Anime watchers are mostly young and young adults. Most of them are under 30 years old. But how many people watch anime exactly?
Calculating all the visitors of Crunchyroll and other pirated sites and monthly estimated Google search volume, around 100 million people watch anime. And it is increasing exponentially day by day. Especially in this lockdown period when people had to stay a long time at home, they were forced to spend time watching movies and series.
Table of Contents
What Is Anime?
The Japanese use the word anime to define cartoons in general. And outside Japan, we use the word ANIME only to refer to Japanese Animations. Anime generally refers to the traditional cell drawing system, but it also applies to animation created by Computers such as Final Fantasy.
Believe it or not, this word has its history, at first the term “Japanese Animation” was known, then it was transformed into the word “Japanimation” to be definitively anime.
We can easily differentiate anime from others by looking at the physical features of the characters because they include large eyes, large hair, elongated limbs, etc. The physical features and facial expressions of the anime characters are exaggerated.
For example, stressed or embarrassed characters produce a massive bead of sweat, and an angry character may exhibit a “streak” or “stress mark” effect, and so on. They are mainly based on problems in life or related to human emotions and have more violent effects and sexual themes.
Anime has a long tradition that has been in existence for almost a century. However, this tradition was influenced by American animation, and it was until the 1960s that it began to make itself global.
Anime and Cartoon are Not the Same Things
The main difference between anime and cartoons is that anime is a Japanese style of image animation, while the cartoon is a two-dimensional illustrated visual art form.
The story of the anime began in the 20th century in which Japanese film directors began a storytelling method using their various drawing and animation techniques, WHILE; The term “cartoon” refers to television shows and other short fiction films created by the illusion of movement of computer-generated or drawn images.
Therefore, anime is a Japanese style of image animation, while cartoon characters are a two-dimensional illustrated visual art form. Anime emphasizes artistic qualities while cartoons emphasize movement. Anime is created using techniques similar to those used to create movies; on the other hand, a complex technique is not used in cartoon formation.
Anime often lacks humor in general (compared to cartoons), while cartoons tend to have humorous content. The anime is entertaining for both young and old; on the other hand; Cartoons are made for a young audience.
So, in short anime is an animated image of Japanese origin and is more technical and closer to reality. On the other hand, Cartoons originated in the United States, which is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art, less technical and remote from reality.
How Many People Watch Anime?
People who are fond of anime are called otakus, a word that in Japan has a negative connotation, as it refers to people absorbed in stories and fictional characters, and removed from society. However, outside Japan Otaku is a cool way to say ‘I love to watch anime’. And around the world, almost 100 million people watch anime.
In the world of audiovisual entertainment, anime shines in its own light. Japanese animation has a unique presence within the offer of the leading streaming platforms, and little by little, it has ceased to be a niche resource for a specific audience and has become the main source of entertainment for many viewers throughout the world.
But where is the most anime consumed? What is the region in which it has the most presence? Thanks to Google and its Google Trends tool, we have a pretty good estimation, preparing a detailed ranking.
On Netflix, Amazon, or HBO, they have begun to promote this type of Japanese animation series, either with adaptations of well-known manga or with their own productions that imitate or feel inspired by their style and format. But in which countries anime is mostly searched?
In Which Country Anime is Most Popular?
We have a list of the top 25 countries and the other 2 lists focused on Europe and America. Another qualification is that we are talking about data that evaluate the traffic and consumption of this term in relation to Google’s raw searches.
Perhaps a lot of anime is bought and seen but then it is not reflected on the internet, so sales of DVD, Blu-ray, or subscriptions to services other than the increasingly ubiquitous internet search engine are not contemplated here.
The 25 countries in the world where the term “Anime” is most popular
- Japan
- Philippine
- Bolivia
- Kyrgyzstan
- Thailand
- Yemen
- Sudan
- Vietnam
- Iraq
- Algeria
- Myanmar
- El Salvador
- Saudi Arabia
- Syria
- Indonesia
- Peru
- Kazakhstan
- Oman
- Malaysia
- Costa Rica
- Morocco
- Jordan
- Panama
- Belarus
- Ukraine
The 10 countries in Europe where “Anime” is most popular
- Belarus
- Ukraine
- Russia
- France
- Portugal
- Romania
- Belgium
- Spain
- Serbia
- Hungary
The 10 countries in America where “Anime” is most popular
- Bolivia
- El Salvador
- Peru
- Costa Rica
- Panama
- Chile
- Ecuador
- Guatemala
- Paraguay
- Mexico
In Japan, animes account for over 80% of the sales of all content broadcast (81.1%) and program rights (82.6%) abroad.
Animes export regions:
Asia dominates the sales of exported content at 50.5% (15,260)
North America: 30.2% (9,094)
Europe: 11% (3,436)
Others: 4.5%
The rest of the world: 3.9%
The sale of rights to Animes programs:
Asia: 61% (9,399)
North America: 23.6% (4,038)
Europe: 6.8% (1,004)
The whole world: 4.6%
Others: 4%
The Popularity of Anime in Top Countries
It’s obvious that the majority of the people who watch anime are from Japan as It’s originated from there. Not only it was just originated from there, but there are also more than 6000 animes and half of them is made in Japan
The recent statistics show us that 33% of the total population of japan watch anime.
After Japan we have Americans. Though the percentage goes down to 18% here, still this is where anime is the second most popular. Considering that, more than 1000+ animes are dubbed in English. Also known for the biggest film industry in the world, America has created many animes of its own, though not as much as Japan.
You may not have guessed the next country right cause It’s not England or Canada, It’s Spain that has the third most people interested in anime. Around a 16million Spanish people watch Anime. They also have their own animes.
Anime is not that popular in the UK as the British people Don’t like to watch dubbed things or shows with subtitles. You Won’t even find anime tv channels there, but other animation movies of Hollywood are quite popular.
According to France Culture, “France is one of the biggest consumers of these comics from Japan, in terms of sales”. Often criticized, manga is a huge success in France. About 38% of French people watch anime, from a total of 19 million French people.
And according to the manga-news site, One Piece is the best-selling Japanese comic book in France, during the period from January 2 to 29, 2017. With more than 415 million copies sold worldwide.
Why Anime is So Popular?
Anime is much more than a set or category of movies and television series from Japan. It is a whole colorful universe that revolves around an audiovisual industry made up of various techniques and styles of animation originating in the country of the rising sun.
This industry is so vast and diverse that it has all kinds of subgenres and categories for different age ranges, so it works as a filter in the search for a favorite for an anime fan.
There is content for all tastes and flavors. For example, the Kodomo is focused on children; Shōnen, for boys between infancy and adolescence; Shōjo for the same age range but focused on the female sex; Seinen, for young men and adults, and Josei has the same particularity as the Seinen but is aimed especially at women.
Piracy
Piracy, in simple terms, is the unauthorized use or copying of someone else’s work.
Pirated anime streaming sites are those sites that are not licensed to broadcast a particular anime.
Without going into too many technical details, I’ll just say these sites either stream anime on various video servers by hosting anime from an existing streaming site or upload leaked files to their service that can be easily accessed.
It’s pretty obvious why piracy is illegal. Basically, anime production costs time and money. Everyone who worked in the production of the show receives payment from the sale of that show.
So, Piracy is not an ethical approach, but sometimes there is no other option as not everyone can afford to subscribe to all streaming services.
Some anime aren’t even available outside of Japan. Even if you’ve subscribed to all of the anime streaming sites, you won’t get every single anime, but these seemingly malicious streaming sites seem to have it all.
we recommend legalized methods of watching and downloading anime, such as the most complete and famous Crunchyroll e Netflix. Both sites have subtitles in English and now NetFlix has the option to download the episode for those with high ping internet or for users who want to watch it on mobile devices.
Unfortunately, these options don’t bring with them the full anime library that comes out every season. So we have to resort to pirate sites that act as fansub or torrent tracker sites.
Legal vs Illegal Streaming Websites
The problem is that the legal competitors among the streaming websites for anime are struggling very hard because illegal portals are skimming their potential customers.
Often, however, there are also lengthy license negotiations between a release in Japan and the appearance of the production in other countries, which leads many to illegal streams and downloads of anime out of desperation, also the DVDs and Blu-rays partially have enormously high prices.
Top Legal Sites for Anime
1. Crunchyroll – Best Overall Anime Website
Crunchyroll is the most popular website for legal anime viewing. You’ll find mainstream anime titles like Naruto Shippuden and hot titles like Attack on Titan on Crunchyroll. The service has a vast anime library with a total of over 30,000 episodes to choose from, but the exact availability of titles depends on your region.
Crunchyroll has an ad-supported tier to watch anime for free. However, the paid subscription gives you unlimited access to the Crunchyroll library, and the new episodes are available to watch one hour after Japanese air time. You can also download anime to watch it offline at the paid level.
Cost: Free level; premium plan starts at $ 7.99 per month
2. Funimation
Best Anime Website with English Dubbing.
Funimation is another website that you can use to catch up on all your favorite anime. This anime streaming website is home to over 10,000 episodes of different anime shows.
Funimation also focuses on dubbing anime into English. While purists may argue that you should watch anime in the original language with subtitles, Funimation has you covered if you prefer to watch anime in English
Cost: Free level; premium plan starts at $ 5.99 per month
3. Netflix
Although Netflix primarily focuses on movies and regular TV shows, the streaming platform has an ever-expanding collection of anime.
You can stream anything from the critically acclaimed Death Note (no, I don’t mean the Netflix adaptation. Never watch that) to Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, Fullmetal Alchemist, every Studio Ghibli movie, and more on Netflix.
4. Hulu
Another US-centric streaming website that you can use to watch anime is Hulu. In case you haven’t found the anime you are looking for on Netflix or Crunchyroll, you will probably find it on Hulu as it has a vast collection of anime. If you are someone who already uses Hulu to watch movies and TV shows, you should not miss their anime collection.
However, we have to warn you about the experience as it may not be good due to ads on the basic $ 5.99 subscription plan. Getting rid of the ads will cost you $ 11.99 per month.
5. Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video is generally not the first choice of anime fans, but it does have a growing collection of anime that you should check out.
While I will not recommend getting a Prime membership just for watching anime on this website, it is a bonus if you have an active Prime subscription.
Cost: Prime subscription starts at $ 8.99 per month
But still, if you can’t afford to pay for these services you can go for some optional sites. There are many famous sites including kissanime, 9anime, soulanime, chiaanime, gogoanime.
Anime Convention
An anime convention is a meeting dedicated to anime, manga, and Japanese culture. Anime conventions are generally multi-day affairs held at convention halls, hotels, or college campuses. At anime conventions, panels, which are open-ended discussions about a pre-determined topic that is typically related to anime in some way, are prevalent.
In most panels, the host makes a presentation or interviews a guest, after which the audience is invited to ask questions. They have a wider range of events and discussions than other sorts of fan conventions, and a higher proportion of people dress up.
At anime conventions, studios, distributors, and publishers display their anime-related publications, which serve as a platform for the entertainment sector.
In general, how do you naturally present anime-related publications at anime conventions? How about opting for bulk custom anime character stickers, pins and other products?
These custom products are available at great prices and sell these stickers to fans who love these anime cartoon characters for a profit. It’s the best of both worlds. Online ordering of different kinds of stickers is possible at Customsticker.com!
Conclusion
So, you got the answer on “how many people watch anime” right? All over the world watch and the number keeps increasing day by day. The marketing team, big production houses, a variety of shows getting adapted, and their live-action adaptations are key reasons for that.
According to our estimation, around 90-100 million people watch anime in the world. And it will only increase further and further.