44% of general entertainment consumers in the ages ranging from 13-54 identified as anime fans are “outpacing other global entertainment genres like K-dramas and Bollywood,” Crunchyroll’s Head of Theatrical & Distribution Mitchel Berger told the FinancialExpress.com. The eye-widening numbers cited by the world’s biggest anime library relied on a study Crunchyroll commissioned from the National Research Group earlier this year. The survey in question is said to have included takeaways from the group’s interactions with nearly 29,000 people from 7 global regions, including India.
According to leading market research company Imarc Group, the Indian anime market size had already cracked the $1,098 million-mark in 2024. Its forecast further projected that it is expected to hit $2,930 million by 2033, showing a growth rate of 11.5% during the 2025-2033 period.
Anime releases coming for K-drama and Bollywood’s thrones in the entertainment race further affirmed that India was indeed crucial to the anime wave’s rise, especially in terms of fuelling its relevance in the global market at a time when there is no dearth of content for consumption.
Anime ‘outpacing’ Bollywood, K-dramas: How much is India responsible for the hype?
“Anime is a truly global phenomenon today and is one of the fastest growing sectors of entertainment,” Berger told us. “Outside of Japan and China, over 1.5 billion people are either actively watching anime or are aware of and curious about anime.”
The top Crunchyroll exec also shared that their platform alone was helping connect fans in over 200 countries and territories. Despite India still standing in as an “emerging market” compared to anime’s popularity in regions like the US, Latin America, or Europe, Berger labelled the South Asian nation as “one of our fastest-growing markets—home to a massive Gen Z and millennial audience that is discovering anime at scale.” Given the rising demand in the country, he said Crunchyroll already envisioned India “becoming one of the top anime-consuming nations in the coming years.”
Back in 2023, Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini said that their platform had about 11 million subscribers on the global scale. Of the Indian-focussed figures, he highlighted at the time that 118 million viewers were watching anime, including the estimated 53 million relying on official sources and 20 million paying for such programs, as per Mint.
Anime’s Indian connection has only deepened over the years. After ambitious collaborations with the subcontinent’s movie biz superstars Rashmika Mandana and Tiger Shroff, Crunchyroll has not only brought one too many big-screen releases to Indian theatres, it has has also played a huge a role in localising the originally Japanese content for immersive experiences.
The biggest anime library in the world has time and again given a shout-out to the fan-following from the South Asian nation, with Purini even declaring India as “the second-largest anime market” for the platform after the US in a years-old interview.
Echoing the same sentiment, Akshat Sahu, Crunchyroll’s senior marketing director (APAC) said in a previous interview with FE.com, India ranked among the “top growth markets for Crunchyroll globally.” Acknowledging that anime was no longer niche, he told us earlier this year that Solo Leveling, ONE PIECE, Kaiju No 8 and Demon Slayer was among some of the most-loved titles in the country.
Although official location-specific subscriber count for the streamer is not available, Purini shared in May that Crunchyroll had crossed the 17-million-subscriber mark, according to Deadline. Contrary to anime’s prior stance on catering merely to “niche” demand, the picture has completely flipped upside-down.
How influential anime is for Gen Z
Reiterating a previously struck comparison between the anime world and other influential pop culture phenomena, Mitchel Berger said Gen Z sees anime as “more than entertainment.” For the up-and-coming generation, anime is “a medium that shaped identity, as per the Crunchyroll EVP of global commerce and head of theatrical. Going back to numbers drawn up by the National Research Group-Crunchyroll study, he maintained “nearly 40% of teen anime fans consider anime a meaningful part of who they are, and 30% say it has influenced their outlook on life.”
Also looking at how anime has impacted younger fans’ relationships, he divulged, “78% of fans say anime strengthens their relationships, especially Gen Z, who turn to it for emotional connection and to build friendships with other fans in a fragmented digital world.”
In similar remarks shared with Variety earlier this year, the Crunchyroll exec had added that 54% of Gen Z’s love for anime even put it ahead of American music icons like Kendrick Lamar (48%), while slipping just below Beyonce (56%), LeBron James (59%) and Taylor Swift (60%).
Digging into what set the anime fanbase apart from the other pop culture fandoms, Berger took note of “the depth of fan engagement.” Explaining how fans took expressing their love for anime to the next level, he said, “Fans don’t just watch anime—they create art, cosplay, attend conventions, collect merchandise, and immerse themselves in communities. This intensity and passion make us approach marketing differently—it’s about fostering a sense of belonging and helping fans live and breathe their favourite series.”