Anime’s global rise in popularity over the past decade has been staggering. Just last year, the industry set record highs in revenue as countries around the world continue to report increased viewership and merchandise sales, and numbers are only trending upwards as time goes on. As a result, the biggest streaming services have gone to war with one another in an effort to secure as many major titles that can fit on their platforms.
Whether those titles include retro classics aimed at veteran fans, currently ongoing exclusives airing on a singular service, or box office smash-hit films, streamers like Crunchyroll, Netflix, Prime, HBO Max, and others are seemingly doing everything in their power to appeal to the ever-growing global anime fandom.
In the West, Crunchyroll has branded itself the one-stop location for anime, focusing almost exclusively on Japanese animation while also sprinkling in some live-action titles and other global productions. However, a new report has revealed that Netflix is the service rapidly pulling ahead in the anime streaming wars.
A New Report Reveals Netflix Is the Current Go-To Anime Streaming Service
Per PR Times Japan, the GEM Partners Corporation’s “Anime Global White Paper 2026” tracked global anime viewership across 15,000 viewers in 15 countries around the world, counting statistics on top genres, growth in certain demographics, and most-watched shows throughout 2020s. It also tracked the most popular streaming services used to watch anime, and the results might not quite follow fan expectations.
In seven of nine countries, including the United States, Netflix was the most-used service by anime fans. Only Japan and China ranked differently, in which YouTube and Billibilli took the top spot in their respective countries. Surprisingly, Crunchyroll failed to rank within the top three in every country but Brazil, where it ranked third behind Netflix and YouTube. Prime Video placed in the top three in six countries, while YouTube cracked the top three in eight countries.
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01
Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) became one of the most-watched anime on Crunchyroll. The story takes place in a world where humanity lives behind massive walls to protect themselves from giant humanoid creatures. What are these creatures called?
✓ Correct! The giant humanoid creatures are called Titans. In the original Japanese, they’re referred to as “Kyojin” (giants). Eren Yeager’s quest to destroy all Titans after they breach Wall Maria became one of the most gripping storylines in anime history.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Titans. Kaiju are giant monsters from Japanese cinema like Godzilla, Hollows are the enemy creatures in Bleach, and Demons appear in series like Demon Slayer. In Attack on Titan, these towering humanoid creatures are specifically called Titans.
02
Studio MAPPA has become one of the most prominent anime studios in recent years, producing several massive hit series. Which of these popular anime was NOT produced by MAPPA?
✓ Correct! Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) is produced by ufotable, not MAPPA. Ufotable’s stunning animation quality — especially the breathtaking fight sequences — became a hallmark of the Demon Slayer franchise. MAPPA produced Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan: The Final Season, and Chainsaw Man.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Demon Slayer. Demon Slayer is animated by studio ufotable, renowned for its gorgeous visual effects. MAPPA has produced Jujutsu Kaisen, took over Attack on Titan: The Final Season from WIT Studio, and animated Chainsaw Man.
03
Solo Leveling became a massive hit anime in 2024 after being one of the most popular manhwa (Korean comics) in the world. The story follows a weak hunter who gains the unique ability to level up. What is the protagonist’s name?
✓ Correct! Sung Jin-Woo is the protagonist of Solo Leveling. Originally the weakest E-Rank hunter, he gains the power of the mysterious System, allowing him to level up infinitely. His transformation from the “World’s Weakest Hunter” to the most powerful Shadow Monarch captivated millions of readers and viewers.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Sung Jin-Woo. Jin-Woo Sung reverses the name order (Korean names place the surname first). Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk are protagonists from Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, another popular Korean series. Sung Jin-Woo is the iconic Shadow Monarch of Solo Leveling.
04
The Crunchyroll Anime Awards celebrate the best in anime each year. Which anime won Anime of the Year at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards?
✓ Correct! Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End won Anime of the Year at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards. This beautifully contemplative series about an elven mage reflecting on mortality and the passage of time after her hero party’s quest ends charmed audiences and critics alike with its unique, introspective storytelling.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. While Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, Oshi no Ko, and Vinland Saga Season 2 were all critically acclaimed, it was Frieren’s meditative exploration of time, memory, and connection that captured the top prize at the 2024 ceremony.
05
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is consistently rated as one of the greatest anime of all time. The story follows two brothers who attempted a forbidden alchemical technique. What taboo did Edward and Alphonse Elric commit?
✓ Correct! Edward and Alphonse attempted human transmutation to bring their deceased mother back to life. The attempt failed catastrophically — Edward lost his left leg and then sacrificed his right arm to bind Alphonse’s soul to a suit of armor. This event drives the entire series as they search for the Philosopher’s Stone to restore their bodies.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is human transmutation — specifically, attempting to resurrect their dead mother. In the world of FMA, human transmutation is the ultimate taboo in alchemy. The brothers’ failed attempt cost Edward his limbs and Alphonse his entire body, setting the stage for their epic journey.
06
Spy x Family became a worldwide phenomenon with its wholesome yet action-packed story of a found family. The father, Loid Forger, is secretly a spy. What is his spy codename?
✓ Correct! Loid Forger’s spy codename is Twilight, and he’s considered the top agent of Westalis’s intelligence service, WISE. His mission, Operation Strix, requires him to build a fake family — leading him to adopt the telepathic Anya and marry the assassin Yor, creating one of anime’s most beloved found families.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Twilight. Agent Dusk and Shadow are fictional names, while Nightfall is actually the codename of another WISE agent, Fiona Frost, who has a crush on Loid. Twilight is Westalis’s greatest spy and the heart of Spy x Family’s charming story.
07
Crunchyroll merged with another major anime streaming service to become the dominant platform for anime. Which streaming service was absorbed into Crunchyroll?
✓ Correct! Funimation was merged into Crunchyroll after Sony’s acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T in 2021. The merger consolidated the anime streaming market, bringing Funimation’s massive library of dubbed anime together with Crunchyroll’s simulcast catalog, making Crunchyroll the world’s largest dedicated anime platform.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Funimation. Netflix Anime is part of Netflix and operates independently, HIDIVE is Sentai Filmworks’ streaming service, and AnimeLab was a smaller Australian service. Funimation — once Crunchyroll’s biggest rival — was fully absorbed into the Crunchyroll platform.
08
Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are legendary in the anime world. Miyazaki’s final film was released in 2023 and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. What is the title of this film?
✓ Correct! The Boy and the Heron (Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka) was released in 2023 and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2024. The deeply personal, surrealist fantasy film was widely considered Miyazaki’s farewell masterpiece, exploring themes of grief, imagination, and the passage between worlds.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is The Boy and the Heron. Spirited Away 2 and Ponyo Returns don’t exist. The Wind Rises was Miyazaki’s previous “final” film from 2013. The Boy and the Heron marked his true farewell, winning the Oscar and cementing his legacy as anime’s greatest storyteller.
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While Netflix’s performance in the rankings is somewhat staggering, it’s likely helped by the overall popularity of the service, not just among anime fans, but among the general viewing public. It’s no secret that Netflix has maintained a remarkably huge user base throughout the streaming era, and ease of access is likely to deliver anime to viewers who otherwise wouldn’t be likely to search for it elsewhere. Last year, Netflix revealed that 50% of its users around the world regularly watched anime, a figure that would shock even those well aware of anime’s growing popularity.
Crunchyroll’s Wide Selection Hasn’t Been Enough to Win Over Anime Fans
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Despite the superior popularity of services like Netflix and Prime, Crunchyroll has a leg up on just about any other streamer in its wide and ever-growing selection of titles. Nowhere else will anime fans find as many simulcast and dubbing options, with titles updated each week within hours of their airing in Japan. However, the biggest titles in the industry are often available on a slew of other streaming services, giving general audiences and casual anime fans little reason to make the switch to Crunchyroll.
An alleged massive 100GB data leak hits Crunchyroll, exposing sensitive user information after a phishing scam breached the main servers.
Nevertheless, Crunchyroll has remained a major force in the anime streaming wars, and will always have the advantage of attracting veteran and hardcore fans with its selection of niche and retro titles that are unlikely to be hosted elsewhere. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t seem to have much appeal with other casual viewer demographics. Until the streamer finds a way to attract general audiences, especially in international waters, widely-used services like Netflix and Prime will likely reign supreme.
founded
May 14, 2006
notable shows
In/Spectre, Tower of God, Blade Runner: Black Lotus, Shenmue the Animation
Crunchyroll is a North American-based streaming service owned by Sony that focuses largely on Japanese anime but also covers several East Asian drama series. The service is available in several countries and has a small catalog of self-created and published series, with most of its content licensed with partners overseas.
