The popularity of an anime is decided by the fact that how big its fanbase is after all, the more the merrier. Doesn’t matter what the genre is, an anime is known by its separate fandom. In the industry, there are dozens of community forums supporting their specific series and sometimes they even quarrel over which is the best but have you ever wondered, which are the biggest anime fandoms out there?

Commonly, there are two types of fans – one who just watches anime for fun and the other who is called a “die-hard fan”. These fans don’t miss a chance to defend their favorite shows on social media or at conventions. There might be several anime that are successful in the business but it wouldn’t have been possible without the love and passion of their separate fanbases.

And, in today’s article, we’ll take a look at some of the biggest anime fandoms of all time who are unbelievably passionate about their franchises. So, without any further ado let’s get started.

[Note: The numbers are based on the manga, light novel, or DVD sales combined with viewership and total votes across multiple websites and streaming platforms.]

10. My Hero Academia (712 Million)

There are dozens of great anime shows having fabulous storylines and appealing character designs still, My Hero Academia is one of the handful of shows to make into the top 10 list of most-searched anime on Google. Although the series is home to one of the most toxic anime fandoms, it can’t be denied that the popularity of My Hero Academia outside Japan especially in the West is pretty impressive.

Comprised of 5 anime seasons and 3 movies, the world of My Hero Academia is filled with heroes where 80% of the population acquires supernatural power called ‘Quirk’. Izuku Midoriya, a normal kid is born without such powers however, he still dreams of becoming a superhero himself. Later on, he is scouted by All Might, Japan’s greatest hero, who trains him afterward to make Midoriya the next heir to “One For All”.

9. Demon Slayer (752 Million)

There are two types of anime – one that takes decades to get popular and the other that goes viral with just one season. Demon Slayer is the latter one as the way this franchise has stepped up the ladders of popularity is astonishingly remarkable. In 2019, the franchise made its anime debut and since then the series has just kept rising to be one of the best-selling manga with an estimated sales crossing 150 million copies worldwide.

Written and illustrated by Koyoharu Gotoge, Demon Slayer follows the story of Tanjiro Kamado and his sister Nezuko, who turns into a demon after a horrible incident takes place at their home. Determined to turn his only sister back into a human again, Tanjiro sets on a journey to find a cure and hunt down the strongest demon present, who slaughtered his entire family, Muzan Kibutsuji.

8. Sword Art Online (761 Million)

The concept of Sword Art Online wasn’t something new for the anime community but it did have a fresh look of a “trapped in a video game” story. The series is massively popular among the fans and its fascinating world drew a lot of viewers to the show. Several anime sequels, light novels, and video game adaptations of SAO are available in the global market.

Sword Art Online is a web novel series written by Reki Kawahara. The series takes place in the near future and focuses on protagonists Kazuto “Kirito” Kirigaya and Asuna Yuuki as they play through various virtual reality MMORPG worlds to beat the game and free all the minds trapped in Aincard.

7. Fullmetal Alchemist (800 Million)

There aren’t many fabulous manga series written by a female mangaka as the Japanese manga industry is totally dominated by male manga writers. However, Hiromu Arakawa broke this stereotype by penning an incredible story like Fullmetal Alchemist which was adapted into anime series two times.

However, the 2009 released sequel titled ‘Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’ marked a deep impression on the anime community. It follows the story of two young brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric who perform a forsaken alchemy ritual to bring their mother back to life. However, its failure comes at the cost of Al’s entire body and limbs of Ed. To recover their body parts back, the duo sets on a journey to find “Philosopher’s Stone”.

6. Death Note (818 Million)

Death Note is a top-tier crime-thriller and dark fantasy anime show made by the pair of Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata. There are not many shows like Death Note with only 37 episodes in total still having the biggest anime fandoms of all time. The series follows the story of a high school student Light Yagami who gets his hand on a notebook that grants him the power to eliminate anyone.

Aware of the terrifying godlike power that has fallen into his hands, Light – under the alias “Kira” – follows his wicked sense of justice with the ultimate goal of cleansing the world of all evil-doers. To execute his master plan without getting caught by the genius detective L, Light uses every ounce of his creativity and brainpower that could amaze anyone.

5. Attack On Titan (824 Million)

The one anime which makes you think, “What’s the extent of a Japanese cartoon?”, is none other than the worldwide popular Attack On Titan. Titles like the “most in-demand TV series” and the “most popular anime on IMDb” prove its worth in the entertainment sector. Coming from the brilliant mind of Hajime Isayama, Attack On Titan is known for its brutality as it doesn’t afraid to kill off the main cast if that’s what the story requires.

The series is set in a post-apocalyptic time when humanity has been forced to live behind a series of protective walls to protect themselves from the mindless humanoid predators called Titans. The series is full of mysteries to uncover, and it tackles political and psychological themes exceptionally. Attack On Titan is like an addiction for newcomers, and you’re missing out on a lot if you haven’t watched it yet.

4. Pokémon (945 Million)

Pokémon is a widely recognized anime in the world and almost every person has come across this franchise once in his/her lifetime. Video games, trading cards, television series, movies; the franchise holds a lot of media departments to spread its market all over the world which is why it’s the most cherished Japanese franchise with the biggest anime fandoms around the globe.

The franchise was created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996, and is centered on fictional creatures called “Pokémon”. In addition to its popularity, the franchise stands at the top of the table with an all-time gross of over US$110 billion. Licensed merchandise ($82 billion) and video games ($27 billion) have added up a huge margin to the revenue making it the highest-grossing anime franchise in the world.

3. One Piece (950 Million)

One Piece is entertaining its fans for the last 23 years and its journey is remarkable till now. With more than 1050 manga chapters and 1000+ anime episodes, it has set milestones that no one ever can break. Moreover, it is the second best-selling comic book in the world with an estimated sales of over 500 million manga copies and is still counting.

Written by Eiichiro Oda, the series follows the story of Monkey D. Luffy who dreams of becoming the King of The Pirates. In order to accomplish his dream, he sets out on a journey to recruit new members for his crew so that they can sail throughout the Grand Line and find the mysterious treasure ‘One Piece’ left by the former pirate king, Gol D. Roger.

2. Naruto (985 Million)

The first episode of Naruto was aired way back in 2002 and this year it marked the 20th anniversary of the franchise. In the past two decades, many great shows came and gone but no one ever reached the heights of Naruto. Still, after so many years, Naruto easily outshines any other popular series which are present at the moment and the global search volume index is proof of that.

Admired for its narration, antagonists, and top-notch hand-to-hand combats, the series follows the adventures of Naruto as he dreams of becoming a Hokage of his hometown, The Hidden Village of The Leaf. To accomplish this goal, he trains himself with various ninja techniques and completes several missions along with his friends, Sakura and Sasuke to enhance as a skilled shinobi ninja.

1. Dragon Ball (1 Billion)

Dragon Ball franchise is out there since we all were kids and is no doubt one of the best shōnen series which gave rise to some great shows in the future. New-gen manga authors are deeply influenced by the work of Akira Toriyama and for many, he is an inspiration. Moreover, Dragon Ball promoted the culture of anime, not just in Japan, but in the West as well.

For anime enthusiasts, Dragon Ball is easily one of the most iconic shonen anime of all time and you can easily get into it with no extra effort. There is no need to justify that the Dragon Ball franchise is packed with dynamic anime heroes including the star character, Son Goku. Admit it or not, Dragon Ball will always be the legendary show that started the rise of anime all over the world.

Which one of the following anime fandoms are you a part of? Feel free to comment down your thoughts and make sure to recommend some other popular fanbases like the ones listed above, also don’t forget to share this article with your fellow otaku friends.

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