‘Sword Art Online’ Director Makes Bold Claim About The Future of Anime in Hollywood

3 days ago 11

Erielle Sudario is a Collider News and Feature Author from Australia and has worked in the journalism industry since 2018. She has a passion for entertainment and pop culture news and has interviewed YouTubers, voice actors, film directors, and musicians throughout her career. When she's not writing, you can see Erielle building keyboards, reading a good book, playing video games, and creating content on social media.

It's no secret that 2025 was a massive year for anime. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle made huge box office numbers following its release, and Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc also found success a month later. There is also speculation that Solo Leveling may get a movie sometime this year. As anime continues to rise in popularity to the point where streaming platforms outside Crunchyroll are now taking a huge piece of the market, could the anime genre take over Hollywood? According to one anime director, it's entirely possible. In an interview with Daily Shincho, Tomohiko Ito, the director of Sword Art Online, claimed that anime has the power to replace Hollywood films and that events like the COVID-19 pandemic and the SAG-AFTRA strike played a role in the genre's rise. He said:

"I get the impression it was actually when Aniplex acquired Crunchyroll in 2020 that Japanese anime started exploding in popularity across the globe. Taking into consideration the WGA strike from a few years ago and the influence of Covid, it also seems like the influential power of Hollywood movies has been weakening, so I think [Japanese anime] have managed to become a good replacement for them."

While anime has increased in popularity in recent years, the genre has been a massive influence for some time before the pandemic. Titles like One Piece and Naruto have been massive hits since the 90s, and the death of Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama prompted statements and condolences from world leaders. Additionally, filmmakers like Hayao Miyazaki continue to wow the world with their storytelling to the point where his films receive recognition from the Academy.

Tomohiko Ito Has a Warning to Those Wanting To Cater to a Western Market

But despite this bold claim, Ito believes that creating something with global appeal shouldn't be the approach to take, stating that Japanese viewers consider popular overseas content might not hit the mark. At the same time, he also cites how Western viewers make assumptions about the Japanese market, and that's something to take into consideration. He continued:

"There have actually been many cases where focusing too much on 'global appeal' has led to failure. I think Japanese people's idea of what could be well-received worldwide is probably something people overseas don't enjoy. However, the emphasis on political correctness is strong in America, so they might think Japan is the only country that still produces works in which scantily clad girls battle, the kind of stuff that would be considered strange in North America."

For many anime fans, one factor that influences an adaptation's success is how faithful it is to the source material, particularly in storytelling, animation, and performance. However, this is subjective, as opinions differ between the Japanese and Western markets. One major example of this is Chainsaw Man Season 1, which was beloved by Western audiences but poorly received in Japan, to the point that some see it as a "bad anime adaptation."

Sword Art Online is available to stream on Crunchyroll and Hulu.