<a href="https://www.crunchyroll.com/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>Crunchyroll hosted its first anime industry summit in New York, and the biggest product news came during closing remarks.
The inaugural Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum on October 7 drew nearly 500 attendees from Japan and the U.S. for sessions on fandom, technology, storytelling, and IP.
As a brand event, it featured leaders from Aniplex, MAPPA, TOHO, and Shueisha, plus special guests Samuel L. Jackson and James Gunn.
The National Research Group also presented its Global State of Anime Fandom 2026 study.
Here, it surveyed 5,000 viewers ages 13 to 54 across 10 international markets, plus 500 viewers in Japan.
The organization found that 79% started watching anime by age 17 and77% have recommended it to someone new.
“There is no single path into anime and no one way to be an anime fan,” Chief Strategy Officer Travis Page said.
Digital manga is one of those paths.
NRG found 69% of surveyed viewers read it monthly or more, and Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini used the closing remarks to announce Crunchyroll Manga’s international rollout.
A Reading Room Inside Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll Manga debuted in the U.S. and Canada in October 2025 and has since grown to a library of more than 450 titles from publishers including Kodansha, Shueisha, and Square Enix.
Notably, over 250 localized English titles from J-Novel Club, Square Enix, and Yen Press are available on iOS, Android, and web in the following countries:
- U.K.
- Ireland
- Australia
- New Zealand
- India
- Several other South Asian markets
The launch lineup includes The Apothecary Diaries, My Dress-Up Darling, and Delicious in Dungeon, with action titles from VIZ Media coming later.
Readers get ad-free access, offline reading, full two-page spreads, and a quick jump between a manga and its anime adaptation on Crunchyroll.
It costs extra as a premium add-on and comes included with an Ultimate Fan membership in select countries, while India offers it only through Ultimate Fan.
“For years, fans have asked us to bring manga closer to their Crunchyroll experience, and we are excited to make that a reality for more fans around the world,” CCO Asa Suehira said.
The rollout follows a busy year for the brand.
Ani-May 2026, Crunchyroll introduced its first ambassador lineup, with Big Sean, Noah Lyles, and REI AMI joining activations across streaming, gaming, retail, and live events.
This experiential marketing approach also reached the forum floor, where Big Sean joined a panel on the influencers shaping anime fandom.
Fandom Research as a Product Roadmap
Crunchyroll passed 21 million paid subscribers in May 2026, up from 17 million a year earlier
The global anime market is estimated at $34.76 billion in 2026, per Research Nester.
Crunchyroll now ties its own research directly to a new revenue line inside that market.
A few lessons stand out for marketers building a subscription brand:
- Publish research that points to a product: Fan data showing 69% reading digital manga monthly gives the add-on a business case and a story to pitch.
- Announce where your audience gathers: Closing remarks at an industry summit put the news in front of press, publishers, and partners at once.
- Tier the offer by loyalty: A paid add-on for casual fans and an included perk for Ultimate Fan members gives every viewer a clear reason to upgrade.
Crunchyroll will learn quickly whether readers pay for a second layer, and India’s Ultimate Fan-only model offers an early test of how much pull the catalog has on its own.
Our Take: Can Manga Readers Tell Crunchyroll What to Make Next?
Reading data may turn out to be the most valuable thing Crunchyroll Manga collects.
With personalized reading lists in the app, we think Crunchyroll can see which stories fans return to chapter after chapter.
Crunchyroll also announced a minor investment in Link-U Group, the company powering the service, so the plumbing is already friendly.
We would watch which titles climb the lists in India and the U.K., where this launch gives Crunchyroll its first look at those readers.
Brands expanding beyond their core audience need agencies that understand strategy and execution.
Find the top event marketing agencies that work at this level in our directory.
