Streaming services increase the popularity of anime abroad; Former ‘geek’ interest more beloved among Gen Z than three major American sports

The value of Japan’s exported media, such as films, anime and manga, rivals that of its steel and semiconductor industries, a fact that has been widely discussed at recent government conferences. Many people have a keen interest in the content industry as a valuable growth sector. Overseas sales of anime in particular have grown exponentially, with the market size more than doubling over the past decade.

In late September, a 27-year-old man from Chile was enthusiastic about the anime offerings on the shelves of the Yodobashi Camera Multimedia Akiba Store in Tokyo’s Akihabara district. He said he liked “One Piece” because of the friendships in the series and “Kimetsu no Yaiba” (“Demon Slayer”) because of the interesting backgrounds of the characters. A 32-year-old man from the Netherlands beamed as he said he has been watching “Dragon Ball” since he was 10. Still fresh in our minds is American athlete Noah Lyles performing the Kamehameha pose, the signature move of ‘Dragon Ball’ protagonist Goku, during the Paris Olympics this summer.

Now anime is becoming more and more popular all over the world.

“The popularity of anime in the United States has entered a different phase,” said Eimi Shimizu, 40, a producer who works for Dentsu Inc.’s anime licensing division. According to a US survey the company conducted in 2022, 44% of Gen Z respondents aged 18 to 24 said they watched popular anime. Among them, anime was more loved than the three major sports in the US, including the National Football League.

According to Shimizu, many anime fans in the United States were considered “geeks” about twenty years ago. Today, however, you can also find a young NFL fan uploading a YouTube video talking about “Jujutsu Kaisen,” and celebrities like Ariana Grande talking publicly about liking anime.

“Gen Z is open to different things. Many in the US have a strong connection with the growth of the main character in ‘My Hero Academia,’” she said. In 2023, the company conducted awareness surveys in nine countries and regions and found that the anime was remarkably popular in all countries.

Streaming increases sales

According to the Association of Japanese Animations, the size of the anime market reached ¥2.92 trillion in 2022, more than double what it was a decade ago. Over the course of the decade, the number of overseas migrants grew rapidly, increasing almost sixfold.

This growth was led by streaming services. “People who were hesitant to watch anime gave it a chance because it was already on their streaming services at no extra cost, and that’s how they discovered its appeal,” said Taiki Sakurai, 47, CEO of Tokyo-based production company Salamander Pictures. . Sakurai oversaw anime production at streaming giant Netflix from 2017 to 2023.

As many spent more time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, anime viewership increased. Despite not being able to gather in large numbers during this time, anime production companies were able to divide tasks and produce anime to meet demand. While the sector in Japan seemed to be reaching its ceiling, Sakurai says the sky is now the limit.

“The characters are seen as ‘anime people’, not Japanese or American people. People in different countries think, ‘This anime is made for us,’” Sakurai said, explaining why anime is becoming increasingly popular abroad. It’s also important that anime doesn’t try to pander to foreign audiences.

Content for all generations

Tadashi Sudo, a journalist who covers the anime industry, explains that there are many genres within anime, such as stories about school life, science fiction and fantasy. With complex stories and diverse characters, they can also appeal to adults. “There are many works with stories that sophisticated people of all generations can enjoy, such as ‘Meitantei Conan’ (‘Detective Conan’),” Sudo said.

“Even anime villains have rich backstories, and the ideas and ways of telling these stories are very unique. There will never be a day when people around the world stop watching anime,” Chen Yan, 36, said confidently. Chen is an associate professor at Kyoto Seika University and president of an anime production company. She grew up in China watching anime and came to Japan after graduating from Beijing University. Although the daily life and worldviews depicted in anime are specifically Japanese, Chen says they also have universal appeal.

However, the popularity of anime abroad is not well recognized in Japan. “I hope Japanese people will show interest in anime as part of their country’s culture,” Chen said.

Sakurai believes that each country will develop its own anime-influenced works and some will become hits worldwide in the future. “Japan needs to think deeply about what really interesting and moving anime is,” he said.

Kei Sato is a professor at the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Tokyo with a research focus on viruses such as the novel coronavirus. With about 10 international students studying in his lab, he said most of them decided to study in Japan because they had been exposed to Japanese culture, including anime, as children.

“These are excellent students who could have gone anywhere, but they chose Japan. As Japan’s economic power declines, we Japanese must reconsider what Japan can promote to the rest of the world,” Sato said.