The Rise of Anime Mirrors the Growth of Bitcoin - Brave New Coin

No longer a fringe interest for niche fan clubs or midnight marathons, anime has exploded into mainstream pop culture, with a surge in popularity. Netflix has revealed that over half its global user base, 150+ million households, representing around 300 million viewers, now regularly watch anime on its platform. That's triple the audience from five years ago.

Why this anime boom? A powerful combination of cultural fatigue, digital escapism, and the rise of subversive, cyberpunk themes. Just like Bitcoin.

First off, Netflix’s anime explosion isn’t accidental. They’ve deliberately embraced anime, releasing shows simultaneously around the globe in up to 33 dubbed languages. This hyper-global strategy has led anime to dominate Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English titles, doubling from 2021 to 33 hits in 2024 alone. And it’s paying off. The Dentsu report notes that one in three viewers worldwide now watches anime weekly, with Netflix leading over rivals like Disney+, Hulu, and even Crunchyroll, the dedicated anime platform.

Netflix’s smart curation has also tapped into the zeitgeist of viewer frustration. Audiences have tired of recycled Hollywood formulas, endless sequels, and sterile remakes. Anime offers freshness and originality, something nearly 30% of U.S. anime fans cited as a primary appeal. Shows like “Cyberpunk: Edgerunners,” the acclaimed dystopian anime based on CD Projekt Red’s gritty “Cyberpunk 2077” universe, embody exactly this gritty novelty.

“Cyberpunk: Edgerunners,” which drew massive crowds at Anime Expo including rapper Rico Nasty in full cosplay, isn’t just entertainment; it’s a cultural marker. Its cyberpunk themes tap into broader societal anxieties and fascinations: corporate dystopias, digital identities, rebellion against mainstream norms, and a yearning for autonomy. Interestingly, these themes parallel another major cultural rebellion: the rise of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency culture.

Sakamoto Days, Source: Netflix

The Rise of Bitcoin

Bitcoin, like anime’s cyberpunk subgenre, thrives as an anti-establishment movement. It represents financial rebellion, decentralization, and resistance against mainstream institutional control. Similarly, cyberpunk anime explores futures where centralized authority is challenged by individual hackers, rogue entities, and tech-enhanced antiheroes. The audiences for both Bitcoin and cyberpunk anime overlap significantly—both subcultures celebrate freedom, autonomy, and technological rebellion against traditional power structures. That means investors can take the growing popularity of anime with younger audiences as a signal that now is a good time to buy Bitcoin and crypto. They’re only going to become more mainstream. After all, it’s better to buy Bitcoin early, than late.

Moreover, anime’s appeal to younger, digitally native audiences aligns seamlessly with Bitcoin’s crypto-native crowd. Both cultures speak a language rooted in online communities, memes, digital collectibles, and global connectivity. They foster online tribes that span borders, united not by geography but by shared ideals.

Netflix, keenly aware of these synergies, doubles down on cyberpunk content. The announcement of “Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2,” unveiled at Anime Expo, signals their commitment to fostering this intersection of digital rebellion, dystopian storytelling, and mass-market appeal.

As anime transitions from niche to norm, the parallel rise of cyberpunk storytelling and Bitcoin signals a cultural shift—a rebellion not just against stale Hollywood narratives but against centralized power structures themselves. Anime’s mainstream moment isn’t just about entertainment; it’s a bellwether for broader cultural movements driven by technology, individualism, and defiance of the status quo, everything that crypto represents

Top 10 Most Popular & Recommended Anime on Netflix 2025

| | | | --- | --- | | Title | Description | | Jujutsu Kaisen | A high schooler joins a secret organization of sorcerers to eliminate deadly curses and avenge his fallen friends. | | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba | A young boy becomes a demon slayer after his family is slaughtered by demons and his sister is transformed into one. | | One Piece | The epic adventure of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew in their quest to find the legendary treasure ‘One Piece.’ | | Attack on Titan | Humanity battles gigantic humanoid creatures known as Titans in a brutal fight for survival. | | Cyberpunk: Edgerunners | In a tech-dystopian future, a street kid turns into an Edgerunner to survive in the dangerous world of Night City. | | My Happy Marriage | A supernatural romance unfolds as a mistreated noblewoman finds unexpected kindness and mystery in an arranged marriage. | | Beastars | In a world of anthropomorphic animals, a shy wolf wrestles with his instincts and social hierarchies at school. | | The Apothecary Diaries | A brilliant servant girl uncovers court intrigues and mysterious illnesses using her sharp intellect in ancient China. | | Record of Ragnarok | Gods battle humanity’s greatest warriors in one-on-one duels to determine the fate of the world. | | Sakamoto Days | A legendary hitman turned family man tries to live a quiet life, but his past keeps catching up to him in hilarious and action-packed ways. |