National Anime Day Date in the current year: April 15, 2025

In Japan and in Japanese, the term anime refers to all animated works, regardless of style or country of origin. Outside of Japan, however, it is used to describe specifically animated works produced in Japan, and sometimes also animated works in the style of Japanese animation produced outside of Japan.

The precursors of Japanese animation, which influenced its style, were illustrated handscrolls (emakimono), shadow puppetry (kag-e), and a form of Japanese street theater called kamishibai. The development of animation in Japan began in the early 20th century, when Japanese filmmakers learned animation techniques developed in Europe and the United States.

The oldest Japanese work of animation is Katsudō Shashin, an animated film strip made by an anonymous creator sometime between 1907 and 1912. The development of professional animation in Japan began in 1917; the earliest surviving animated work from this period is The Dull Sword (Namakura Gatana) by Jun’ichi Kōuchi. Other pioneering animators who are now considered the fathers of anime were Seitarō Kitayama and Ōten Shimokawa. Unfortunately, much of the early work was destroyed by the Great Kantō earthquake in 1923.

The development of modern anime began in the 1960s thanks to Osamu Tezuka, who studied Disney animation techniques and adapted them to reduce production costs. Another factor contributing to the rise of anime was the growing popularity of television, which made anime more accessible to the general public; one of the first successful anime television series was Tezuka’s Astro Boy based on his manga of the same name.

Today, anime production is a multi-billion dollar industry. Japan has more than 430 anime production companies, which produce about 60% of the world’s animated television shows. Major anime studios include Kyoto Animation, MAPPA. Nippon Animation, Studio Ghibli, TMS Entertainment, Toei Animation, and many others.

Since the 1980s, anime has become popular in the Western world, with streaming services such as Netflix becoming increasingly involved in its production. The global anime and manga fandom is huge, and many fans regularly attend anime conventions, which take place in multiple countries and can range in size from small fan-organized gatherings to commercial events with thousands of attendees.

The origins of National Anime Day are unclear. Some sources claim that it was conceived in 1975 at the first Comiket convention in Tokyo, but there is no solid evidence to support this claim. However, the murky origins of National Anime Day do not prevent American fans from celebrating it every year.

There are many ways to celebrate National Anime Day. You can re-watch your favorite anime series or discover new ones, introduce your friends to anime, cosplay as your favorite anime character, buy new merchandise, host an anime themed party, plan a trip to an anime convention, and post about the holiday on social media using the hashtag #NationalAnimeDay to spread the word.