Survey: Nearly 10% of Anime Fans Spend $300 a Month on Oshikatsu
Anime! Anime! found about 40% of respondents spend 5,000 yen or less monthly, while acrylic stands lead merchandise purchases at around 70%.
Japanese website Anime! Anime! has published the results of a survey on how anime fans spend money on oshikatsu, their fandom activities, according to the outlet. About 10% of respondents said they spend 50,000 yen (roughly US$300) or more per month, while around 40%, the largest single group, spend 5,000 yen (roughly US$30) or less.
Smaller budgets were also common: about 20% of respondents spend 1,000 yen (roughly US$6) or less per month, and about 15% spend 10,000 yen (roughly US$60) or less. Watching anime was the most widely shared paid activity, named by 90% of respondents.
Merchandise and events
Close to 95% of respondents said they buy merchandise tied to their favorite works, and about 75% buy manga and novels. Around 45% attend events such as screenings, live performances and doujinshi sales.
Acrylic stands were the most commonly purchased merchandise at about 70%, followed by character figures at 30% and can badges at 25%. Respondents also listed difficulties managing their budgets, a lack of storage space and the challenge of getting specific characters from randomized blind boxes.
Among the works respondents mentioned were My Hero Academia, Gintama, Bungou Stray Dogs, Bleach, The Apothecary Diaries and Kagurabachi, with Gundam, Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! cited for merchandise. In a previous oshikatsu survey, Anime! Anime! asked fans about their preferred streaming platform, and Netflix finished behind Amazon Prime Video.
Quick answers
How much do anime fans spend on oshikatsu each month?
About 40% of surveyed fans spend 5,000 yen or less per month, and about 10% spend 50,000 yen or more, according to Anime! Anime!'s survey.
What merchandise do fans buy most?
Acrylic stands were the most commonly purchased item at about 70%, ahead of character figures at 30% and can badges at 25%.