The 2010s were a truly transformative decade for anime, fueled by the growth of streaming platforms, social media and global online communities. As anime became more accessible than ever, fans found new ways to hype up their favorite series, connect with like-minded people and shape internet culture as a whole. Fans who were around in the 2010s will certainly remember anime’s jump in quality and popularity throughout the decade.
Although anime was on its way to becoming mainstream in the 2010s, it still felt like a niche interest that only hardcore nerds proudly wore on their sleeve. Going to conventions wearing cosplay, using an anime profile picture on social media, and sharing anime memes and GIFs didn’t exactly make a fan one of the cool kids, but plenty of the decade’s fandom trends still persist today.
Anime Music Videos Saw a Huge Renaissance
Anime music videos, or AMVs, existed before the 2010s, but improvements in editing software and the rise in YouTube’s popularity suddenly led to a huge resurgence during the decade. AMVs are fan-made music videos using clips and images from anime series. Over the years, fans have got increasingly creative with editing techniques and song choices to match the tone of the anime.
One of the most-viewed anime music videos, ‘Naruto vs. Pain – Sucker Believer,’ perfectly exemplifies the tropes of AMVs, as the video sets Naruto’s fight against Pain to a grungy Imagine Dragons song. Sometimes they’re more emotional, like ‘you can be king again’, which features Hotarubi no Mori and sits at 203 million views, or just plain silly, like the equally popular ‘anime dancin.’
In the ’90s and 2000s, anime fans used to convene in private forum communities where everyone shared the same interests. Much like Discord servers today, fans didn’t need to signify their fan status because the fact that they were in the community already proved it. However, as social media sites like Instagram and Twitter became hubs for online fandom, fans needed a way to show their allegiance to their favorite series.
From the 2010s to today, it has been near-impossible to scroll through Twitter/X without spotting an anime profile picture. While many fans might argue that the anime profile picture has been co-opted by unsavory groups online, back in the 2010s it truly just meant you were a fan, and allowed users to connect and follow others who were posting about their favorite shows.
Guess the anime from the emojis.
Guess the
Anime
Guess the anime from the emojis.
Easy (120s)Medium (90s)Hard (60s)
Waifu and Husbando Culture Was Common, Not Cringe
Every anime fan has heard the words “waifu” or “husbando” at some point, but few know the actual origins of the popular fandom term. “Waifu” originated from the 2002 anime Azumanga Daioh, but became part of the public consciousness in 2009 when a man famously married his anime waifu. From then on, fans referred to the character they had a crush on as their waifu or husbando.
Some of the most popular anime waifus of the 2010s were Asuna from Sword Art Online, Mai from Bunny Girl Senpai and Rin from the Fate series. Husbandos like Levi Ackerman from Attack on Titan, Sebastian from Black Butler and Victor from Yuri!!! On Ice were just as popular. The terms may not be as widely used today, but fans still can’t help crushing on their favorite characters
2010s Anime Was Perfect for Shipping Wars
Shipping has existed since the dawn of modern fandom in the 1960s, all starting with shows like Star Trek and later being popularized by The X-Files‘ fandom. Naturally, anime fans love shipping their favorite characters together, and arguments over which pairings are better can get pretty heated.
It felt like 2010s anime was the perfect storm for massive online shipping wars, as many series from the decade included large casts of characters that could be mixed and matched as fans chose. My Hero Academia, Bungo Stray Dogs and Haikyuu!! were just some of the anime that generated thousands of shipping fanfics, a trend that continues to be integral to anime fandom today.
Naruto Running Reached an All-Time High
Naruto’s famous running style with his hands flying back behind him has been an iconic part of the Naruto anime since it began, and many anime fans fondly remember running around like Naruto on the playground at school. When the series increased in popularity as Naruto Shippuden aired in the 2010s, the meme only continued to get more popular online and offline.
The Naruto or ninja run meme became more widespread around 2017 when fans organized entire events, often on the anime’s anniversary, to meet up and run around like Naruto characters. The meme reached its breaking point in 2019 when the ‘Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us’ event was organized on Facebook, instructing attendees to run like Naruto past security.
Social Media Allowed Fans to Live-Post For the First Time
When anime was still difficult to watch outside of Japan, international fans had to settle for fan subs, bootleg DVDs, and watching episodes on Cartoon Network sometimes months after they first aired in Japan. However, streaming sites like Crunchyroll and Netflix began adding more anime titles to their services in the 2010s, and it finally became possible to watch anime live with other fans.
Twitter particularly was the perfect place for fans to discuss anime as it was airing, thanks to the platform’s real-time hashtag updates and short word count on posts. Live-tweeting led to the virality of series such as Attack on Titan, Konosuba, and Demon Slayer when episodes were so popular that even users with no anime knowledge couldn’t escape them.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Memes Dominated the Internet
Ever since Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure‘s anime adaptation began airing in 2012, fans have been unable to escape the memes born from the fandom. Videos and meme formats based on catchphrases, scenes, and characters from the anime spread like wildfire on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit, making the 2010s feel synonymous with Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.
The most popular Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure meme has to be “It Was Me, Dio!”, which came from the pilot episode of the anime and was reformatted endlessly in the 2010s. Considering that fans have managed to create another viral meme from the premiere of Steel Ball Run, which can be found in the comment section of every anime TikTok, it’s clear the fan base is still skilled in creating memes.
Veteran Fans Hated Anime Becoming Mainstream
It’s undeniable that anime received a boost in global popularity during the 2010s thanks to its widespread availability on streaming services, but not every fan was happy that more people could discover the medium. Anime has historically been a niche interest that would get fans labeled as nerds and weirdos, and understandably, many fans didn’t like “normies” encroaching on their sacred spaces.
It was popular to insult new fans by calling them “normies” or “posers” and flex veteran status by listing niche, little-known anime series casual fans wouldn’t recognize. This trend is still common today, as terms like “larper” and “anime tourist” are used to describe people who haven’t actually watched the series they claim to be a fan of. Even back in the ’90s, fans complained about anime going mainstream, so this trend will likely never cease to exist.
Anime Conventions Were Still the Best Place to Meet Up
Anime conventions feel like a lost art post-COVID, but before the world went into lockdown in 2020, they were still one of the best ways to make friends with fellow anime fans. The 2010s saw a continuation of classic convention trends like yaoi paddles and glomping, but with bigger events and more intricate cosplays to reflect anime’s growing popularity.
Cosplaying and larger anime conventions still exist today, thankfully keeping up the traditions set in decades past. Although social media has made it easier than ever to connect with anime fans worldwide, there is still something special about meeting up in-person to celebrate anime. In the 2010s, it was even more common to see meet-ups centered around a singular series or even a character.
Anime Lore Analysis Became a Common Fandom Activity
Websites like Reddit and Tumblr made it easier than ever for fans to share theories and analysis of their favorite anime series in longer formats. While anime forums were popular before the 2010s, social media sites made lore analysis more of a group activity, with other fans chiming in to debate what would happen in the next episode, or a mysterious character’s backstory.
Anime series with even more intricate world building and complicated plots began popping up in the 2010s, such as Attack on Titan, Steins;Gate, and Psycho-Pass, which made fans eager to deconstruct their complex themes. Reaction videos and video essays also surged on YouTube, where to this day, fans still provide deep dives and dissections of anime lore.