Anime has shed its image as a niche cultural phenomenon with a cult following and has evolved into a global sensation.
Naturally, this shift will be reflected by its ever growing fandom.
According to Crunchyroll CEO Rahul Purini, the worldwide anime fanbase is expected to reach one billion in the coming years.
He made this prediction in an interview with Nikkei XTrend, noting the tremendous growth in anime’s popularity around the globe.
The Crunchyroll president had previously mentioned in an interview with Verge this year that the total number of anime fans outside Japan and China came close to around 800 million.
Talking about the popularity of anime, Purini highlighted that in early 2024, a U.S. study revealed that 42% of Gen Z in America watch anime on a weekly basis, showing the younger generation’s passion for the genre.
He was quoting the study conducted by Polygon, which noted that for this generation, anime was as significant and culturally relevant as NFL.
Purini also pointed out that Crunchyroll’s subscriber base has been growing parallelly with the anime fanbase, exceeding 15 million premium subscribers in August 2024, up from around 11 million just a year earlier.
“Anime is becoming part of the cultural mainstream,” Purini remarked, referring to how prominent celebrities like NFL player Jamaal Williams and rapper Logic openly expressing their love for anime.
According to him, this marked a significant shift, with anime moving beyond being a cultural trend limited to Japan and a few Southeast Asian countries.
Purini’s views are further supported by the huge wave of anime celebrations that were witnessed at this year’s Paris Olympics.
Crunchyroll’s Chief Operating Officer Geeta Rebbapragada also added that global interest in anime has surged in recent years.
She mentioned that two major anime films, Suzume and The Boy and the Heron, were nominated for the 2024 Golden Globe Awards.
Purini pointed out that the popularity of live-action adaptations of anime IPs, like Netflix’s One Piece, also played a crucial role in introducing new fans to anime.
He emphasized that many fans turned to Crunchyroll to watch the One Piece anime after seeing the live-action series.
Moreover, Purini shared examples from LA Anime Expo and Mumbai Comic Con, where fans and attendees displayed their love for anime publicly, further cementing the fact that it no longer remained a niche.
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