On October 7, Crunchyroll will host the inaugural Anime Future Forum at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, set against New York Comic Con. The Sony-owned platform reveals this isa first-of-its-kind invite-only summit that will pull Japan's anime sector leaders into the same room as their counterparts in Hollywood, tech, gaming, and music.
Jefferies Group projects the global anime market to hit $60.1 billion by 2030, up from $22 billion in 2023. IPs like Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle cleared $740 million worldwide last fall and became the highest-grossing Japanese film ever. Crunchyroll's subscriber base has gone from nearly 3 million at acquisition in 2020 to 17 million-plus so far in 2026.
Now the part nobody at the Javits will say out loud: the American anime audience is disproportionately Black and brown. From the Toonami generation to the kids livestreaming sub-vs-dub debates on Discord right now, Black culture has been carrying anime fandom in the U.S. as a taste-making force, not just a consumption stat.
Organizations like Trap Sushi are a testament to this. Now, other megastars across black entertainment are leaning in: Megan Thee Stallion at the Anime Awards and A$AP Rocky moving like a Bleach character on the Met Gala carpet. The crossover is the culture and is a big reason why anime is growing so rapidly in North America.
So, when industry leaders gather to design anime's next chapter, the question isn't will “culture” be a key talking point, the question is who's in the room when the strategy is being spoken about and discussed in real time.
Here's how this usually plays out: the audience is multicultural, the boardroom isn't, and three years later we're reading think pieces about why the cultural strategy "missed." We've watched this movie in hip-hop, in streetwear, and in gaming. The pattern doesn't have to repeat.
So, here's what we're saying to our community: book the flight.
If you're a Black or brown creator, founder, executive, or operator with skin in the anime and interactive media ecosystem being in New York on October 7th isn’t an option. Even if your name isn't on the invite list yet, be in the city. Be in the rooms around the room. Every major industry shift in entertainment has been shaped as much by who showed up to the cocktail hour as by who got the keynote.
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