Anime has only been growing in recent years. Thanks in part to the coronavirus pandemic aiding in selling manga and anime, along with technology helping to reach new fans the world over, more fans are learning about the medium than ever before. While there have been countless studies exploring how big anime has become and how it continues to expand, an anime executive has confirmed that we are looking at one billion anime fans in the world. Needless to say, it’s a great time to be an anime fan.
One of the biggest ways that anime has been able to become a household medium is thanks to streaming. While Crunchyroll is one of the premiere spots to stream anime, other streaming services such as Netflix, MAX, Amazon Video, Hulu, and Disney+ have realized that the medium is only expanding with time. Thus, the “anime streaming wars” are very much a thing as not only are services looking to add classic anime to their respective libraries but they are creating anime originals to gain new subscribers.
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It’s Over One Billion
Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini recently spoke with outlet XTrend regarding anime’s continued rise in popularity and how that rise is helping to create one billion anime fans, “Celebrities such as NFL player Jamaal Williams and American rapper Logic have begun to talk about their love of anime. This is proof that anime has become a mainstream culture. It is no longer a phenomenon limited to Japan and some Southeast Asian countries. At Comic-Con held in Mumbai, India in early 2012, attendees sang their favorite anime songs in Japanese. The number of anime fans in the world is expected to reach one billion within a few years.”
Earlier this year, Purini stated that while anime might be taking over the world, he is hoping that it always remembers its roots in Japan, “Stories worthy of being adapted into animation can come from anywhere, including Korean webtoons and games. Crunchyroll is always on the lookout for new trends and signs of hits. For example, we may introduce Indian IP to Japanese creators and suggest that if they turn this IP into an anime and tell a story, it might resonate with audiences in the region.” While Japan will always be anime’s homeland, the medium continues to expand and thrive, gaining many new fans around the globe.
An Anime World
On top of Crunchyroll increasing its subscriber base, Purini’s point regarding sports stars like Jamaal Williams goes a long way in confirming his thoughts. In the NFL, WWE, NBA, MLB, UFC, and the Olympics, we have seen numerous anime references take place from all sides of the aisle. Thanks in part to this, we have also seen sports anime take off, including Haikyu, Blue Lock, Hajime No Ippo, and too many other examples to count. Anime remains a visual medium that has found success in tackling quite a few genres, sports and otherwise.
For Crunchyroll, the fact that they are owned by Sony Pictures works in terms of opening new possibilities for the future of anime. As we speak, the studio is working on a live-action take on One-Punch Man and there are sure to be far more live-action movies made in the future. With the recent success of Netflix’s One Piece and Avatar: The Last Airbender, it will be interesting to see what other franchises can take the live-action world by storm.
Want to see if anime is able to gain one billion fans in the next few years? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on anime’s growing popularity and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.