Earlier this month, Saint Seiya: Galaxy Soldiers, a 3D card-based RPG adapted from the iconic anime IP, launched in the Japanese market and quickly shot to No.1 on the iOS free games chart.

This article leverages data from AppGrowing to analyze the game’s advertising strategy.

Ad Placement Overview

According to AppGrowing, Saint Seiya: Galaxy Soldiers ran 1,260 ads across 7 ad platforms, all targeting the Japanese market.

• Ad formats were dominated by in-feed placements, accounting for nearly 60% of all impressions.

• Banner ads followed with over 17%, while rewarded videos made up approximately 10%.

Around 60% of creatives were static images, with video formats making up over 37%.

• Standard video ads accounted for 26%.

• Vertical video formats made up about 11% of the total.

Peak Advertising Periods

The campaign launched in mid-June, with an average daily volume of around 300 ad sets.

There were three significant spikes in activity:

• June 16: 464 ad sets

• June 27: 473 ad sets

• June 28: 413 ad sets

Preferred Channels

The vast majority of placements — roughly 60% — were run via Meta Ads, followed by Google Ads, which accounted for nearly 33%.

This mix reflects a common UA tactic: leveraging platforms with broad reach and robust targeting capabilities to boost conversion rates in a core market like Japan.

Conclusion

AppGrowing’s data shows that Saint Seiya: Galaxy Soldiers executed a highly localized, multi-format ad strategy to support its launch — and that strategy paid off with strong early performance.

For marketers looking to launch IP-driven titles in Asia, this case offers a valuable playbook in precision targeting and creative diversification.