Anime Is Booming on Netflix as Half of Users Now Watch It

Netflix is betting big on anime, and it looks like the gamble is paying off. At this year’s Anime Expo in Los Angeles, the streaming giant shared just how popular anime has become on its platform , and it’s bigger than ever.

According to Netflix, over 50% of its members around the world now watch anime. That’s more than 150 million households, or roughly 300 million people. The company said anime viewership has tripled in the last five years. In 2024 alone, anime shows were watched more than a billion times.

Netflix also pointed out that 33 anime titles made it into its Global Top 10 (Non-English) rankings this year. That’s more than twice as many as in 2021. And to keep up with the huge demand, the streamer now offers dubbed versions of anime in up to 33 languages.

At the Anime Expo event, Netflix revealed a preview of some of the big titles coming soon. One of the most anticipated is Sakamoto Days, a hit action series about a retired hitman who becomes a family man. Netflix says its first season was a success, staying on the Global Top 10 list for 10 weeks and showing up in the charts of 54 countries, including Japan, South Korea, France, and Argentina. New episodes will begin streaming weekly starting July 14.

Another major return is Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2, the sequel to the gritty sci-fi anime set in the world of CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 game. Netflix dropped a teaser and fresh artwork for the upcoming series at the event.

Fans of cute characters can also look forward to My Melody & Kuromi, a new stop-motion show starring the beloved Sanrio icons. It’s set to premiere on July 24 and follows the duo on a mission to save their magical homeland, Mariland.

Other anime shows teased at Anime Expo include Record of Ragnarok III, Beastars: Final Season, and The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity. Netflix says anime continues to grow across all kinds of genres and countries, with recent hits ranging from action-packed titles like Jujutsu Kaisen and Spy x Family to fantasy, sci-fi and even slice-of-life love stories like My Happy Marriage.

The message is clear: anime is no longer just a niche genre. As Netflix’s global audience keeps growing, so does its love for anime, and the streamer is planning to keep the content coming.

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