Crunchyroll’s Anime FanFest at SDCC 2025 Celebrated the Genre’s Accessibility

With each passing year, San Diego Comic-Con proves to be an undying magnetic force, drawing members of every fandom under the sun to the hallowed halls of the San Diego Convention Center. One of the largest fandom present at SDCC, and in the world as a whole, is the anime fandom. This year, the popular anime streaming service Crunchyroll introduced the Crunchyroll Anime FanFest to their usual gamut of activations, panels, and fan interactions.

The festival was free and open to the public on July 25 and 26. In addition to the music festival, attendees visited artist and anime merch pop-ups, an Activations Crosswalk, and exclusive giveaways. The first day featured performances by SPYAIR, yama, ASH DA HERO, Slushii, Magnolia Park, Hyper Potions, VGR, and James Landino. 

“We were all crying tears of joy because we got to see music from Haikyu!! performed live in front of us,” Nicholas Friedman, Director of Audience Development Multimedia and Editorial at Crunchyroll, said. “It was incredible.” 

On the morning of the festival’s second day, Den of Geek was invited to a panel of Crunchyroll leadership, moderated by Friedman. The discussion featured insights from Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini, Chief Operating Officer Gita Rebbapragada, and Senior Vice President of Global Commerce Mitchel Berger.

“It is not only a highly engaged, incredibly passionate fandom, but it is also large,” Purini said. “For us, our mission has been to make anime more accessible.” 

The FanFest is a prime example of that dedication to accessibility. The second day kicked off shortly after the panel concluded, featuring Denzel Curry, INIKO, Pink Pablo, Ali, Yaeji, Taku Takahashi x Alenoise, and NOODLES. One of the DJs in the lineup, Yaeji, visited the Den of Geek interview studio immediately following her set. 

“It was definitely different,” the multihyphenate musician said. “I prepared for it specially on the side. I wanted to play only anime edits and get deep … it wasn’t like a usual set I would play at all.” 

Not only was the decision to feature anime edits an homage to the fans, but it was also in honor of the music Yaeji was inspired by in her early years. 

“I was always on the Internet,” she said. “I think the more influential (artists) are actually probably from video games or anime openings and endings that I listened to throughout my teens.”

Yaeji’s discovery of anime music during her teen years is not an altogether unique experience; according to studies conducted by Crunchyroll, that age is often when anime becomes an influential factor on the lives of fans. 

“The stat from our most recent study that really stuck with me is that 40% of teen anime fans say that anime is part of their identity, and that means that anime is so much more than just entertainment,” Rebbapragada said. “It is truly a place where people seek joy, sanctuary, connection, and identity.” 

Other statistics reflect the breadth of the fandom and the company’s emphasis on accessibility: the platform serves over 17 million members across more than 200 countries and territories. After three decades of operation, the service is still evolving and growing in tandem with the desires of the fans, all in pursuit of the company’s motto to be “everything to someone, not something to everyone.” 

“We believe that we’re building something that’s bigger than us and that anime is bigger than Crunchyroll, and that leads us to design things and do things that are in celebration and there to create joy,” Rebbapragada said.  

Some of these upcoming innovations include adding to the existing 50,000+ episodes and feature films available to stream, the launch of Crunchyroll’s digital manga service, and even more ways for fans to engage with each other. 

“We are starting a new program called Crunchyroll Anime Nights,” Berger said. “This is going to be a monthly theatrical program that is really designed to honor both the past, the present, and the future of anime.” 

This emphasis on the theatrical experience of anime recently took Japan by storm. According to Berger, the release of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle was the biggest opening weekend of any anime film, generating 7.31 billion yen ($49.55 million). 

“If that is any indication, this is going to be an absolutely colossal worldwide event that I’m really, really excited about,” he said.  

According to the leadership team, 54% of anime fans believe Crunchyroll is essential to the medium. The success of the Anime FanFest and continual growth of the fandom is a reflection of the symbiotic dedication between a massively committed fan base and the curators and creators of that content.