by The most obvious thing about the animation industry in 2025 was that content centered on major IPs is now one of the world’s biggest industries. This trend will continue and expand beyond 2026. It is still fresh in our memory that “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Castle Arc Chapter 1 – Akaza Returns” and “Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc” took first place in the weekend box office rankings in North America, generating a lot of buzz.
At the same time, it’s worth noting that the boundaries between broadcast formats are becoming more blurred. The dominance of television broadcasting, which has traditionally been the benchmark for Japanese anime, is fading, and a new way of consuming anime is emerging alongside the “oshikatsu” culture. Looking back at 2025, how will the structure and outlook of Japan’s animation industry be reflected? Real Sound’s Film Department hosted a roundtable discussion with anime critic Ryota Fujitsu, film writer Hodaka Sugimoto, and critic and film history researcher Daisuke Watanabe, who discussed trends in the animation industry in 2025.
Will 2025 be a repeat of 2016? First, please share your thoughts on the overall trends in the anime industry in 2025. Ryota Fujitsu (hereafter, Fujitsu): This year, there were many unique anime, especially small- to medium-sized films like “100M.” Even in the animation section of the Tokyo International Film Festival, which I’m involved with, there are so many good works that any selection would be attractive. In that sense, it felt rich.
On the other hand, there were megahits like “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Castle Arc Chapter 1: Akaza Returns” (hereafter “Mugen Castle Arc”) and the movie “Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc,” so my general impression is that it was a year in which the base expanded and box-office achievements were both impressive. Sugimoto Hodaka (hereafter “Sugimoto”): I have roughly the same impression, but on the other hand, in terms of box-office results, I think it was also a year in which the gap between megahit works and those that were not became very clear. Movies based on popular IP such as “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” and “Chainsaw Man” became global megahits, but “ChaO!Original works, such as “Your Name” and “The Last Samurai,” have struggled in Japan. How will this disparity affect the industry as a whole in the future?
Watanabe Daisuke (hereafter, Watanabe): As both of you mentioned, “Mugenjo-hen” (The End of the World) has achieved box office success approaching that of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train” (hereafter, “Mugen Train”). As a film critic, I also want to note that “National Treasure” (The End of the World) broke the all-time box office record for a live-action Japanese film in 22 years. In other words, it was a “big year” for Japanese cinema as well.
This pattern looks pretty similar to the historic success of “Your Name” and “Shin Godzilla” in 2016. Makoto Shinkai, who was a minor figure among the general public until “Your Name,” has now become a nationally renowned author, and even “Your Name,” which was a fresh work at the time, is now becoming a classic. I feel like “Infinity Castle Arc” further updates the flow of 2016. In other words, while 2025 is a repetition of 2016, it also feels like the flow from there has entered the next stage. So today, I’d like to ask you both about the big picture you have in mind. Is the success of “Infinity Castle Arc” and “National Treasure” in 2025 a “recurrence/repetition of 2016”? In other words, how important do you view the year 2025? Fujitsu: It overlaps with the 2016 situation but also shifts slightly. I think the most significant difference is between “Infinity Castle Arc” and “Your Name.” Makoto Shinkai’s work has a freshness to it, as if he started out working alone. Since 2016, I’ve seen him become a solo artist and further mature. On the other hand, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” is not like that.
The story of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” itself is very classic. Yet, despite its stunning visuals and the fact that it’s not a film that can be completed in one piece, it has become a global megahit. It clearly feels like the rules of the world have been rewritten. I’m surprised that such a classic work has changed the rules. Sugimoto: Speaking of global regulations, the question of whether to stream or screen in theaters is a common issue around the world these days.
On the other hand, a distinctive feature of Japanese anime, exemplified by “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba,” is that there’s no debate over whether to release in theaters or online. “Mugenjo Arc” is a sequel to the “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” TV series, and we’re now in an era where it can be screened in theaters and become a megahit. In that sense, this work is rewriting the rules of business.
The ability to progress a single story across platforms and become a huge hit is groundbreaking, something even Disney and Marvel have yet to achieve. Furthermore, with the commercial failure of “Endless Scarlet” (hereafter “Scarlet”), Shinkai is the only “anime creator” capable of achieving commercial success. There weren’t that many of them to begin with. In that sense, it feels like the “era of anime (film) auteurs,” which Shinkai seemed to have pioneered in 2016, may already be coming to an end. Ten years have passed since then, and we’ve entered the age of IP so that we may be witnessing the end of an era. Watanabe: That’s right. In a previous roundtable discussion, we talked about the arrival of the “era of auteurs.”
2025 will mark a significant change in that regard. In other words, anime will no longer be recognized for its “auteur” tag. It’s been said since “The End of the Universe: Mugen Train” that even with such a huge hit, directors and creators are rarely featured in the media. What’s important is that the general audience, beyond a small core fanbase, doesn’t care about this either. I think this parallels what Ryodai Fukushima wrote in his book “Media Are Human: Technology and Existence in the 21st Century” (blueprint). In this book, Fukushima talks about the rise of a new “existence” in media theory since the advent of generative AI, but this also represents a paradoxical situation in which, because the spread of generative AI has turned everyone into an “author,” “authors” have, in turn, become content.
The dissolution of the binary opposition between author and audience has paradoxically led to a lack of attention being paid to authorship. Fujitsu: One work that has become a hot topic is “Galaxy Express Milky Subway.” Of course, the work itself is interesting and appealing. Still, because a single person produced the majority of it, it has also been discussed as a return of Makoto Shinkai’s “Voices of a Distant Star.” Watanabe: In the case of “Galaxy Express Milky Subway,” there was a new film, “PUI PUI,” between “Voices of a Distant Star” and “PuPui.”
There’s “Motoki no Mori.” Fujitsu: Yes. And like “Motoki no Mori,” Shin-Ei Animation is involved. If you think about it that way, perhaps Shinkai was the unsung hero this year (laughs). In other words, ie, can use him as a pivot to measure the distance between individual directors who can become the center of box-office success, independent productions, and IP versus original work. Shinkai himself didn’t release any new works this year, but that’s how central he has become. Watanabe: When you consider that next year will be 10 years since “Your Name,” it really has flown by. Sugimoto: While the creation of artists and the rise of IP may seem like a trade-off, we need to reexamine whether that’s really the case. For example, “100M” is a successful example that reveals director Kenji Iwaizawa’s artistic style. In the future, I think we’ll need creative ways of creating works that highlight the artist’s own appeal while also devising ways to interact with IP. However, I don’t think that the diverse range of works available means that artists have disappeared. Fujitsu: That’s right. It’s not like the term “artist” itself has disappeared.
There are many unique creators, but they are not the ones supporting the box office. Jump Originals and IP Speaking of IP based on original works, this year, IP from Weekly Shonen Jump, such as “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba,” “Jujutsu Kaisen,” and “Chainsaw Man,” performed strongly. Fujitsu: That’s right. These hits are not inherently bad, but they carry risks. From the anime industry’s perspective, I worry that the system in which publishers take the lead and assemble talented “engineers” to produce large IPs will be strengthened. Sugimoto: Weekly Shonen Jump IP has become global, so it’s impossible to leave it out from a business perspective. It’s becoming a business model that requires us to focus on it. This leads to issues with authors and raises the question of how to nurture each author’s and studio’s individuality.
This also means that anime studios’ planning skills are not needed. However, Jump works are so interesting that they are almost guaranteed to be hits. This will not change in the future unless something extraordinary happens. Fujitsu: Traditionally, more than half of anime has been based on a novel, making it difficult to create original works. However, many of the breakthrough works in anime history have been original. That’s changing. Watanabe: Anime adaptations of Weekly Shonen Jump titles have been consistently a hit, not just this year, but for the past few years. As we previously discussed in this roundtable, the global success of Shonen Jump+ is a significant factor. Even before the anime adaptation, the original work was already being read around the world. Fujitsu: Shonen Jump+’s English translation is a notable example, but I understand that they wanted to change the touchpoints for the works. In other words, whereas previously the anime was a hit overseas and the translations of the original work sold well, they wanted to change the order to “the manga I read the original work for is being adapted into an anime,” meaning Shueisha took the lead. The structure of first doing business with the original work, and then creating another big business with the anime, is working well. Sugimoto: This business model is well-suited to streaming. With streaming, some recoupments are decided at the planning stage, which is only possible because the IP is large and popular.
The overseas expansion of manga has significantly contributed to this. Until now, overseas work has been accepted in the same order as in Japan. If this continues, Jump’s advantage will only become stronger. Watanabe: What’s more, “Infinity Castle Arc” is only the first chapter, so there will be more to come. I can see each new release climbing the rankings. By 2030, all of Japan’s box office rankings may be dominated by “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” (laughs). Considering the success of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba,” one can’t help but think that the film itself is changing. It was even nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Fujitsu: It’s not necessarily a bad thing that Jump’s IP is strong, but the question is whether that’s enough. If that’s the case, the only option is to strengthen animation companies’ planning capabilities. Sugimoto: That’s right. Seeking overseas opportunities, such as with “To Be Hero X,” is one way to create additional IP. That being said, the era of Weekly Shonen Jump’s IP dominance is unlikely to be shaken. With that in mind, we need a variety of ways to create projects. We need a system to effectively recoup the costs of one-off theatrical releases, and other publishers need to become more powerful. Such variety will enrich and sustain Japanese anime. By 2030, all of Japan’s top box office rankings might be “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” (laughs). Considering the success of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba,” one can’t help but think that the film itself is changing. It was even nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
Fujitsu: It’s not necessarily a bad thing that Jump’s IP is strong, but is that enough? If that’s the case, the only option is to strengthen anime companies’ planning capabilities. Sugimoto: That’s right. Seeking overseas opportunities, like with “TO BE HERO X,” is one way to create other IP. That said, the dominance of Weekly Shonen Jump’s IP is unlikely to be shaken. With that in mind, I need a diverse approach to planning. We need a system to recoup the costs of one-off theatrical releases effectively, and other publishers need to become more powerful. Such diversity will enrich and sustain Japanese anime. By 2030, all of Japan’s top box office rankings might be “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” (laughs). Considering the success of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba,” one can’t help but think that the film itself is changing. It was even nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
Fujitsu: It’s not necessarily a bad thing that Jump’s IP is strong, but is that enough? If that’s the case, the only option is to strengthen anime companies’ planning capabilities. Sugimoto: That’s right. Seeking overseas opportunities, like with “TO BE HERO X,” is one way to create other IP. That said, the dominance of Weekly Shonen Jump’s IP is unlikely to be shaken. With that in mind, we need a diverse approach to planning. We need a system to recoup the costs of one-off theatrical releases effectively, and other publishers need to become more powerful. Such diversity will enrich and sustain Japanese anime.
