Gallia Goes Global: Why Indian Kids Still Love Asterix
By DesiMedia Team | April 28, 2025 |
Gallia Goes Global: Why Indian Kids Still Love Asterix
Mumbai, India – On any given school break, if you stroll past a library in Mumbai or peek into a comic book store in Delhi’s Connaught Place, you might be surprised to see a crowd of Gen Z teens giggling over Asterix and Cleopatra — not Minecraft manuals or anime merch.
The Adventures of Asterix — originally French, born in 1959, and later by Hachette India — were once a hit in English-medium schools, especially among kids whose parents grew up with Tintin and Archie. Even now, Asterix’s misadventures are finding love among new-age readers. “Obelix breaking Roman helmets never gets old,” says Raghav, a 13-year-old from Pune.
Indian readers say it’s the perfect mix of smart humour, wild action, and goofy faces that make Asterix timeless.
The resurgence also comes thanks to Instagram reels, YouTube explainers, and dubbed animated Asterix films now available in Hindi, Tamil, and Bengali. “Once I saw an edit of Obelix and Dogmatix set to a Bollywood track, I had to know who they were,” says Diya, a 16-year-old from Noida.
While anime, K-dramas, and superheroes dominate pop culture, Asterix has carved its own cozy corner — old-school, yes, but that’s part of its charm.
Indian publishers report spikes in sales of Asterix titles before Diwali and summer vacations, gifted by nostalgic parents. Some schools include Asterix and the Chieftain’s Shield in reading lists to promote European history and vocabulary.
Rome may have fallen… but in India, Asterix is still winning.