty Derby is a sports simulation game that allows players, who are referred to in-game as "trainers", to raise and train Umamusume to compete in races whilst achieving the Umamusume's individual goals. Players collect two types of units through the game's gacha system: playable Umamusume or "trainees," and support cards that provide skills and bonuses.
The main gameplay mode, "Career," lets players choose a scenario, trainee, and support cards, then work to achieve specific goals. Players must also factor in the trainee's preferred terrain type, track distance, and running style in order to perform well. The game operates on a calendar system, with each action or turn taking up half a month, requiring strategic planning and balancing of the actions to be taken.
The calendar used is based on the real-life JRA's race schedule, with the races that players can enter being based on their real-life equivalents, such as the Japan Cup or the Arima Kinen. Succeeding scenarios would also allow players to enter international races, notably the French Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and the American Breeders' Cup.
Players use turns to raise their trainee's five attributes (speed, stamina, power, guts, and wit), rest to restore energy, enter races to earn skill points and fans, infirmary to cure a negative condition, and recreation to raise the trainee's mood, which affects training effectiveness and race performance. Additionally, random events can occur during a Career attempt that may grant additional stats, skills, and buffs or debuffs, as well as positively or negatively impact the mood.
Completing or failing a trainee's goals, as well as reaching certain stat totals and acquiring skills, grants stats and potential skills known as "sparks". These can be passed down to trainees as "legacies," allowing them to inherit these and be strengthened in future Career attempts.
Alongside the Career, players can also partake in other game modes, including the PvP "Team Trials" and "Champion's Meeting" races, where players use their best trainees and compete against each other in a set of races for various rewards, and "Legend Races," where players race against notable Umamusume to gain rewards and upgrade their trainees.
Development and release
The game was announced on March 26, 2016, during Cygames' panel at that year's AnimeJapan event. Concept art for the project's various characters and an animated trailer by P.A. Works were revealed during the event, alongside the project's brief. The game was set to be released in late 2018; however, it was delayed by Cygames in order to further polish the game's quality, with its new release date pushed back to February 24, 2021. The PC version was released on March 10, 2021, on DMM Games, then later on April 19, 2023, on Google Play Games. A YouTube channel titled Pakatube! (ぱかチューブっ!, Pakachūbu!) was launched on March 25, 2018, to promote the game, prominently featuring Gold Ship. As of May 2025, there are 114 playable horse girls in the game. Part 2 of the main story was released in March 2024.
On February 15, 2022, Komoe Game announced the release of a traditional Chinese version of the game app for Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau, and pre-registration began on April 27. The traditional Chinese version was officially released on June 27, 2022. In South Korea, Kakao Games released on June 20, 2022, and pre-registrations, which began on April 28, 2022, exceeded 1 million in 10 days. A PC version for the Korean version was released on June 15, 2024. In China, Bilibili released a simplified Chinese version on August 30, 2023, and pre-registrations, which began on August 4, 2023, exceeded 1 million in 10 days. However, due to censorship the simplified Chinese version has modified all names and texts related to gambling, Japanese nationalist and militarist-related comments. The Tennō Shō, the Takamatsunomiya Kinen, the Arima Kinen, the Yasuda Kinen, and names related to Fukushima have been changed in game.
On June 24, 2024, a Paka Live TV livestream on Pakatube! announced the release of an English version of the game. As part of promotions for the English version launch, Cygames entered into sponsorship deals with several prominent U.S. horse racing events, and a booth was operated at Churchill Downs where attendees are able to play a demo of Umamusume: Pretty Derby. On April 27, 2025, a Paka Live TV livestream announced its release date, along with a PC version on Steam for both the Japanese and English versions. Pre-registration started on April 28, 2025, and the game was released on June 26, 2025.
Other media
Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash
Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash (ウマ娘 プリティーダービー 熱血ハチャメチャ大感謝祭, Umamusume Puritī Dābī Nekketsu Hachamecha Daikanshasai), a party video game developed by Cygames and Arc System Works, was announced during the Nintendo Direct live stream on June 21, 2023. The game was released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Steam on August 30, 2024.
Manga series
A manga series titled Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Haru Urara Ganbaru! (ウマ娘 プリティーダービー ハルウララがんばる!; lit. 'Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Haru Urara, Do Your Best!'), written and drafted by Katsumi Nakayama and illustrated by Huan Yu (ZECO), began serialization on Cygames' Cycomi website on its launch day on May 8, 2016, and ended on September 11 with 10 chapters released. It is based on the real-life racehorse Haru Urara, with her anthropomorphized counterpart as the main character. It is no longer available for distribution and has not yet been published in tankōbon form.
A manga series written and illustrated by S. Kosugi, titled Starting Gate! Umamusume: Pretty Derby (STARTING GATE! -ウマ娘 プリティーダービー-, Stātingu Geito! Uma Musume Puritī Dābī), was serialized on Cygames' Cycomi website from March 25, 2017, to November 23, 2019. Kodansha originally published the series in four tankōbon volumes, released from July 2017 to March 2019. A new edition by Shogakukan was released digitally starting in July 2020, with an additional fifth and sixth volume released in June and July 2021. The volumes were later published in print with new cover artworks from November 2021 to March 2022. Based on the setting of the CD drama Special Today! containing lore before the P.A. Works anime adaptation, the story focuses on the school life of the Umamusume before their debut as racers.
A four-panel manga series titled Umayon (うまよん), written and illustrated by Jet Kuma with storyboards by Jin Itō, was serialized on Cygames' Cycomi website from March 30, 2018, to January 15, 2021. The chapters were compiled into a booklet included with the anime adaptation's Blu-ray release on December 8, 2021.
Another manga series, titled Umamusume: Cinderella Gray (ウマ娘 シンデレラグレイ, Uma Musume Shinderera Gurei), produced by Junnosuke Itō, written by Masafumi Sugiura, and illustrated by Taiyō Kuzumi, was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump from June 11, 2020, to December 25, 2025. The first collected tankōbon volume was released on January 19, 2021. As of March 2026, twenty-three volumes have been released.
Another manga series that focuses on the "food" of Umamusume, titled Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Uma Musumeshi (ウマ娘 プリティーダービー うまむすめし), written by Tsukumo Asakusa, began serialization on Cygames' Cycomi website on March 1, 2023. As of March 2026, seven volumes have been released by Shogakukan.
Anime adaptations
The franchise has also received an anime television series adaptation which ran from April 2018 to December 2023 in three seasons, produced by P.A. Works for the first season and assisting on production for the second season and Studio Kai for the second and third seasons, and streamed by Crunchyroll. Alongside the main anime, there are also four spin-off shorts series, one ONA, one film, and one spin-off anime series.
Stage play
Umamusume Pretty Derby: Sprinters' Story (舞台「ウマ娘 プリティーダービー」〜Sprinters' Story〜) was performed from January 15 to 29, 2023, in Stellar Ball, Shinagawa Prince Hotel, Tokyo. Performances from January 16 to 26 were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but resumed on January 27. The stage play features Daitaku Helios as the main character, with its story based on the events leading to the 1991 Sprinters Stakes.
Reception and cultural impact
Video game
The game received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. Critics praised the diversity of content offered, gameplay depth that encourages replay value, and character writing which respects their real-life inspirations. However, critics have also criticized the monetization through the gacha system as being predatory and the gameplay potentially being difficult for casual players.
The mobile game, within ten months of release, grossed nearly US$965 million (¥142.7 billion) in Japan by December 2021, making it the ninth-highest-grossing mobile game in 2021.
The game has since generated over $2.5 billion (¥375 billion) in revenue as of March 2025, making it one of the most profitable mobile games in Japan.
Following its global release in June 2025, the game generated $45.4 million worldwide for the first 30 days, of which 50.3% comprised sales outside Japan. Among international markets, the United States accounted for 68% of all overseas spending and 34% of total global revenue.
Cultural impact
The franchise has had a significant cultural impact, particularly in Japan, becoming a multi-billion dollar multimedia franchise. The franchise also consistently emphasizes universal themes like perseverance, teamwork, personal growth, and overcoming challenges, which resonate with a broad audience. While its primary market is Japan, the game has also been released in other Asia-Pacific territories, and an English version was eventually released, indicating its broader global impact.
Masayuki Gotō, a chairman of the Japan Racing Association, showed his gratitude to Umamusume: Pretty Derby for its positive influence on the horse racing community in an interview on Weekly Gallop published in December 2021. The franchise has also helped bring awareness to retired racehorses represented within the franchise, such as Haru Urara and Nice Nature, allowing them to receive donations from the franchise's fans.
As various stables in Japan housing the represented retired racehorses receive multiple visitors since its release, Cygames shared a list of rules and guidelines for fans potentially visiting the stables to adhere and follow. These guidelines include the inquiry of a stable's tour availability and accounting for the horse's wellbeing.
The franchise was also commented by media observers to contribute to a significant revival of horse racing pop culture, such as idol performances, slice-of-life elements, and a global sporting powerhouse. The popularity of the game's idol culture can be observed with various covers and dance videos of one of the game's songs, "Umapyoi Densetsu" (うまぴょい伝説, "Umapyoi Legend"), being uploaded to social media. In January 2023, "Umapyoi Densetsu" was awarded a Gold streaming certification by the Recording Industry Association of Japan for reaching over 50 million streams.
While Cygames was concerned about the niche nature of Umamusume impacting sales abroad, the title's global launch in June 2025 was met with positive reviews. Overseas players quickly became a significant share of the game's mobile revenue, which Cygames hoped would foster greater interest in horse racing outside Japan. The game saw a consistent rate of between 15,000 and 30,000 concurrent Steam players in its first week, as well as general high levels of interest from streamers and social media, leading to a marked increase in interest and awareness towards the game's characters' namesakes.