As streaming services like Netflix approach peak saturation in anchor regions like the United States, they must look to younger generations to find new customers. To win over Gen Z, streamers can appeal to fans of a particular genre: Japanese anime. Shows like Naruto (pictured above) and My Hero Academia now rank among the most-watched programs on SVOD platforms, and viewers under the age of 30 are a big reason why.
TVREV used data from Parrot Analytics to explore the streaming prowess of anime. According to Parrot, Naruto is the most in-demand Japanese-language series on Netflix and Hulu in the U.S. My Hero Academia ranks highest on the same measurement for Amazon Prime Video, though it too is available on Netflix and Hulu.
Parrot also claims that those licensed anime series are hauling in massive amounts of revenue for their host platforms by retaining subscribers. Naruto is reportedly worth $21 million across Netflix and Hulu, while My Hero Academia accounts for a $15 million revenue contribution across four SVOD platforms.
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In Netflix’s latest What We Watched report, which details viewership from the first half of 2024, no anime series ranked in the top 100 (though the live-action adaptation of One Piece did). That shutout is likely due to the methods used to compile the report. The rankings are based on individual seasons rather than entire shows, so Naruto — with its hundreds of episodes and dozens of seasons — is spread throughout the list.
Some Japanese-language Netflix shows, like House of Ninjas, did make it into the top 100. The success of East Asian media in the streaming world is powered by Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers who love Japanese and Korean TV almost as much as they love Netflix. 70% of the audience for Japanese shows and 60% of the audience for Korean shows consists of viewers under 30, and a study from Polygon found that 42% of Gen Z respondents watch anime on a weekly basis.
The same quirk that keeps Naruto out of the upper echelon of What We Watched may be responsible for its staying power among younger consumers. Between the original Naruto series and sequels Shippuden and Boruto, the ninja saga has run for more than 1,000 episodes. That’s a lot of content to keep anime fans hooked, and the longevity of these shows makes them smart investments for streamers.
As one of the nerds who was teased for watching anime in the 2000s, it’s hard to consider that shows like Naruto are now considered trendy, but the numbers don’t lie. Anime is not just for Crunchyroll subscribers, and Netflix’s continued support of Japanese content will be critical to its future growth.
