Beyond the Lucca Comics & Games-style events, the world of anime has for years only been gaining space in the mainstream, even here in Italy, ever since the late 1970s when the UFO Robot phenomenon exploded. Recently, some streaming platforms have opened dedicated channels, and Sony even launched an ad hoc platform, Crunchyroll. Such strides would not exist without a growing interest in Japanese animation worldwide. The revenue figure recorded for 2026 is staggering.
Anime Worldwide Hits a Record of Profitability, But Continues to Grow
Within the TIFFCOM market, linked to the Tokyo International Film Festival, the Association of Japanese Animations announced the worldwide revenues of anime for 2026: roughly $28,200,000,000, equal to 4.45 trillion yen, up 15.8% compared to 2025, which had already risen 15.7% from 2024. But what exactly does this figure refer to? It covers the expenditures on everything related to anime—such as streaming, traditional home video, cinema, and merchandise—along with the earnings of the numerous animation studios active in Japan. It is also worth noting, as explained by Hasegawa Masahiro of the AJA, that since 2023 the foreign market has begun to count as much as the domestic one, gradually surpassing it, even though this year in Japan the numbers improved. Can growth occur even more abroad? Yes, by applying more methodically the strategies already honed at home over the years: merchandise and brand-related services, with greater attention to localizations that make products more appealing in each nation, aligning legislation and culture, and tightening anti-piracy measures.
We would add that the artistic consequences of this growing diffusion are evident in cross-pollination: works such as KPop Demon Hunters by Sony Pictures Animation / Netflix or The Island of Memories by DreamWorks Animation would never have existed without a deep connection between the Western world and that universe.
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