Anime Shorts Are Booming — and Characters Are the Catalyst

Anime is one of the most consistently popular categories across social video platforms. Its global fan base, recognizable characters and highly visual storytelling make it particularly well suited for short-form clips that can travel quickly across feeds. 

A new analysis from Tubular Labs suggests that the category is surging on on social video right now, especially on YouTube Shorts. And much of the growth is being driven by character-focused content, rather than broad franchise clips.  

• Anime videos on YouTubeShorts generated 129 billion views in 2025, up 125% year-over-year.
• Uploads across the category grew 90% to 506K.
• Content featuring Goku and One Piece saw explosive growth exceeding 3,500% year-over-year, while videos related to Jujutsu Kaisen grew by over 1,500%.

For more insights on Anime Creation & Consumption of Cross-Platform Anime Content powered by Tubular Labs, download the report below.