At one point during my time in Tokyo, I was in the historical district of Asakusa, which is home to Sensō-ji, the oldest Buddhist temple in the city. It also attracts herds and herds of tourists. This includes many white women wearing kimonos and “immersing themselves in culture.”
I traveled to Japan for the Crunchyroll Anime Awards, but before the ceremony, I had a couple of days with journalists from all over the world. We were all there to cover the event, and whilst here, we get to explore this magical – and highly efficient wonderland called Tokyo.
The first time I traveled to Japan was in 2019, right before COVID decided to enter all of our lives. Seven years later, I have returned a little wiser and a little more broken in life. The trip to Tokyo would be an opportunity to decompress from all the madness and, if I am being honest, the nonsense in my life. I figure that the further away from my problems I am, the more I will enjoy life. Not exactly a healthy way to approach life, but the world is chaotic, and seeing problems from a distance makes me more delusional about them.
As a wild and ridiculous fan of the Now You See Me franchise, you could only imagine how excited I was to see that the entire trilogy was on my 11+ hour flight to Narita airport.
Before the Crunchyroll Anime Awards, I had the opportunity to live out my tourist fantasy with fellow journalists from all over the world. As a fair-weathered anime fan, I paled in comparison to my fellow journos from Brazil, Germany, India, Mexico, France, Singapore, the UK, Thailand, and of course, the United States.
It was giving United Colors of Benetton/Rhythm Nation energy.
According to Crunchyroll, 73 million votes were cast by fans worldwide for this year’s Anime Awards, breaking a new record. And to no surprise, Brazil, Germany, India, Mexico, and the United States were the most engaged.
The global roll call is proof of the vast expansion of anime and manga all over the world — and I knew every one of these folks was not only good journalists, but also hardcore anime fans.
On the day we were all treated to a tour of Tokyo, our incredible guide, Ohara-san, asked all of us what our favorite anime theme song was, and my basic ass answered, “I love the Pokémon theme song because it’s a great karaoke song.”
That gave everyone a good laugh.
Meanwhile, everyone else was giving thoughtful and deep cut answers that only diehard anime fans would know. They were so deep and thoughtful that I don’t remember any of them… either that or I did not know what they were talking about.
Sensō-ji in Asakusa
The trip to Tokyo for the Crunchyroll Anime Awards was not only eye-opening to the lack of quality skincare products that we have in the United States, but also how an Asian art form that was once niche has become a pillar of pop culture on a global scale — specifically how it creates connection and strong bonds between fans from all over the world.
With the advent of streaming, social media, and all the wonders of the interwebs, what was once reserved for Japanese audiences now reaches all audiences simultaneously. Anime titles and characters are no longer obscure and have become household names all over the world.
According to a study released in March 2025, conducted by Crunchyroll and the National Research Group (NRG), an international survey of 29,000 participants aged 13–54, NRG found that the anime-viewing demographic has changed significantly since the late ‘80s and ‘90s. The survey also found that nearly half — 44% to be exact — of teen anime fans are female. The same percentage also felt the need to see more female leads. To add to that, about 59% wanted to see more racially diverse protagonists in anime.
Hollywood really and seriously started taking notice of the anime influence recently when Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba The Movie: Infinity Castle became a box office juggernaut. The film, based on the popular anime franchise, was not only the highest-grossing Japanese film ever, but also one of the top five highest-grossing films of 2025, earning over $740 million at the global box office. It even surpassed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) as the highest-grossing international film in the U.S.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba The Movie: Infinity Castle
The film went on to be an awards season darling in 2026, earning a Golden Globe and Producers Guild Awards noms. It was also honored by the Critics Choice Association with the International Animation Award (Brag: I had the honor of presenting the film with the award.)
The record-breaking feature also cleaned up at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards, claiming the crown for most wins of the night. Of its seven nominations, Demon Slayer took home the award for best score and the coveted trophy for film of the year. (Read all the winners from the Anime Awards here.)
But beyond the numbers, Demon Slayer was a very pivotal moment for anime. Yes, I realize there have been anime fans since the beginning of time, but from the lens of the entertainment industry and pop culture zeitgeist, anime is in its “Winner” Era.
The Japanese export has become such a mainstay in global culture that it’s also become a source of good content — and journalism. The journalists with whom I spent time primarily covered arts, culture, and entertainment, but some of them specifically had a focus on anime.
I never thought that I would be a person to be a fan of anime, let alone attend the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. As a young Gen X’er/old millennial, being a lover of comic books, sci-fi, horror, and things of the sort didn’t exactly get me voted “most popular” in high school. I remember being ridiculed for being really into X-Men, and my love for Star Wars was totally unsexy. Now, it’s totally different.
People like Megan Thee Stallion, Michael B. Jordan, Ariana Grande, John Cena, Billie Eilish, and more “cool” high-profile folks have worn their anime fandom with honor, with even some of them referencing anime icons in their work. (Eilish has a song titled “CHHIRO” a la Spirited Away.)
Anime fans RZA, The Weeknd, and Winston Duke attended this year’s 10th Anime Awards in Tokyo as presenters. I had the opportunity to talk to Duke before his presenting responsibilities (he and actress Rashmika Mandanna presented the Best Animation award to Solo Leveling season 2 -Arise from the Shadow).
The Black Panther actor waxed poetic about the appeal of anime and how it has influenced him and storytelling in Hollywood. He remembers watching anime like Dragon Ball Z for the first time; he was blown away because he had never seen anything like anime before.
“When I look back, I see that anime had a power of storytelling that introduced new ideas to seed new ways of thought,” said Duke. “I didn’t watch it and say ‘that’s the truth’, it showed me the power of ‘what if?’… the possibility.”
He continued, “[Anime] shows Hollywood some of its blind spots. It’s showing that original concepts have a place, and it’s really rewarding to invest in them. Hollywood is in a place where you need to have this preexisting fan base to find success, or else they don’t know if it’s worth the investment, but original stories are worth the investment.”
Duke points out that anime can teach Hollywood to trust that audiences can find their way through complex narrative. “It’s showing Hollywood to lean in to diverse narratives when it comes to a variety of contexts and conversations.”
“It doesn’t have to be simple, and it doesn’t have to be overly simplified. There’s complexity in its richness, and I think that’s why I watch anime.”
