A visual history of Microsoft's anime fetish

Yesterday, the world was introduced to Inori Aizawa, an anime character created to promote Internet Explorer in Singapore. Many saw the move as unusual, but some of Microsoft's Asia-based subsidiaries have been using anime to boost their products' appeal for years.

Over the past decade, Microsoft has used over 10 individual characters to improve user and developer awareness of its software and infrastructure. These are its most memorable.