Last year, Asahi Breweries revealed its new canned cocktail called the Mirai no Lemon Sour. Who better to market than the one-winged angel himself? That’s apparently a thought that crept into the head of someone on the beer company’s marketing team, and all I can say is, “Hell yeah.”
Asahi’s new collaboration with Square Enix was revealed by Famitsu, and it comes complete with the Final Fantasy VII villain using his super-long Masamune to chop up some lemons for the shochu-based cocktail. Here is the full 20-second ad, which is way cooler than those NÜTRL Vodka Seltzer “Keep It Tasty” commercials Anheuser-Busch subjected everyone to last year.
And unlike most canned cocktails, the Mirai no Lemon Sour has a secret waiting beneath its lid just waiting to be revealed every time you crack one open: an actual lemon slice. This is no joke. Asahi reportedly spent almost four years developing this technology.
“Getting the solid food into cans was the first challenge,” wrote the Yomiuri Shimbun in 2025. “A machine to insert lemon slices into cans was developed from scratch. Through trial and error, including dented cans and lemons not fitting, the team spent two years improving the machine’s accuracy in sealing 600 cans in a minute.”
If anyone knows about patiently working for years to bring a master plan to fruition, it’s Sephiroth. Cheers to the one and only. He’s earned it.