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It is no secret that anime is getting bigger every year. It won’t be long before more anime is consumed overseas than in Japan, but you might be surprised to find out that anime is eclipsing other stalwarts of American pop culture, like the NFL, in popularity. That’s right; Gen Z is more likely to recognize Luffy or Naruto than popular football players like Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson.

This is according to a study commissioned by anime streaming giant Crunchyroll and released in May 2025. It breaks down the percentage of Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z who “like” or “love” anime compared to other major pop culture icons. Of the 29,000 people around the world surveyed, 54% of Gen Z, defined as people between 13 and 28-years-old here, said they were anime fans. That’s higher than Internet Darling Pedro Pascal, the NFL, and WWE. Not even a huge anime fan like Megan Thee Stallion ranked higher.

It is worth mentioning that this is a global survey, which has clearly skewed the results slightly. For example, anime ranked higher than the NFL among Gen Z but lower than FIFA. However, it shows the surging popularity that anime is enjoying, particularly among young people. While it has been viewed as a niche hobby for years now, it is clear that anime isn’t just joining the mainstream; it is already there.

This certainly explains why companies like Sony are trying to grab more control of the anime industry – it is only going to get more popular as Gen Z ages (and has more disposable income).

Each week, Popverse's resident anime expert Trent Cannon runs down the latest and, dare we say "greatest," in anime and manga in Popverse Jump. Some recent columns have included... 

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• From Tomo-Chan to Oshi No Ko: How some of your favorite manga creators got their start in hentai
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• Flying whales, mechs, and Miyazaki vibes: Inside Netflix's Leviathan anime with the people who made it
• How AI translations of manga continues the 'enshitification' of the medium, and why Japanese publishers are "less precious" about it
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