Japan’s content giants seek bigger India play through films and IP

Mumbai: Japan's content industry is looking to move up the value chain in India, shifting from exporting finished animation programmes to monetising established intellectual property through films, licensing, merchandise, experiences and increasingly localisation.

Rising Opportunity

The opportunity is emerging across two parallel markets: the established kids' animation business built around properties such as Doraemon and Crayon Shin-chan, and a newer, broader anime market fuelled by streaming and theatrical releases that is attracting teenagers and adults.

"India is one of the most important markets for us in terms of animation," said Maiko Sumida, head of animation and sales, international business department, at TV Asahi, whose animation programmes include Doraemon, Shin-chan and Ninja Hattori.


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Doraemon has been in India for more than 20 years, and the Tokyo-headquartered broadcaster is now taking the character to cinemas as part of a broader strategy around the property.

The theatrical move, Sumida said, is part of a "360-degree" approach, with licensing and merchandising expected to follow.

PVR Inox Pictures, which released Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Super Hot! The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers in India, will release Doraemon the Movie: New Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil across Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

India Audience

Black White Orange (BWO) is managing the marketing and licensing programme, with strategic consulting provided by Happening 365 Synergies.

Kenji Yoshida, corporate officer at Fujiko Pro, which represents the Doraemon creator's office, said more Fujiko F Fujio properties could come to the country. Perman has found an audience in India, he said.

For Shin-Ei Animation, producer of the Doraemon films, the franchise offers a larger catalogue to commercialise. The studio has produced 45 Doraemon films and said it would like to see more released in India.

Anime Market

The broader anime market provides another leg to the opportunity. GEM Partners' Anime Global White Paper 2026, based on 2025 data, puts India's anime viewership penetration at 41%, making it the world's third-largest market on this measure, behind Japan and China. Also, 79% of Indian anime viewers surveyed said they had spent money on anime-related products or services.

Last year, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle became the highest-grossing anime film in India with collections of ₹75 crore, according to Sacnilk.

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Streaming platforms such as JioHotstar, Netflix and Prime Video have been adding more anime content, while Sony Pictures Entertainment's Crunchyroll sees India among its top three markets.

Hakuhodo India's 2026 research found that 95.9% of anime viewers surveyed across eight Indian cities watched anime on smartphones, while OTT platforms were central to consumption. It also found merchandise extending into everyday categories such as apparel, stationery, accessories and bags.

Jayanto Banerjee, co-managing director at Hakuhodo India Group, said anime is poised to emerge out of being a niche culture to becoming mainstream in the near future. "It already plays a role far beyond entertainment to becoming life crutch for many," he said.