Crunchyroll Puts Fans First When It Comes to Building Out Its Global Anime Empire

For two decades, Crunchyroll built its business on anime, growing the U.S. audience for the animated content from a niche genre to a mainstream giant. But its growth has been built on thinking small.

“We like to say that we don’t want to be something for everyone. We want to be everything to someone, and that’s the anime fan,” says Scott Donaton, senior VP of global brand & community at Crunchyroll. “That means whether they’re streaming it, whether they’re going to a theater to watch it, whether they’re gathering with their friends at a con or a festival, buying merchandise, games, digital manga. So really, we think of it as the full experience of serving anime fans across every platform.”

Crunchyroll boasts the largest library of anime for streaming, and at Anime NYC, which runs Aug. 20-23, it has multiple panels, a booth, screenings, and special guests from Japan.

“Any opportunity we have to connect in person with the fan base” is important, says Donaton. He notes that 54% of Gen Z and 60% of Gen Alpha viewers are fans who watch anime daily. “Many of them say that it’s a huge part of their identity, huge part of their community and belonging.”

According to Crunchyroll, anime fandom will reach at least 1.5 billion people by 2030 outside of China and Japan.

It’s those fans keeping Crunchyroll dominant in the anime field, which is growing bigger with Netflix and Prime Video beefing up programming in the last several years.

Donaton says at almost every meeting, they keep “a seat saved at the table for the fan.”

“That literally means bringing in fan sentiment, watching fan sentiment, talking to them all the time,” he continues. “The beauty of the anime fan is they care so deeply. They love anime so much that they don’t hesitate to share their points of view on what they want to see more of, what they want you to do less of. I think that constant ‘fan first’ mentality of listening and understanding and creating the greatest experiences we can for them is what drives us every day.”

The numbers don’t lie: Since Sony Pictures Entertainment bought Crunchyroll in 2021, the service has seen its paid subscribers grow from around 5 million to 21 million globally. It just launched in Poland and has expanded localization, offering subtitles or dubs in 17 languages. It also just announced a bundle with Starz available in the U.S. via Prime Video. It’s the first such package in the domestic market for Crunchyroll.

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While streaming is still the dominant platform for anime lovers, Crunchyroll’s theatrical arms saw great success in 2025 with “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — Infinity Castle,” taking in $136 million domestically. The film grossed $793 million worldwide.

Now, they’re reteaming with heralded Japanese anime director Makoto Shinkai (“Suzume”) on his latest, yet to be titled, feature. Crunchyroll has taken worldwide rights, excluding Asia but including India, and will distribute with Sony Pictures. In 2023, “Suzume” took in some $10 million at the North American box office.

They also recently announced they’re partnering with Sony Music-owned Aniplex on a new theatrical anime film “Solo Leveling: Beyond the System,” based on the popular Korean novel and webtoon series. The film is now in production.

“Theatrical has always been an important part of our model overall, and we have quite a few movies that we’re really excited about coming up on our future slate,” says Donaton. “Certainly, ‘Demon Slayer’ was an amazing film for us last year. We recently released it on DVD as well on streaming, and the reaction has been tremendous from fans.”

And while verticals are exploding right now, the Crunchyroll team views that platform through the eyes of its fans.

“We’re always looking at ways that new technologies and new formats” can better serve “our fans and to tell stories,” Donaton says. “There are certainly things that we’ll explore. I think it’s — to some degree — no different from figuring out our presence on TikTok and YouTube; what do fans expect and what are they consuming and loving in each medium and each platform? If we think we have something that we can offer there that will serve that fandom, we will be there”

For Crunchyroll, it all comes back to the fans, he says: “Any place that anime fans want to gather, including in theaters, we want to be there for them.”

More to Come

“KPop Demon Hunters” became a global phenomenon for Netflix last year that helped introduce anime to the uninitiated. But the popularity of the medium and the heat of the fandom have driven top platforms to bring anime content into their programming mix.

“Anime fans bring exactly what every streamer wants: passion, curiosity and a willingness to go deep. They explore every facet of the genre, and Tubi has the breadth and depth of content — and the personalization — to enable that kind of exploration,” says Adam Lewinson, chief content officer for Tubi. “Anime is more than a content category; it’s a fandom, and it’s one we’ve served for years. There isn’t one kind of anime viewer, which makes it particularly well-suited for Tubi, where we can serve a broad fandom while creating a highly personalized experience for each fan.”

Sony Pictures’ Crunchyroll streaming platform is the undisputed central hub of anime fandom thanks to its broad menu of content and global reach. Here’s a rundown of other top outlets that have moved into the anime business in the U.S. and beyond.

Netflix

“KPop Demon Hunters” cast a golden glow on the streaming giant’s anime slate. Netflix also has the beloved epic “One Piece,” various “Pokemon” titles and “Record of Ragnarok,” to name a few.

Tubi

Fox Corp.’s free streaming platform has tapped into a deep well of anime fandom with such established series and characters as “Naruto,” “JoJo Bizaree Aventure,” “Vampire Knight” and “Yu-Gi-Oh!”

Hidive

AMC Networks has gone big on anime in the U.S. and beyond with its Hidive channel, fueled by a content pact struck in 2023 with Japan’s Sentai Filmworks and Mainichi Broadcasting System.

Disney+

Anime is a natural for the Mouse House’s streaming platform. Disney+ is home to iterations of the “Dragon Ball Z” franchise as well as “Jujutsu Kaisen” and “One Punch Man.”

Hulu

Disney’s adult entertainment streamer has invested in edgier anime originals including “SandLand: The Series,” “The Yozakura Family” and “Tokyo Revengers.”

Samsung TV Plus

The free streaming service operated by the electronics giant has more than a dozen channels devoted to anime. “Sailor Moon” runs 24/7 on a branded outlet, as does “Naruto” and “Hunter x Hunter.”

Cynthia Littleton contributed to this report.