14 Fun Facts About Anime
Now, don’t lie. We are all big fans of anime, am I right? I personally can’t resist one episode after the next after the next. And when I’m done with the series, I start a new one. I bet a lot of you guys are the same.
And the numbers don’t lie: Anime films and shows make up about 60% of animation-based media entertainment in the world! So it just goes to show that its popularity is more than just in Japan. It’s worldwide!
In this article, we have 14 fun facts about anime that you might not know, but will definitely enjoy!
14 Anime Facts
1. Kimi no Na Wa is the third highest-grossing anime film of all time!
Image Credit: Wikipedia
If you don’t already know, Kimi no Na Wa (the English title is Your Name) is a Japanese animated romantic fantasy film released in 2016. The story is about a high school boy in Tokyo who swapped bodies mysteriously with a high school girl in the countryside.
The movie was screened in major cinemas worldwide and was a huge success. In fact, it was one of the biggest successes of the anime industry. The film made over $355 million, breaking over numerous box office records. It comes in third after Spirited Away (2001) and Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train (2020).
2. The longest-running anime has more than 7,500 episodes
Image Credit: Wikipedia
The longest-running anime ever is Sazae-san. It is about a mother named Sazae-san (big surprise) and her family. The series showcases everyday problems of everyday people, which is a little surprising that this is the genre for the longest-running anime.
This animated TV series has over 7,500 episodes that are 6 minutes each, with the first episode airing in October 1969. and holds a Guinness World Record for the longest-running animated TV series!
3. ‘Spirited Away’ is the first anime film to be nominated for an Academy Award, and won!
Image Credit: Wikipedia
The 2001 Japanese animated film called Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi in Japanese) is one that all of us should already know. It’s a true legend. This film is about a ten year old girl who moved to a new neighbourhood. While doing so, she entered the world of the spirits. When her parents turned into pigs, she took a job at the neighbourhood’s bath house so she could free herself and her parents of the spirit world.
We can all agree that it’s a unique and interesting storyline. Even the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, which doesn’t often stray away from Pixar and Disney movies. In 2003, this Japanese animated film won the 75th Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature.
A small fun fact: the director, Hayao Miyazaki, didn’t attend the ceremony because of his opposition to the Iraq war.
4. Characters in ‘Spirited Away’ have meaningful names
A lot of thought was put into the anime film Spirited Away. It was no wonder the anime won the award. One of the details that was very obviously thought about a lot were the names of the characters. A lot of them had symbolic meanings.
For example, the name ‘Kamaji’ means ‘old boiler man’. ‘Boh’ means ‘little boy’ or ‘son’. Zenobia means ‘money witch’. Even ‘Yubaba’ means ‘bathhouse witch’.
My favourite of them all is Chihiro, the main character, which has the meaning of ‘a thousand searches’.
5. Death Note is banned in China
Image Credit: Wikipedia
Yes, you read the title right. One of the most popular anime, Death Note, is banned in China! China is not new to banning media for its citizens, and Death Note apparently falls under the category of anime with inappropriate material.
Death Note isn’t the only or first anime to be banned in China. Others include Highschool of the Dead, Attack on Titan and Psycho-Pass.
6. The ramen shop ‘Ichiraku’ in Naruto exists
Image Credit: Wikipedia
Naruto is without a doubt one of the most popular anime in the world! If you’re a dedicated fan of this anime, you would know of Naruto’s favourite ramen shop called ‘Ichiraku’.
I’m here to tell you that this ramen shop exists! It’s real, guys. You can actually find it in Kyushu under the same name. It is located near the university Masashi Kishimoto, the author of the series, went to. Masashi was so in love with the ramen shop that he just had to include it in the series!
If you find yourself in Kyushu, be sure to drop by this ramen shop!
7. Naruto was supposed to be a chef!
When the creator Masashi Kishimoto was writing about Naruto, the character and not the series, he originally was training to be a chef. But he then scrapped the idea and just kept the name. He changed Naruto to be who we now know and love, a boy who can transform into a fox. Imagine what this series would be like if Naruto traded in his iconic 額当て (hitaiate) headband for a テフロン (tefuron) Teflon pan and some delicious 作り方 (tsukurikata) recipes!
8. There is a reason the series is called ‘Bleach’
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One of the top anime series ever is Bleach. Even those who don’t watch it know what it is and what it is about. But do we know exactly why the name of the anime is so?
The creator of Bleach, Tite Kubo, gave two reasons behind the naming of the series. The first reason is because bleach is used to remove stains on clothes and to whiten them. This is similar to how the soul reapers in the series cleanse or bleach their souls.
The second reason, which is the important one, is because it’s the name of a Nirvana album and it’s one of Kubos’ favourites.
9. 50 new colours were created for ‘Akira’
Image Credit: Wikipedia
The 1988 anime film ‘Akira’ is one that goes down in the history books. The film is a huge technical accomplishment for the Japanese anime industry. For one, it has 2,212 shots and 160,000 single pictures, which is twice or thrice more than the average anime.
Another thing is that most of the scenes of the film were set for nighttime. Most animators avoid that and prefer day scenes because night scenes require high usages of colour. Even with that, it requires high precision for it to look pleasing. But Akira went against the conventional ways and used 327 colours in the movie. Out of them, 50 were exclusively created for the film!
10. The name ‘Pokemon’ comes from English
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Did you know that the ever-famous ‘Pokemon’ franchise is named after an English word? In fact, it came from two English words: ‘pocket’ and ‘monster’.
Just a short fun fact for you.
11. Pokemon characters were named after fighters
Some of the Pokemon characters were named after fighters! In particular, they are Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Hiroyuki Ebihara and Tadashi Sawamura.
The characters Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee were inspired by Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee respectively. Even we can see that. On top of that, Hitmonchan’s alternate name, Ebiwalar, came from Ebihara. Hitmonlee’s name, Sawamular, obviously came from the world’s first kick-boxer Sawamura. It's a great tribute to these fierce men with muscular arms and 瘡蓋 (kasabuta) on their knuckles!
12. ‘Haikyuu’ was created to make volleyball popular
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I’m not big on sports, but when I started watching Haikyuu, I picked up volleyball. I guess the anime did its job. Because that was what it first set out to do.
The creator, Haruichi Furudate, stated in an interview in 2014 that his goal was to make volleyball seem fun and cool. After the release of Haikyuu, there was an increase in enrollments of high school students in volleyball clubs!
13. Bakugo was supposed to be good
Image Credit: Wikipedia
We love all the characters of My Hero Academia. Both the good and bad. But what if Katsuki Bakugo was a good character instead?
Originally, creator Kohei Horikoshi wanted the character to be a kind, gentle hero. However, he scrapped the idea and made the character the Bakugo we now know and love: arrogant and a little bit of a nightmare.
14. Many Studio Ghibli films are based off books
Howl's Moving Castle was adapted from a young adult fantasy book by the same name by British writer Dianna Wynne Jones. Miyazaki and Jones met face to face to discuss the adaptation before its production.
Kiki's Delivery Service was based on an illustrated children's book by the same name by author Eiko Kadono. The book has multiple sequels!
Ghibli's most somber film, Graveyard of the Fireflies, was based on a semi autobiographical short story by Nosaka Akiyuki, who survived the firebombing of Kobe, and witnessed the 挽回 (bankai), recovery and restoration, of Japan post-WWII.
These are just some of the more popular adaptations. Many other Ghibli films, including The Secret World of Arrietty, Only Yesterday, and Whispers of the Heart are based on novels or manga.
Which anime fact did you find most interesting?
Did you enjoy these anime fun facts? Which ones were the most interesting for you? And which ones surprised you the most? I know when I was reading up on them, I was a little surprised at them all! Anyway, we’d love to hear from you! Comment down in the section below or hit us up on our social media platforms!