Anime is winning over a new generation of fans

The Crunchyroll headquarters in seen in San Francisco. The anime streaming service commissioned a new global survey examining viewing habits among younger fans. | BLOOMBERG

Oct 9, 2026

Anime is taking up more entertainment time among Gen Z and teenage fans globally, stoking a broader cultural appetite for related merchandise, games and manga.

Across 10 countries surveyed, 79% of anime fans between the ages of 13 and 17 said they’re watching more anime than a year ago. Meanwhile, 68% of Gen Zers said the same, according to new findings for Sony Group Corp.’s anime streaming platform Crunchyroll conducted by the National Research Group, a strategy consultancy.

Aided by the rise of international streaming platforms such as Netflix Inc. and Crunchyroll, which has about 21 million paid subscribers, anime connected with new audiences across the globe during the pandemic. More than half of Netflix’s members now regularly watch anime. Crunchyroll estimates that roughly 1.6 billion people outside Japan and China have some interest in anime.

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