30 Anime Facts You Probably Didn't Know

The anime industry is fascinating not only for its stories, but also for the behind-the-scenes of its creation. Here are 30 facts that will surprise even the most experienced otakus. ## About the Industry **1.** The first anime in history is debated, but **Katsudo Shashin** (1907) is considered the oldest known Japanese animation — it's only 3 seconds long. **2.** The word "anime" in Japan refers to **any** animation, not just Japanese. Disney and Pixar are "anime" to Japanese people. **3.** An average animator in Japan earns about **$10,000 to $15,000 per year**, well below the national average. The industry faces serious labor issues. **4.** **Astro Boy** (1963) by Osamu Tezuka is considered the first modern television anime and established many conventions of the medium. **5.** Studio Ghibli was named in honor of an Italian reconnaissance aircraft from World War II. "Ghibli" means "hot desert wind from the Sahara". ## About Famous Series **6.** **One Piece** holds the Guinness record for the most copies published by a single manga series — over 500 million. **7.** **Dragon Ball Z** was so popular in Japan that the crime rate dropped during episode broadcasts. **8.** The creator of **Naruto**, Masashi Kishimoto, originally wanted the protagonist to be a ramen chef, not a ninja. **9.** **Pokémon** caused seizures in 685 Japanese children in 1997 due to stroboscopic visual effects in the episode "Electric Soldier Porygon". **10.** The voice of **Goku** in Japanese is dubbed by **Masako Nozawa**, a woman in her 80s who has voiced the character since 1986. ## About Production **11.** A typical anime episode takes **1 to 3 months** to produce and can contain between 3,000 to 15,000 individual drawings. **12.** The average budget for a TV anime episode is approximately **$150,000 to $300,000**. **13.** **Akira** (1988) used 160,000 animation cels — double that of a typical anime film of the era. **14.** Studio Ghibli periodically closes and reopens beca