For an industry marred by brutally long waits between new seasons and animator crunch, shifting from a TV production cycle to movies could help alleviate some of those issues, while also elevating anime as an art form and bringing fans together like never before.
“It’s the next level of community building for the anime fandom at large,” Justin Briner, the English voice of My Hero Academia’s protagonist, along with many other anime characters, tells Polygon. “These movies bring people to the theaters in huge numbers, which is cool. If you asked me 10 years ago if I would see an anime film in the theater, I would, but I don’t think many people would.”
Clifford Chapin, who’s voiced characters in My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, and countless other anime, agrees.
“It creates an incredible event for fans to have a more community experience in the theater,” he says. “When you’re in there and the big moment happens, and the audience is alive with energy and excitement for what’s happening, there’s no comparing it to when you’re home and just watching it by yourself.”
While the Marvel Cinematic Universe struggles, anime is keeping the moviegoing experience alive. But despite the communal appeal of anime films, some fans aren’t thrilled at the prospect of needing to buy a movie ticket to find out what happens next to their favorite characters. This raises an important question: Should anime movies be canon to the larger franchise they’re part of, or exist independently of their respective shows?
“The drive to make anime films out of canon material is an interesting change,” Chapin says. “Some people love it, and some people hate it.”
The issue often comes down to accessibility and the complicated route a film takes from debuting in theaters to eventually showing up online.
“There’s a whole thing about licensing when it comes to film,” he explains. “It limits how it can be available on streaming services and such, so some people see it as a difficulty because they can’t consume the entirety of the story as easily.”
For example, Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc premiered in theaters in October, but landed on digital storefronts less than two months later. Meanwhile, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle still isn’t available anywhere beyond the cinema, with Crunchyroll executive Mitchel Berger stating that “the theater is the only place you’re going to be able to see this film in 2025.”
While the previous Demon Slayer movie, Mugen Train, was a canon film that was later re-adapted into a full anime season, no one expects Infinity Castle to get the same treatment. Instead, Crunchyroll and its parent company, Sony, are planning a trilogy of films, with the next set for 2027. This will undoubtedly alienate Demon Slayer fans who prefer to experience the anime at home, but it’s hard to argue with the numbers: Infinity Castle earned over $700 million worldwide.
Despite anime’s incredible box-office success, Chapin doesn’t see an industry-wide shift toward theatrical releases. After all, not every anime can put up Demon Slayer numbers.
“I think it’s going to be on a more case-by-case basis,” he says. “I don’t think there’s going to be a hard and fast rule on how these things happen or even how people feel about them.”
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On the plus side, putting anime in movie theaters may also bring it to a wider audience. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle even scored a nomination for Best Animated Movie at the Golden Globes this year, alongside Disney’s Zootopia 2.
Prolific anime voice actor Justin Cook, whose credits include Evangelion, Fullmetal Alchemist, One Piece, My Hero Academia, and the Dragon Ball franchise, sees this as a huge win and a path towards even greater recognition.
“There’s been a lot of anime movies and titles, and I think it’s just getting a lot more attention [in America],” he says. “That’s a wonderful thing, I think it’s a testament to the fans of this medium, I think it’s also a testament to the medium itself and this art form of telling stories.”
Anime’s explosive 2025 may mark a turning point in global entertainment that’s been a long time coming. The medium has proven it can rival Hollywood’s biggest brands, generate communal theatrical events, and command a multibillion-dollar audience with stories that cross borders and demographics. As studios look toward the future, the lesson is clear: fans will show up for bold storytelling and authentic adaptations regardless of genre, medium, or national borders.
