Anime is more popular than ever now, especially internationally. With its popularity showing no signs of fading, there is a question on many fans’ minds: is anime more popular abroad than domestically?
Years ago, the answer to this question was a definitive no. Sure, there were lots of anime fans even back in the 90s, but it is only now that anime has become mainstream in the US and other countries.
So, what is the answer now? It’s first important to understand how big anime has become around the world.
Anime Continues to Grow Even Bigger Internationally
The popularity of anime internationally can be traced back to iconic shows of the 80s and 90s, with anime like Dragon Ball being the most popular. Aside from big shonen titles though, anime wasn’t widely popular.
Things have changed now. While shonen hits like Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia continue to be the most popular shows, other genres like romance or isekai have carved big fanbases outside Japan.
This can be seen in social media as popular anime tend to pop up as trending topics. Moreover, big streaming platforms like Netflix have continued to strengthen their anime lineup.
What’s interesting is that anime’s popularity in the US skews towards younger viewers. In a survey by Polygon, 42 percent of Gen Z participants watch anime weekly.
Given this result, there’s no doubt that anime will become even more widespread internationally in the coming years.
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How Popular is Anime in Japan?
What about in Japan? Even though Japan is the home of anime, some may be surprised to find out that the majority of the country’s population does not watch anime.
As reported by Unseen Japan, it was found that around 37% of the Japanese population watches anime. This is based on data from Kadokawa Game Linkage.
37% is around 35 million Japanese people – still a lot but not enough to say that most Japanese watch anime.
Of course, that’s not to say Japan’s anime fanbase is getting smaller. If anything, Japan is still the biggest anime market in the world.
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Is Anime More Popular Abroad Than in Japan?
It may seem that anime is now more popular abroad than in Japan, but there’s no hard data to confirm this.
Even if there are more anime viewers internationally than domestically, Japan is still the medium’s most important market.
One thing that proves this is anime film box office results. Many anime movies like The Boy and the Heron are now being released internationally, though Japan is still where most of them make their money.
What’s more, there are still much more anime collaborations and merchandise released in Japan compared to internationally. This should mean Japan’s anime market is still much bigger, at least in terms of demand.
Do you think anime’s popularity internationally will ever overtake its home country? Let us know in the comments.
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