Anime's Journey from Niche to Mainstream

Anime started as a niche interest, but it’s now a global phenomenon. Here’s how it evolved from small audiences to massive popularity.

Early Anime Fandoms

In the 1970s and 1980s, anime and manga were incredibly hard to come by in the U.S. Fans faced a tough hunt: manga was rarely available to the point that some traveled all the way to Japan just to buy Japanese-language volumes from bookstores or specialty shops, lugging them back home. Otherwise, they scoured tiny U.S. stores for expensive and untranslated copies. Watching anime was just as tricky—fans swapped bootleg VHS tapes, often without subtitles, through underground clubs or mail-order networks. It was a small, passionate scene that took serious effort to join.

Going Mainstream

Anime’s mainstream climb shone in 2009 when Hirohiko Araki, creator of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, exhibited his work at the Louvre in Paris. His manga Rohan at the Louvre was featured in "The Louvre Invites Comic-Strip Art" event, alongside global artists. The world’s most famous museum embraced anime as high art, taking JoJo—with its wild characters and bold style—from a quirky Japanese series. This moment proved anime had earned a place in global culture.