The name Ikebukuro literally means “pond bag” which gives a little insight into its origins as a small village surrounded by several ponds and lakes. Starting in the Taisho period and into Showa, the village grew to become more cosmopolitan largely thanks to an influx of foreign workers and artists attracted to the area because of relatively cheap land prices.

Since then, Ikebukuro has become one of the most built-up and trendy areas of Tokyo, largely thanks to its convenience as a transportation hub on the widely-used Yamanote Line that loops around Tokyo and connections to more suburban residential areas like Saitama. It is also a center of otaku culture rivaling Akihabara but with more of a focus on fujoshi interests with an “Otome Road”, butler cafes, and many shops selling anime goods and doujinshi, including the original Animate store.

Despite what some media might have you believe, Ikebukuro is far from some crime den packed full of gangsters. That being said, by Japanese standards, these exaggerations aren’t coming out of nowhere as it does have one of the highest crime rates in Japan (a little over 1%) and is home to some organized groups, notably the Kyokuto-kai yakuza syndicate. In addition, Ikebukuro still has a relatively high number of foreign residents, mainly Chinese and Koreans, of which some are illegal immigrants and an even smaller number more serious criminals. There is also a small red-light district in west Ikebukuro somewhat comparable to Shinjuku’s Kabukicho but Ikebukuro as a whole is mostly known for things like the enormous Sunshine City mall, Seibu and Tobu department stores, and otaku culture hotspots.

As the setting for both Durarara!! and Ikebukuro West Gate Park, many real-world locations in Ikebukuro have become enshrined in anime and manga series. There are many examples but Ikebukuro Station, the second-busiest subway station in the world, features prominently in the first episode of Durarara!! as the place where Mikado meets up with his childhood friend Masaomi and many other places like Tokyu Hands department store and Animate’s anime-themed Animate Cafe show up as well.

So far, in Ikebukuro West Gate Park, the most notable location has been the titular park which is outside of Ikebukuro Station and features the Global Ring Theatre which is where Kyoichi Ozaki made his dramatic dance introduction and a common meeting place throughout the series. Outside of these crime-focused anime, Ikebukuro’s most famous otaku connection is likely in Lucky☆Star where Konata is the best customer of Animate Ikebukuro which is run by the Domon-like Anizawa Meito.