When it comes to teen and YA audiences, the size and intensity of their appetite for anime seems to be surpassing other pop-culture passions. 

This key finding comes from a new Crunchyroll-commissioned report published yesterday by the National Research Group (NRG). Underpinning it is survey data from 29,000 entertainment consumers ages 13 to 54, including 3,500 anime fans in the US, the UK, India, Germany, France, Brazil and Mexico.

Crunchyroll’s study looked at how this popular Japanese animation form is perceived by Gen Z, which is defined in this case as 13- to 28-year-olds. Roughly 54% of the demo expressed a “fanship” for anime—putting it well ahead of other buzzy favorites like K-pop band BTS (39%) and sports leagues such as the NFL (48%). It’s also outpacing K-dramas (43%) and Bollywood titles (39%) with this audience.

Roughly 60% of 13- to 17-year-olds identify as anime fans, with the report highlighting that the genre plays a “meaningful” role in self-identity for 40% of them, with 30% saying it has even influenced their “outlook” on life.

In terms of discoverability, more than half of fans say that streaming platforms are where they find new anime to watch—and interestingly, 40% say they discover new series through fan edits on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, suggesting a significant role for fandom in popularizing the genre.

While anime love is increasingly global, the report noted that the pace of adoption varies in different markets. “Countries like the US, Brazil and France boast long-standing anime fandoms, while markets like the UK are still in earlier stages of growth.”