NieR:Automata Ver1.1a Ichiban Kuji E Prize: The Story Behind the Fish Clear Pouch
What You’re Looking At — and Where It Comes From
This is an official E Prize item from an Ichiban Kuji lottery campaign tied to NieR:Automata Ver1.1a, the anime adaptation of Square Enix’s acclaimed action RPG. The pouch itself is a zippered clear bag made from translucent black PVC, with a full-length zipper across the top and heat-sealed seams around the perimeter. What sets it apart visually is the white line illustration printed on one side: a Japanese horse mackerel (aji) rendered in an anatomical, cross-section style — closer to a biological diagram than a typical character graphic. There are no portraits of 2B, 9S, or A2 here. This one is all fish.
The item was produced by Bandai Spirits, the hobby and collectibles arm of the Bandai Namco group, under official license from Square Enix and Aniplex. Ichiban Kuji campaigns are typically timed to coincide with anime broadcasts, and this one aligns with the Ver1.1a anime, which began airing in January 2023 (with a second cour following in October of the same year). The E Prize sits in the middle-to-lower tier of the standard prize hierarchy — below the flagship figures of the A Prize, but a proper licensed release from the same campaign.
The Franchise, the Anime, and the Fish That Fits
NieR:Automata launched on PlayStation 4 in February 2017 and went on to sell over seven million copies worldwide as of 2023, reaching players across Japan, North America, Europe, and beyond through later PC and Xbox releases. The game — developed by PlatinumGames — earned wide critical praise and built a large international fanbase that extends well into the present.
NieR:Automata Ver1.1a is the anime-original subtitle given to the A-1 Pictures television series, which adapts the game’s story for broadcast. It is a distinct production from the game itself, and some collectors specifically seek out merchandise associated with the anime rather than the game’s own tie-in goods.
The aji motif is not arbitrary. The original NieR:Automata game includes a fishing minigame, and the Japanese horse mackerel is among the fish species a player can actually catch in it. Fishing connects to the game’s sub-quests and item collection systems, weaving into the broader world-building. Whether this pouch’s design draws directly from the game’s fishing content or references a specific moment in the anime is not entirely clear — but the mackerel’s presence in the NieR:Automata world is well-established.
Why This Item Interests Collectors Beyond Japan
Ichiban Kuji merchandise is sold exclusively through physical lottery draws at convenience stores, hobby shops, and similar retail locations across Japan. Once a campaign ends, the items leave primary retail entirely and move into the secondhand market. International buyers have no access to the in-store draws and must rely on proxy services or resellers to obtain them — which means items from specific campaigns are genuinely difficult to source after the fact.
For NieR fans, the appeal of this pouch lies partly in its specificity. It is not a standard character piece; it is a detail-oriented nod to an element of the game’s world that only players who explored its systems would immediately recognize. Among collectors who track the full range of NieR merchandise, that kind of niche, world-referencing design is exactly what separates an Ichiban Kuji run from more generic licensed goods.
Price: $10.71 | View on eBay
