Japan’s Anime Bubble Has Finally Burst for International Fans

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For the past ten years, it’s become incredibly popular, gaining a large following in Western countries. But lately, changes in how people watch things indicate that its growth may be slowing down.

A recent analysis by X user hikkie_consider shows that fewer international fans are following new anime releases in 2025. The user, who monitored activity on sites like MyAnimeList and IMDb, also believes that anime is now being watched globally almost as soon as it’s released in Japan – the previous delay is no longer significant.

Now that big anime titles are released almost everywhere at the same time on platforms like Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Hulu, one viewer believes the industry’s secrets are out and its period of rapid, unchecked growth is over.

New Anime Data Suggests Overseas Fans Keeping Track of New Releases Has Declined

According to data from MyAnimeList, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (released in 2023) is the most popular series with 1.3 million members. Oshi no Ko and Hell’s Paradise are close behind, with 1 million and 897,000 members, respectively. In 2024, Solo Leveling has gained 1.1 million members, and Dandadan currently has an audience of 908,000.

But other recent manga and anime haven’t performed as well. Titles like Sakamoto Days and Gachiakuta have around 471,000 and 403,000 members respectively, and even the second season of Dandadan, released in 2025, only surpassed 470,000 members. This represents a drop of over 50% compared to numbers from previous years.

Popular and well-reviewed anime like Takopi’s Original Sin and To Be Hero X didn’t gain nearly as much of an audience as The Apothecary Diaries did in 2023 (which reached 780,000 fans). Although the second season of The Apothecary Diaries saw a drop in viewership to around 453,000 fans, the user wondered if this decrease, along with similar trends, signaled that the recent surge in anime popularity with Western audiences might be slowing down.

IMDb reviews seem to confirm what many believe: the number of dedicated anime fans who consistently rate shows is decreasing. While popular series like Frieren (63,000 ratings) and Solo Leveling (over 102,000 ratings) have received a lot of feedback, newer shows like Sakamoto Days (15,000 ratings) and Gachiakuta (9,600 ratings) haven’t gotten nearly as much. This indicates a shift towards a more casual audience who watches anime but doesn’t actively rate every series.

International Anime Market Continues Posting Record-Breaking Numbers

Even with these trends, anime is earning more money internationally than it is in Japan itself. A recent report from the Association of Japanese Animations (AJA) shows that international sales reached $16.89 billion in 2024, making up 56% of the total anime market. This is higher than Japan’s domestic revenue of $10.97 billion, proving that anime is more popular than ever with audiences outside of Japan.

Miles Atherton, who founded Anime by the Numbers, has observed that more people are watching anime overall, even though fewer are using websites like MyAnimeList. He notes that MyAnimeList’s two million monthly U.S. users represent a relatively small portion of the tens of millions who watch anime each month.

In 2025, films like Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle and Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc were huge successes in Western theaters, breaking many records. Even though fans might be less focused on keeping up with every new series, the anime industry is still proving to be very profitable, especially when it comes to movies.

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2026-01-23 00:44