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Thehistory of anime in the United States began in 1961, whenShōnen Sarutobi Sasuke andThe White Snake Enchantress, both produced byToei Animation, became the first twoanime films to receive documented releases in the country under the namesMagic Boy andPanda and the Magic Serpent, respectively.[1] Anime is a style of Japanese animation that attracts an enormous audience through its complex art, fluid movement, and emotional storytelling often involving superhuman elements.[2] It has since found success with a growing audience in the region, withAstro Boy often being noted as the first anime to receive widespread syndication, especially in the United States.[3][4] Although a handful of titles were translated before 1970, such asSpeed Racer and8th Man, anime did not achieve widespread popularity in the US until the 1990s. This period, commonly referred to as the "anime boom," and is credited with cementing anime's relevance in popular culture outside Japan.[5][6][7][8] Since then anime has achieved mainstream popularity in the United States, becoming a prominent part of the country's contemporary popular culture by influencing American fashion, music, video games, advertising, inspiring collaborations between anime franchises and major American brands and shaping the interests and consumption habits of viewers. Japanese animation has expanded far beyond niche fandoms, with franchises such asPokémon,Dragon Ball Z,Demon Slayer and many others contributing to its widespread appeal among American audiences.[9][10]
From its popularity in 1961 to the late 1980s, anime was introduced to American audiences through translated and English-dubbed versions. During the late 1980s to the late 1990s, the focus shifted toward localization, where anime was adapted to suit American cultural preferences and audience expectations. From the late 1990s to the present, anime has entered a new phase characterized by experimental collaborations between American and Japanese creators, blending creative styles and production techniques from both cultures.[11]
While several anime series have originally been distributed bypirates andfansubbers in the past via bootleg releases from the late-1990s to mid-2000s, such practices have rapidly declined since the early-2010s due to the advent of legal streaming services such asNetflix,Prime Video,Hidive andCrunchyroll, whichsimulcast new anime series often within a few hours of their domestic release.[12][13][14]
Astro Boy, created byOsamu Tezuka, was one of the first Japanese anime imported to U.S. TV and received wide attention[15] in 1963 in Japan,[16] and later that year in the U.S. Many anime titles would receive dubbed into English during the 1960s, often broadcast on syndication or sometimes asSaturday morning cartoons, due to the quickly growing popularity of animation on US television screens. In January 1966, Tetsujin 28-go, renamedGigantor, debuted on New York'sWPIX-TV. It had a mixed reception, with reviewers such asVariety magazine giving it a menacing review, with writers calling it a "loud, violent, tasteless and cheerless cartoon" which was "strictly in the retarded babysitter class".[17] American International Television Productions released an English dub ofPrince Planet around September 1966, however, it lacked popularity due to the growing popularity ofcolor television and excessive violence. The same dubbing studio had also worked onThe Amazing 3 in 1967, which was broadcast onKCOP-TV inLos Angeles.[18]
Later in 1967,Speed Racer would be dubbed byTrans-Lux Corporation on syndication, becoming very popular, and would be one of the most popular anime in the U.S. until the 1990s.[19] After the release ofMarine Boy in 1969, there would be no new anime titles released in America until 1978.
Due to the extreme popularity ofStar Wars in 1977, In 1978,Sandy Frank Entertainment released an Americanized version ofScience Ninja Team Gatchaman, to capitalize on the space craze caused byStar Wars, retitling the show asBattle of the Planets. 85 of the original 105 episodes made the US revised version, along with cuts of elements of graphic violence and profanity. The show reached a high level of success, airing on over 100 network affiliates during after-school hours by 1979.[20] That same year,Space Battleship Yamato would also receive an Americanized version, rebranded asStar Blazers.
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Basic cable provided a frequent broadcast outlet for juvenile-targeted anime during the 1980s, in particularNickelodeon and CBN Cable Network (now asFreeform).
In the early 1980s, CBN aired an English dub of the Christian-themed anime seriesSuperbook andThe Flying House, as well as the female-aimed drama seriesHoney Honey and an uncut, Honolulu-dubbed version ofGo Nagai'ssuper robot seriesMazinger Z (aired as part of a Japan-focused, public-affairs program). In the late 1980s, after the station had been renamed as "The Family Channel", it would also air dubs ofWowser andNippon Animation'sWorld Masterpiece Theater version ofSwiss Family Robinson.
Nickelodeon aired anime such asThe Mysterious Cities of Gold andBelle and Sebastian, and anime also later formed a major component of the network's preschool-aimedNick Jr. block, includingMaple Town,Adventures of the Little Koala,Noozles,Maya the Bee,The Littl' Bits, andGrimm's Fairy Tale Classics. Pay-TV channels also aired anime occasionally:HBO broadcast numerous anime television series based on Western literature, includingGisaburō Sugii'sJack and the Beanstalk and the World Masterpiece Theater versions ofLittle Women andTom Sawyer, andOsamu Tezuka'sUnico features aired on theDisney Channel.
In 1981,Roger Corman'sNew World Pictures oversaw the production of an English dub of the first Galaxy Express movieBonjour Galaxy Express 999, shortened the name toGalaxy Express, distributed it theatrically. The dub changed some of the original Japanese names into more recognizable American names, like changing Tetsuro to Joey and Harlock to Warlock. Corman also edited out 30 minutes of footage, and Antonia Levi, the author of "Samurai from Outer Space", said that his dub was "highly edited and too damaged to watch". Faring similarly poorly wasManson International's 1984 edit ofHayao Miyazaki'sNausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, released theatrically by New World asWarriors of the Wind; a mainstay onHBO during the mid-to-late 1980s, this edited version is said to have so displeased Miyazaki-a renowned Japanese Filmmaker and co-founder of Studio Ghibli[21] that he would insist that all future American releases of his work be unedited.
In 1983, Stern Electronics released aDragon's Lairclone known asCliff Hanger, which contained footage from theLupin III filmsThe Castle of Cagliostro andThe Mystery of Mamo. AsCliff Hanger predated any proper Western release ofLupin media or Hayao Miyazaki films, and the popularization of anime in the West generally, it became notable for first exposing many Americans to anime.[22]
In the mid-1980s, super robot andspace opera anime were very popular. Series such asVoltron,The Transformers, andRobotech were successful in ratings and also commercial successes through selling merchandise.Mazinger Z fared less well, airing in syndication in 1985 in a heavily edited and dubbed version (not the Toei-commissioned dub previously broadcast on CBN) titledTranZor Z. Faring even worse was the first American release ofAkira Toriyama'sDragon Ball in 1989.Harmony Gold produced a partial dub of the first five TV episodes and two movies (The Curse of the Blood Rubies andThe Mystical Adventure), which were edited into an 80-minute film. The dubs were syndicated across America to independent television stations such asWPSG Philly 57 inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania, andWGPR-TV inDetroit, Michigan, but failed to find an audience.
Between 1988 and 1989, theOVA seriesBubblegum Crisis was one of the earliest fansubs, withAnimEigo later acquiring a license to distribute and dub the series.
In 1988,Streamline Pictures became one of the first companies dedicated solely to anime dubs, most notably dubbed versions ofTwilight of the Cockroaches and three more Miyazaki films:My Neighbor Totoro andKiki's Delivery Service, both released initially as in-flight entertainment forJapan Airlines passengers traveling from North America to Japan, andCastle in the Sky. TheTotoro dub would eventually be released theatrically and commercially in the United States in 1993, and all three movies would later be redubbed by theWalt Disney Company as part of the company's deal withStudio Ghibli.
Lensman: Secret of The Lens, based on theLensman novels byE. E. Smith, was first dubbed by Harmony Gold in 1988, and re-dubbed by Streamline Pictures in 1990; some of the voice actors voiced characters in both dubs. The Harmony Gold dub used remastered music and some music tracks came from their past moviesRobotech II: The Sentinels andRobotech The Movie: The Untold Story, while the Streamline Pictures dub used the original Japanese soundtrack.
In 1988, AnimEigo begun distributing more anime after Streamline Pictures, with the slogan "Anime in your way!". Their first anime they dubbed wasMetal Skin Panic MADOX-01; renamedMADOX-01 for the British release in 1995, it was only released onVHS in 1989, due to content not suitable for television or theatrical release. The company also dubbed the 4-episode OVAVampire Princess Miyu that same year, which was later adapted into a 26-episode TV series byTokyopop (and later byMaiden Japan in 1997).
In the mid- to late 1980s, anime films such asAkira,My Neighbor Totoro,Castle in the Sky,Kiki's Delivery Service, andMADOX-01 were dubbed by companies includingMGM, what is now20th Century Studios,New World Pictures, and AnimEigo. Even though these films were not very successful at the time, due in part to limited release, critical reception was positive, andAkira found a cult following. Most of these films received higher-quality dubs later on.
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The 1990s was the period in which anime reached mainstream popularity in the U.S. market and the terms "anime" and "manga" became commonly known, replacing "Japanimation".[23][24] Companies such asFunimation Productions,Bandai Entertainment,4Kids Entertainment,Central Park Media,Media Blasters,Saban Entertainment,Viz Media,Pioneer LDC, andADV Films began licensing anime in the United States.
The first anime in the US in the 1990s,Dragon Warrior based on thevideo game series featuring character designs by Akira Toriyama, aired in 1989 in Japan; in 1990, it was broadcast in the US by Saban. The show was unsuccessful in the US and was not released on home video. Saban later dubbed and adapted the 1990 animeKyatto Ninden Teyandee asSamurai Pizza Cats and aired it in syndication in 1996. In 2002, Saban's rights to the show expired, after whichDiscotek Media obtained the rights (which it still owns currently).
Viz Media, which was already successful with its manga translation ofRumiko Takahashi'sRanma ½, bought the rights to the anime and released it viadirect-to-video starting in 1993.Ranma ½ enjoyed success in the VHS market, being the first anime title in the 1990s to have this level of success, and was one of the first titles to be recognized as an "anime". Viz also began publishing a magazine calledAnimerica in the 1990s, which featured manga as well as articles on Japanese culture, aesthetic, manga, anime, and video games; this helped spread theotaku subculture to Americans. Fansubs were also popular during this period.
In 1995, the originalDragon Ball, now assisted by Funimation and other collaborators,[25][26][27][28] finally managed to air to an American audience for one season in early morning syndication. The show was cancelled after one season due to low ratings.
Anime saw greater success among American audiences whenDiC (then owned by Disney) and Funimation (via Saban Entertainment and Canada-basedOcean Studios) licensedSailor Moon (1995) andDragon Ball Z (1996) respectively, and both were televised in the U.S. through early morning syndication. Since the two anime were very successful internationally, they were purchased to capitalize on the success of Japan-influencedsuperhero shows such as Fox Kids'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (the popular Americanized version of thetokusatsu seriesSuper Sentai) andTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
In Summer 1998,Cartoon Network, which had an action-themed evening block namedToonami, began airingSailor Moon andDragon Ball Z. Both became overpoweringly successful with younger audiences (due to being aired in the evening hours which children were home). As a result, both series were revived, receiving new dubs with significantly less editing amid the recent inception of theTV Parental Guidelines (both were rated TV-Y7-FV).Voltron,Robotech andRonin Warriors also enjoyed renewed success on Toonami. Toonami would continue to air anime and is credited with beginning the anime boom in the United States in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
In 1996, one of the most influential and controversial popular series wasNeon Genesis Evangelion. It was released uncut on VHS by ADV Films, andManga Entertainment released the filmsEnd of Evangelion andEvangelion: Death and Rebirth in the U.S. in 2002.Evangelion grew to have a large fanbase in the United States.
The American anime market peaked in 1998 after the production of multiple popular anime. In 1998,Pokémon was introduced to America because of The WB (now as CW), becoming a commercial success through its merchandising (trading cards, VHS, toys, video games, etc.).Digimon was introduced in 1999; although it was a success, it did not reach the same level of popularity asPokémon.
Throughout the 1990s,Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel) also aired many experimental, avant-garde, action, horror, and sci-fi anime films and series during the late night and early morning hours until their removal from programming in 2011. It aired films includingGhost in the Shell,Ninja Scroll,Akira,Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, andUrusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer, and series such asCasshan: Robot Hunter,Record of Lodoss War,Iria: Zeiram the Animation, andFist of the North Star. In Northern California,KTEH-TV inSan Jose became well known locally for being one of the fewPBS outlets to air anime, in both dubbed and subtitled versions.
In 1999, Disney'sMiramax released the anime filmPrincess Mononoke in the U.S. theatrically. Although it was not a great success at the box office, performing much better on DVD releases, it began the relationship between Disney and Studio Ghibli to distribute the latter's films in the U.S.
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In the 2000s, even after the popular seriesDragon Ball Z andSailor Moon ended their runs, Toonami still continued to air popular anime such asMobile Suit Gundam Wing (which is credited for single-handedly popularizing theGundam franchise in some Western countries)[29],Dragon Ball GT,Rurouni Kenshin,YuYu Hakusho,.hack,Cardcaptors[30],Tenchi Muyo!,Tenchi Universe (andTenchi in Tokyo),The 08th MS Team,One Piece,Mobile Suit Gundam SEED,SD Gundam,Cyborg 009,IGPX,Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo,Outlaw Star,Hamtaro, andNaruto.Naruto was very successful on Toonami and remains one of the most popular anime titles in the U.S.[30] In 2008, Toonami was discontinued and anime began airing exclusively onAdult Swim, the late-night counterpart to Cartoon Network.
When Adult Swim began airing on Cartoon Network in 2001, its first anime title aired wasCowboy Bebop[31].Cowboy Bebop was very successful and remains the longest aired anime series on Adult Swim[31]. Adult Swim also aired series including uncut episodes ofFullmetal Alchemist,Inuyasha,Samurai Champloo,Death Note,Durarara!!,FLCL,Neon Genesis Evangelion,Case Closed,Lupin III,Code Geass,Bleach,Shin Chan, andTrigun. Adult Swim mostly airs anime under the title "Action", even thoughShin Chan andSuper Milk Chan are comedies. Adult Swim became so successful over the years thatTurner Broadcasting split it from Cartoon Network; it is now ranked as an independent network.[citation needed]
Due to the popularity ofDragon Ball Z, Funimation would continue to dominate anime distribution in the United States[29] and continued licensing several popular titles such asFruits Basket,Black Cat,Ouran High School Host Club,Kodocha,Fullmetal Alchemist, andTsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, and launched its ownFunimation Channel to exclusively air most of its titles. Funimation would also save rights to titles from defunct licensors, such as with ADV Films (which closed in 2008) and Geneon (which closed in 2007)[32].
After the success ofPokémon in the late 1990s, 4Kids Entertainment continued to license anime titles targeted towards children, such as theYu-Gi-Oh! franchise,Sonic X,Magical DoReMi,Mew Mew Power,Shaman King,Kirby: Right Back at Ya!,Dinosaur King, andUltimate Muscle. However, 4Kids was met with much controversy for its heavy editing and "Americanization" of content, particularlyYu-Gi-Oh! andOne Piece.[citation needed]
In 2002,Spirited Away was released through Disney theatrically, becoming the first anime film to be nominated for and win anOscar-American Academy Award.[33] Anime grossed $4.8 billion in 2003 and dropped to $2.7 billion due to a lack of high-quality anime.[citation needed] Despite this downturn, there have been collaborations between Japanese and American production companies, such as the Los Angeles Fan Expo, which have played a significant role in expanding anime's reach which has attracted hundreds of thousands of anime fans.[34]
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In 2010,Dragon Ball Z Kai premiered on Nicktoons (sister channel of the first kids' network) and became a hit success for the network. Nicktoons also aired the originalDragon Ball Z films andDragon Ball GT. Starting in March 2013,Yu-Gi-Oh! and one of its continuing series,Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal, began to air on the network.Digimon Adventure andDigimon Adventure 02 also started to air on Nicktoons starting in June 2013, and one of its continuing series,Digimon Fusion, moved to the network from Nickelodeon on October 13, 2013, after three episodes, mostly due to Nickelodeon's failed attempt at marketing the anime before it premiered on September 7.
Section23, Bandai, Viz,TV Tokyo, and Funimation have tried to limit these efforts by sendingcease and desist letters or blocking content on many sites. The production of English dubs of anime has decreased in general, and many distributors, such asSentai Filmworks,Aniplex of America, andNIS America, are switching to the subtitle-only market.
In 2012, Bandai folded its Bandai Entertainment anime licensing department in the United States. Eventually, theirSunrise studio made deals with Funimation and Sentai Filmworks to license and republish Sunrise titles formerly licensed by Bandai Entertainment. In 2012,4Kids Entertainment filed for bankruptcy protection and sold the rights to theYu-Gi-Oh! franchise back toKonami, with the remaining licenses going toSaban Brands.
In early 2012,Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos was released in over 100 theaters throughout North America.The Secret World of Arrietty was released theatrically in 2012, and was only a moderate box office success in the United States, despite being one of the highest-grossing films in the U.S. in 2012 (and #50 worldwide).
In 2012, due to popular requests onTwitter,Reddit, andFacebook, the Toonami block was revived and began airing onAdult Swim, replacing Adult Swim Action. Similar to Toonami's prior Midnight Run block, it is now targeted towards a young adult demographic with little to no editing of content. On May 16, 2014, Viz Media acquired the license for the originalSailor Moon series (formerly owned by DiC (now part of WildBrain) andCloverway Inc. in the 1990s and early 2000s) and the new 2014 anime series,Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: Crystal, which it premiered on July 5. In May 2014, The Walt Disney Company acquired the broadcasting rights for the 2005Doraemon series and began airing it onDisney XD two months later, marking the first-ever release of theDoraemon franchise in the United States after not airing many years later because of Turner's failure.
In December 2015, the Funimation Channel was replaced byToku, after Funimation finished its association with Olympusat, being the only 24-hour TV channel dedicated to broadcasting anime series and films, as well as live-action Asian films. Another major platform responsible for distributing anime content online is Crunchyroll. For some popular anime shows, Crunchyroll offers English-subtitled versions within about an hour after their Japanese broadcast. In 2010, the site streamed seven newly released series along with seven ongoing ones.[35]
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During theCOVID-19 pandemic, many anime works were either canceled or delayed.[36] Despite this, anime consumption and appreciation in the United States has grown tremendously in the 2020s. According to the Japanese Box Office, in the 2020s, Anime outperformed non-anime films in gross profit.[37] This is largely due to the nationwide lockdown during the pandemic, and popularity of anime edits and fan discourse on the social media appTikTok. This exposed a whole new wave of American fans to Japanese anime, namelyMy Hero Academia,Death Note,Hunter x Hunter,Attack on Titan, andHaikyuu!!. This newfound interest and demand for anime content has only increased among audiences, as of 2024. The anime market around the world was valued at $21.2 billion in 2022, which potentially grew to $21.6 billion in 2028. The anime industry is continually expanding, embracing broader demographics and diverse creative genres. Anime is expected to expand at acompound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.9% from 2023 to 2030.[38]
In the years since 2020, there have been several US theatrical releases of new Japanese animated films and even limited-time re-releases of popular films such asThe End of Evangelion,My Hero Academia: You're Next,Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc,Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle, and a variety ofGhibli films screened nationwide duringGhiblifest.[citation needed]
Netflix has also adapted an expanding number oflive-action series based on Japanese anime IP. Their most successful adaptions thus far have beenOne Piece (2023 – present)[39] andAlice in Borderland (2020 –present).[40]
