In 2025, anime no longer hides in the corners of niche fandoms. It takes center stage and shapes global pop culture, influencing how people dress, listen to music, express themselves, and engage with stories. What was once seen as a counterculture has now become the norm.
Streaming platforms have played a massive role in anime’s rise. For example, Netflix has transitioned from acquiring a few well-known films to releasing full-length original anime productions like Cyber Oni and Yasuke: Reborn, both of which debuted in the top 10 worldwide within days of their release.
In order to stay ahead of the competition, Disney+ and Amazon Prime have also made significant investments, creating unique anime-style originals like Eclipse Spirits and The Seven Moons that are simultaneously available to viewers worldwide in a number of languages. Once regarded as a specialized service for ardent fans, Crunchyroll is now well-known. With global premieres, exclusive merchandise launches, and red carpets, its events are on par with Comic-Con in terms of magnitude.
The impact of anime has now extended well beyond what we watch. It’s changing art, music, and fashion in ways that are difficult to ignore. Both high fashion houses and streetwear brands have embraced anime imagery.
While premium brands like Gucci and Balenciaga are using anime characters in their advertising efforts, Nike, UNIQLO, and H&M frequently release capsule collections based on popular series like One Piece, Attack on Titan, and Chainsaw Man.
Music artists are just as obsessed. The incorporation of anime themes into album graphics and stage designs by artists such as Tems and Billie Eilish has given their work an ethereal, otherworldly feel. K-pop also keeps pushing the envelope; in their comebacks, groups like Aespa and TXT use anime-inspired stories and imagery to make each release feel like a new movie.
Hollywood is also clearly referencing the narratives of anime. Many studios are incorporating anime’s narrative flow, art direction, and thematic depth into their works rather than merely adapting them for the Western market.
With their slower pacing, reflective language, and visually stunning animation, shows like Blade Runner: Nexus Wave are more influenced by Psycho-Pass than by conventional Western sci-fi. This aesthetic was further developed in Arcane’s second season, and Greta Gerwig’s Whispers of the Wind, which was obviously influenced by Studio Ghibli, is already generating early Oscar attention.
In the meantime, anime controls viral trends, cosplay content, and meme culture on sites like Instagram and TikTok. Anime edits often receive hundreds of millions of views in 2025. Fans are prompted to consider how anime influenced their personalities and mental health journeys by challenges such as “My Anime Era.”
Short snippets from series like Solo Leveling or Jujutsu Kaisen generate intense fan debates across time zones and languages, filters transform users into anime characters, and virtual reality avatars allow users to visit animated worlds.
What’s really fascinating is that anime is evolving into a global art form and is no longer solely a Japanese export. Creators in Latin America and Africa are creating their own anime instead of merely viewing it. Iwaju Chronicles, a Disney+ Afrofuturist cartoon with anime elements, has become well-known throughout the world in Nigeria.
In Brazil, FAVELA Z has achieved cult status among fans who are desperate for representation by telling shonen-style stories through the prism of Rio’s street culture. From Nairobi to São Paulo, young animators are combining anime methods with local experiences to create compelling, cross-cultural narratives that are both familiar and fresh.
Anime has evolved to the point that it is now a culture itself, rather than merely influencing it. It is present in digital feeds, music charts, film festivals, and fashion runways. It influences the development of characters, the telling of stories, and the expression of emotions. People around the world are proudly embracing anime as a part of who they are, whether they live in large cities or in smaller towns.
In big 2025, the anime fandom is no longer viewed as quirky or niche. It’s strong. It’s expressive. It is global. And it’s not going anywhere.
