US Anime Market 2025–2034

Reports Description

According to current market research conducted by the CMI Team, the US Anime Market is expected to record a CAGR of 11.5% from 2025 to 2035. In 2025, the market size is projected to reach a valuation of USD 2,878.5 Million. By 2035, the valuation is anticipated to reach USD 7,667.2 Million.

The U.S. anime market involves the distribution, streaming, and viewing of anime content in America. It encompasses television shows, movies, and video-on-demand. This market has been expanding rapidly owing to global services like Crunchyroll, Funimation and Netflix, as well as the influx of new anime fans from varying backgrounds.

Other important components of this market are streaming, DVD/Blu-ray sales, theatrical distribution, and merchandising. The market is impacted by emerging trends like production of original content, wide-ranging licensing, and inclusion of anime into popular culture.

Merchandising is also a significant segment where the scope of anime spans from clothing, toys, home décor, and gaming accessories etc. Certain fans interactively cover popular series which leads to increased sales in certain franchises and maximizes marketing for companies.

The market is deeply interconnected with social networks and fan created content tracking awareness and promoting action. Places like anime expos and fan meetups help maintain enthusiasm and encourage participation in the community.

US Anime Market – Significant Growth Factors

The US Anime Market presents significant growth opportunities due to several factors:

• Streaming Services: Majorly streaming platforms such as Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Netflix have increased the opportunities for fans to access a large amount of anime, and in this way, they promote viewer engagement and market growth. Their worldwide accessibility and original content give opportunities for individuals from different backgrounds to become subscribers and hence result in the development of a powerful streaming environment that accounts for the brisk pace of growth.

• Original Content Production: Investment by streaming media in unique anime productions, and the acquisition of exclusive content lures new subscribers and keeps the loyalists excited. These services, in turn, develop a brand name for themselves by presenting fresh, high-quality content and also benefit from the growing demand for novelty and innovativeness.

• Merchandising: Through the sale of anime-themed products, including t-shirts, collectibles, and accessories, the revenue of the music industry can increase and a more diverse market is being created. Top series, which are responsible for merchandise sales, blend with brand collaborations and thus benefit from extensive promotions, which bring in both casual fans and underlying collectors.

• Mainstream Acceptance: Progression of anime items demystifies the culture and subsequently benefits from collaboration with Western media. It also caters for the increasing number of viewers by engaging anime in the regular scene of entertainment. The increase in publicity of anime from media crossovers and mainstream events lessens the stigma attached to it, thus increasing its accessibility, and summoning a more diverse audience.

• Virtual and Augmented Reality: Developing VR and AR technologies for anime experiences will, in tandem, attract gadget lovers and will have an added advantage in fan involvement. These technologies offer consumers a new way to actively engage with the content. They also establish a channel for revenue generation and thus become a successful vehicle for enhancing fan loyalty.

US Anime Market – Key Developments

The US anime market has undergone a lot of changes in recent times. Always in an expansion mode, its efforts are to synergize market position with product offerings and profitability improvements. Some of the significant USA Anime Market mergers and acquisitions include:

• In 2025, Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. announced that their subsidiary is teaming up with Crocs to unleash limited-edition JUJUTSU KAISEN footwear inspired by this hit Shonen Jump manga. Collection consists of three never-before-seen shoe styles and themed Jibbitz charms.

• In 2025, The AMC Networks acquired Sentai Filmworks enabling the company to extend its territories through enhancing more content and product distribution. The acquisition let the Sentai to cater the wider audience along with streamlining deliveries across various platforms which boosted its market presence.

Such key developments have helped the companies in expanding the product offerings along with improving the market presence and capitalize on the growth opportunities that are present in the US anime market. It is expected that the market players will do the developments to have a competitive advantage in the market.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE RELATED MARKET

US Anime Market – Significant Threats

The US Anime Market faces several significant threats that could impact its growth and profitability in the future. Some of these threats include:

• Market Saturation: The rapid growth of the streaming platforms along with the boost in the anime content may create a situation of saturation for the market. Such situation can hamper growth of the market as it makes difficult for the new and niche contents to get noticed.

• Piracy: The illegal sale and streaming of anime content not only threaten the revenue of licensed distributors and streaming services but also undermine the profitability of the market. This is a big problem for the market.

• Cultural Barriers: Cultural differences in preferences and sensitivities can lead to the limiting of some anime to the U.S. audience, which in turn will affect the performance of new releases and may result in market growth restrictions.

• Intellectual Property Issues: The existence of disputes over the intellectual property rights and licensing agreements can result in legal problems, and disrupt the content availability and attract uncertainty for the investors and distributors.

• Economic Fluctuations: Economic crises or transformations in consumer spending can affect the entertainment discretionary spending including anime subscriptions and merchandise, and this may be the reason for the revenue decline and market contraction.

Category-Wise Insights:

By Type

• T.V.: The term encompasses anime broadcast on either cable or free television and includes anime segments on non related programming. The conventional TV anime is fast dying out because of the excess popularity of the online TV series. Still, niche markets are satisfied by anime channels and dedicated TV slots. However, There is a rise in the number of Television networks that enter into partnership with online services to provide exclusive or simulcast services.

• Movie: These are all the animated motion pictures shown in cinemas and comprise of full-length cartoons and those that are shown for a limited time or on special occasions. Theatrical releases of animated features have been on the rise owing to the advent of limited release windows and special event screenings. There has been a growing increase in the market due to the success of films like ‘Kimi no Na Wa’ and the Aid by large animation studios have improved the market. Trends are An increase in the market for theatrical release as well as the takeover of anime films into existing documentary film primetime schedules.

• Internet Distribution: This is the concept of accessing animation videos through the internet. Anime streaming services such as Crunchyroll, Funimation and even Netflix among others come at the top of the market with a wide range of anime offerings, as well as, self-produced anime series. The expansion of the audience base and the increase of the overall market have come with the introduction of subscriptions and microscopically access with the tendencies on the exclusivity and international licensing content turning inwards.

• Merchandising: This refers to the process of selling products which are generally favourable and closely associated with that, including, attires, action figures, and other trinkets. Franchise merchandising largely brings in revenue for most existent economy participators, especially to those who engage in more successful franchisees. Presently there are trends of working with designers and other fashion houses, bringing out limited ranges of clothing and various products. E commerce has also made it much easier to sell a wider range of anime products due to their popularity. Music: Songs, soundtracks, and singles associated with a character and his or her television program from the anime genre. This digital media is including off air and online downloading and distribution of such music due to the existence of regimes and accompanying marketing policies. Trends include features cross-cultural initiatives for the promotion of anime soundtracks music plays a key role in the anime business through prolonged fan interaction.

• Pachinko: Typically found in pachinko parlors, these themed gaming devices are equipped with a Japanese gambling apparatus. There have been trends in these machines where anime characters on the machines are liked by the players and in turn bring revenue. An Emerging trend will be the scale of new anime-based vessels as they deploy to enhance the play experience. This segment remains a niche market in the us, yet it has its own role in shaping the society in relation to anime in other parts of the world.

• Live Entertainment: Live shows and activities based on anime content, such as exhibitions, performances and fan meetings. Similarly, the number of splurge events characterized with activities such as drama speeches mimicking anime and their characters have significantly increased. Trends include higher volumes of fans attracting best anime festivals, screen plays depicting the anime, and such experiences for fans. These activities help to foster and strengthen the community and encourage fans to purchase more goods and services.

• Others: Other segments include video games and mobile applications mainly in Asia. The craze for anime-based video games and applications is booming especially with the seasons release of the favourite titles and their pairing with anime series. The usage of anime in gaming consoles and in mobile applications makes the audiences active and helps in making profits in extra ways.

By Genre

• Action & Adventure: Action & Adventure anime contains lots of riveting action and drama involving princess rescue missions, dangerous risks, and epic confrontations. It usually contains adventure, combat as well as character development. In the U.S. market the action & adventure is much popular owing to its engaging and fast-paced story. Sometimes antagonistic tendencies are accompanied by helps in integration with other media and more streaming opportunities, which helps to bring in more viewers and increase the rating respectively.

• Sci-Fi & Fantasy: The realms of fantasy and Drama and Sci-Fi/Biography amalgamation these methods of generation draw upon Collins created worlds within the vast and sprawling comic book. It also frequently combines romance, some sci-fi elements and grand narratives. This category of entertainment is increasing in demand in the country because of the exceptional graphics and intricate details of the scope. The growth of original programmes is constant, and there are increasing numbers of works combining the media expanding audiences and addressing different categories of fans.

• Romance & Drama: In the Romance & Drama anime, emotional and relational elements are often intertwined. It involves portraying a story as well as character development in a more relatable manner. In the U.S. market, background images of that genre are becoming more common as they have been told more often than it used to and are more interesting content-wise. Social issues that encourage progress such as inclusion of this genre into original programming of streaming services as well as active use of social media and other means of communication with fans are also very common.

• Sports: Sports anime focuses on competition through sports and these include sporting activities, interpersonal relationships and self-improvement. This mostly emphasizes on games and the practice of preparing for them. In recent years, the consumption of sports anime in the US. market has increased accumulation of appealing animation alongside captivating sports stories. Furthermore, it is a recent trend to extend the licensing and join in forming partnerships with sports companies.

• Others: The “Others” includes all the other miscellaneous anime genres such as mystery, horror, and slice-of-life. This anime presents its own different ways of telling the story and themes. This section is growing due to the people’s attitude which is the craving for different offerings and the niche content. Patterns and the changing marketplace: Increasing compass of genre-pushing shows and the growing reach of these shows through the web have made it possible to great audience attendance and reception.

Report Scope

Competitive Landscape – US Anime Market

The US Anime Market is highly competitive, with many productions operating in the US. Some of the key players in the market include:

• Crunchyroll Inc.
• Funimation Global Group LLC
• Viz Media LLC
• Sentai Filmworks LLC
• Aniplex of America Inc.
• GKIDS Inc.
• Netflix Inc.
• Amazon Prime Video
• Hulu LLC
• Toei Animation Inc.
• Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.
• Yen Press LLC
• Right Stuf Inc.
• Discotek Media
• Eleven Arts Inc.
• Others

These companies operate in the market through various strategies such as innovation, mergers and acquisitions, and partnerships.

New players like HiDive and RetroCrush have embraced new tactics by enhancing their services offering curated streaming libraries and retro anime collections to appeal to specific market segments and to stand out.

Crunchyroll, Funimation and Netflix have a large share of the us anime industry because they focus on developing a lot of original content, acquiring exclusive rights and distribution worldwide. Their vast content, easy to use site, and signing contracts with major entertainment companies enables them to be the leaders of the market while their continued success lies in identifying and fulfilling viewers’ changing needs.

The US Anime Market is segmented as follows:

By Type

• V.
• Movie
• Internet Distribution
• Merchandising
• Music
• Pachinko
• Live Entertainment
• Others

By Genre

• Action & Adventure
• Sci-Fi & Fantasy
• Romance & Drama
• Sports
• Others