Highlights
- Bushiroad’s 2026 anime industry trends predicts studios will favor nostalgic IP, sequels, and remakes over risky original content.
- Short-form videos, social media reels, and post-release buzz are becoming key drivers of anime discovery and engagement globally.
- While the global anime market expands, rising genre saturation and success-driven production may limit creative diversity in 2026.
The anime industry is shifting toward proven intellectual property in 2026, with sequels and remakes of nostalgic titles expected to dominate production decisions, according to a new trend forecast by Bushiroad’s Anime Data Insights Lab. The 2026 Anime Industry Trend Forecast identifies eight major patterns shaping anime’s business model in 2026, drafted viewership data and production economics in the year 2025.
According to the survey, there has been a noticeable rise in remakes of popular anime from the 1990s and early 2000s. This trend is linked to fans in their 30s and 40s who have more disposable income and a deep cultural attachment to classic films.
As more businesses enter the market, the rivalry for well-established intellectual property is growing, making original content riskier and sequels or remakes a safer commercial bet. This change takes place in the context of an ongoing global market expansion.
Nostalgia, Evolving Marketing Strategy, and Streaming Service Would Drive Anime Industry
Bushiroad’s forecast was presented by data analyst Keisuke Yutsudo and game producer Yusuke Onuki. The first trend they mentioned was an increase in anime titles, such as 2025’s Summer title, Takopi’s Original Sin, which encouraged discussion and fan theories among the audience. Increasing fan discussions led to heightened visibility and sustained engagement for these anime series.
The study also outlines how short-form video content (shorts/reels) became increasingly popular for an anime’s early traction and sustained engagement. Rather than ending and opening theme videos, shorts and reels on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram have become a core driver for new fans.
While social media-led marketing improved anime awareness among new viewers, nostalgia titles became a core driver for industry in 2025. The study predicts a continued increase in sequels and remakes of older franchises in 2026, from both production and marketing standpoints, as studios favor proven performance over new IPs. Remakes such as Magic Knight Rayearth and High School! Kimengumi has already been approved for 2026.
The growth comes amidst anime’s global viewership surge, with platforms like Netflix reporting that anime fans form a significant portion of their subscriber base, at least 150M people worldwide, underscoring the genre’s mainstream attraction. Currently, overseas streaming covers at least 70% of anime’s production cost in Japan.
The study also predicts that more anime will gain popularity through broadcast runs in the post-release cycle, rather than at the premiere.
Competitive Landscape and Production Realities of Anime Industry Ahead of 2026
The Bushiroad forecast touched on intensified competition within the entertainment industry. Onuki noted that anime must compete with non-fiction content, such as real-world events and reality-based entertainment that are increasingly engaging viewers’ attention.
Maki also broke down a worrying trend for the anime industry: the tendency to produce anime based on measurable performance, which he anticipates would continue for the coming years. The push toward sequels, remakes, and finally projects with seeming success may crowd out innovative storytelling, potentially stunting creative diversity as studios prioritize short-term commercial certainty.
The study also points towards the tendency to produce anime for overseas audiences and how it is increasingly leading to genre-saturation. Genres such as rising to power (Shonen), battles, and reincarnation (Isekai) are becoming common; however, there are productions not made for Japanese audiences.
Another trend observed through 2025, as Onuki argued, is that younger viewers are turning away from anime, especially in Japan. He points out that genre-saturation is leading to this, highlighting that they are getting bored with similar content and themes.
As anime’s global market continues its upward trajectory, Bushiroad’s 2026 forecast highlights some favorable and worrying trends for the anime industry. While the market is steadily gaining popularity, it is also facing a creative slump. Previously, directors such as Hideaki Anno and Tomohiko Ito have pointed out this pertinent issue.
2026 already has many franchise titles lined up, including Jujutsu Kaisen season 3, another Demon Slayer movie drop, continued expansion of One Piece and the like, leveraging on their commercial viability. Nonetheless, with evolving marketing strategies and expanding international viewership shaping anime's commercial success, 2026 would observe how anime industry counter long-sustained problems while managing its scale.
