Japan’s anime industry has crossed the four-trillion-yen mark, with the market reaching 4.45 trillion yen, or approximately Rs 2.67 lakh crore, in 2025, according to the Association of Japanese Animations.
Overseas sales accounted for 2.54 trillion yen, nearly double the figure recorded in 2015. For the first time since 2020, overseas sales of Japanese animation surpassed domestic sales, underlining the growing global appetite for anime.
Streaming takes anime to a global audience
Japanese anime has witnessed a surge in popularity as streaming platforms such as Netflix have expanded their global reach. Once largely accessed by international viewers through unofficial websites, anime is now available across markets through mainstream streaming services, allowing audiences to watch it with subtitles and dubbed audio.
According to research titled The Anime Economy by Media Partners Asia, the time audiences spent watching anime increased by nearly 40 per cent over three years, Variety reported.
Netflix users watched anime on the platform more than one billion times in 2024, the streaming service reportedly said. It also claimed that anime viewership had tripled over five years, with more than 50 per cent of its global members watching anime.
Netflix has made anime available with dubbed audio and subtitles in 33 languages. In a report last year, the platform said around 90 per cent of its members who watched anime chose dubbed versions.
Demon Slayer leads the charge
One of the biggest contributors to anime’s global popularity has been Demon Slayer. Its 2025 film, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle, was among the major releases helping drive interest in Japanese animation.
“The market and the potential of Japanese animation are expanding further, as it has become more familiar around the world,” Kazuko Ishikawa, president of the Association of Japanese Animations, said at an event in Tokyo.
Other titles have also found audiences well beyond Japan. In 2025, Sakamoto Days ranked among the top 10 shows in the US, France and Germany. One Piece, meanwhile, has helped drive manga sales in the US, with sales reportedly doubling.
Anime viewership has also grown in countries such as India, Brazil, Mexico and Indonesia, as well as parts of Africa.
Japan sets its sights on a bigger market
The Japanese government aims to increase overseas sales of the country’s anime and manga industries to 20 trillion yen by 2033.
The growing popularity of anime is also part of a wider expansion of Japan’s content industry, which includes manga, films, television and video games.
(Edited By Raunaq Lekhi)