But anime is not new to India. In 1993, India and Japan co-produced an anime film, Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama, which was later cut into episodes for television. Soon after, in the early 2000s, Pokémon and Dragon Ball Z were aired on Cartoon Network India and more anime titles were aired once the network launched their channel Toonami. So why is it that we are seeing anime everywhere only now, in 2024? “Those who grew up on cartoons 10 to 12 years back, are more adaptable now to watching different forms of storytelling in animation. And that’s how anime as a genre has suddenly started seeing traction in the past few years,” says Leena Lele Dutta, business head at Sony YAY! 

With the Internet and social media integration, Dutta says kids are now aspiring to watch what their counterparts are viewing globally. Naturally, a lot of anime is being consumed on OTT platforms as well. “I had seen some episodes of Naruto on TV as a kid, but in 2014, I finally found free streaming sites online to watch the full series, as it wasn’t airing on TV anymore. I was hooked,” says Namrata Ghogardare, a freelance photographer.

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The Souled Store and Bewakoof are just some of the brands that are doing official anime merch. Pic Courtesy/The Souled Store

Dutta admits that airing Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden on the night band on Sony YAY! means that the audience’s age range is 15 years and up. “We launched Naruto in 2022 and the slot from 8 per cent grew  to almost 12 per cent instantly. We came back with Naruto: Shippuden this year, and that slot again grew from almost 9 per cent viewership straight to 15 per cent and even touched 20 per cent market share.” But the fact that anime, especially Naruto, is dubbed in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi is also what majorly contributes to the growth in numbers. And, while the majority of the audience is from urban areas and northeastern India, a quick internet search will tell you that there are fan clubs in cities like Nagpur, Meerut, Ranchi, and more.

According to JetSynthesys, anime has captured 83 per cent of Indians’ preference over other animated content options. Predictably, the rise in anime viewership means that fans are seeking anime fandom merch. “I think collectables or wearing fandom tees are just a way for a person to express an appreciation for series,” says Prabhu talking about why fans have been demanding anime merchandise. In the past, Prabhu and Ghogardare both admit to having resorted to finding shops that would offer custom printing on t-shirts. “I used to photoshop screengrabs from my favourite anime shows and get them printed. Merchandise was never available before,” says Prabhu. 

With anime coming to India, paired with licensing rights for merchandise, fans can finally get their hands on official merchandise. Additionally, the anime market in India is projected to exhibit a growth rate (CAGR) of 13 per cent from 2023 to 2028. Brands like The Souled Store, Bewakoof, Reliance Trends, Boat, and even Vega have jumped onto producing official merchandise for anime fandoms. “It’s exciting for us to finally see the anime licensors understanding the potential of India. The biggest challenge that we faced in the last three or four years was that there was a clear demand for anime merchandise but it wasn’t possible,” says Harsh Lala, co-founder of The Souled Store. He adds that when they first launched official anime merchandise, they took a risk by launching it in January 2024, a relatively slow month for shopping. However, their sales report said otherwise and gave them a spike that they have previously only seen with fandoms like Harry Potter, Marvel, or DC that have existed for decades. “In a country like India where there’s a strong jugaad culture, you will always have people taking designs off the internet, producing low-quality merchandise and making a quick buck. But the fact that licensors are now working to develop official merchandise where you can guarantee authenticity and quality, I think that’s very encouraging,” says Lal.

Managing Director of Vega Auto Accessories, which is set to launch anime fandom helmets for adults and kids, Girdhari Chandak says, “People no longer mind spending more on helmets and they are looking for more designs. Anime is yet another niche, and will surely perform well, especially in the 18-35 age range.” 

Are fans excited to have access to official merchandise? “Yes! I have had to get t-shirts custom-printed in the past, so this is much easier. But I am hoping better designs come by as current collections can at times be quite in the face,” says Ghogardare. For Prabhu, access to official fashion merchandise is still a struggle, “Brands usually cap sizes at 3XL while I wear 5XL,” he says. Is anyone listening?