Why So Many Black People Love Anime

[@211teitake]

I'm a Japanese-Japanese. This video is eye-opening. I didn't know there was such a solid fan base within the black community. I just thought I had an otaku black friend but she wasn't an outlier.

[@Jamsomeone]

Anime has a huge impact on Latin America as well, so much so that a erotic club in Mexico offered free lap dances if Goku beat Jiren in the Tournament of Power😂

[@Humanistic_]

I'm black. I never thought about it but yeah. Anime was/is very popular in the black community. I remember as a kid, most of the kids in my class and on my little league football team were big DBZ fans. Watched it religiously. Even at church, we'd play Yugioh cards. Haven't been into anime since '09, but thinking back its interesting how prominent it was

[@acecarterbeats1896]

😂😂 nahh we don’t be watching anime lmao it’s only those weird white washed blacks who watch them 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@quincyquincy4764]

@@Jamsomeone I love it! LMAO😂

[@bigcheemo]

I hope this knowledge helps Japanese people become a little less racist towards Black People. Japan is one of the most racist countries towards black people i have ever seen.

[@astriverofstrengthandknowledge]

As a Nigerian, I can never get enough of anything inspired by Japanese culture whether or not it’s anime. It just hits different.

[@Anedoje]

As a Nigerian ngl I was surprised when I found out How Big Anime was in Naija, it took me growing up a lil bit outside Nigeria and falling in love with anime to find out My own people loved the stuff, after watching so many Anime i realised Nigeria really missed a train in telling our own stories animation is expensive so i cannot know that down but if just 1% of our stories were animated it would be glorious, with how cheap it is getting i can’t wait to see what we can do with that medium

[@raisyrosye7656]

I'm not Nigerian, my ethnicity is Bangladeshi but I wish every country could get its own animation industry so more stories could be told.

[@docaz9453]

@@raisyrosye7656 I agree but the anime industry in japan is supported by the goverment of japan, they also have soild market in side japan for manga and novels that anime get adapted from , it hard to support such industry .

[@xianxiaemperor1438]

Exactly lol fellow Nigerian here :)

[@DonaTheKidd]

As a fellow Nigerian I can agree

[@Pudin-kc2oz]

Black peopel like anime for the same reason every other people like it-its good that's it,like you'll making a big deal out of black peps liking anime

[@mattbauman8368]

I'm white. I LOVE dbz but all my friends thought it was "for kids" when I was growing up. One time, going through airport security in ATL - maybe I was like 14 or 15 years old - the black TSA agent wanted to see what I was drawing. I was embarrassed to show him. But I had to. He was an adult... So I showed him and he was like, "Yo is that Vegeta? That's good. Keep it up." lol, I still remember that moment 15 years later. First time I realized I was cool. Now I have DBZ tats, work out like I'm in the hyperbolic time chamber, and rep DBZ all the time. At this pace, I should hit Super Saiyan by 2034

[@suzygirl1843]

I'm black girl, I love anime but fell off of it during my second year in college. I just think that black people should create their own content (The Boondocks) if they want representation. No use in leaving it to the Asians who crafted their own form of representation through anime for the last 80 years. It would be like if Asians begged for representation in Hip Hop and Rap. K-Pop/ Chicano pop culture is inspired by black culture.

[@itumo2645]

@@suzygirl1843 >>> This post has nothing to do with representation. Like the video shows, Black people are already creating their own animes with the studio that created Yasuke being owned by the Black person.

[@kreativeforce532]

@@suzygirl1843 absolutely! Our artists need your support Suzy. Please continue to spread the word.

[@raisyrosye7656]

Yes, everyone’s stories should be told and you shouldn't rely on someone else to do it right, only you can tell the full story.

[@Sunsuperman]

Man stfu, no one cares that you're white.

[@avalonmars2598]

As a black person. I'll always respect Naruto for not only respecting us and showing us in a good light but also making the village hidden in the clouds the second strongest village as well as killer B teaching Naruto how to use his Bijuu powers properly...

[@nashambenyisrael7689]

Honestly if it wasn't for anime, I wouldn't know the people I grew up with. What brought us all together was that we all liked anime. Spanish, white, asian, black all of us enjoyed anime.

[@jordanjohnson9866]

Nah. Not all of us. Not “all of us.” /

[@justind.3632]

Im late but that is so awesome :D

[@WR-sc7io]

Of course us asians enjoyed it thats what we grew up with....

[@nashambenyisrael7689]

@@WR-sc7io lmao not all Asian people like anime dude. There’s a video by a man name Takeshi who asks native Japanese questions. The video was “ do all Japanese like anime “ and to sum up the video, no not all Asians like anime..

[@Ajtv122]

All my friends watch it and I don’t. We still friends tho lol

[@heyitsfadoua]

One of my favourite characters ever in Attack on Titan is black and MY BOY'S NAME IS ONYANKOPON ❤️😌 SASHA: "Why is your skin black?" Onyankopon: "God made us all different. Isn't it more interesting this way?" SLAAAAAAY ISAYAMA 🥰

[@MarvoloRiddle]

Onyankopon means God in Asante Twi, a Ghanaian language. I was pretty surprised when I first saw him in the series.

[@mikhelBrown]

@@MarvoloRiddle Are u from Gh my G?

[@MarvoloRiddle]

@@mikhelBrown I have lots of friends from GH

[@revolutionsquared1]

YESSSSS AMAZING AOT REFERENCE

[@lordspvce702]

As someone who grew up fatherless in the 90’s Dragon ball Z characters filled that father figure role well and actually taught me to love working out and training. Definitely kept Me out the streets and grew my love for More anime. Thanks again for the start Toonami!

[@sakurakou2009]

naruto helped me so much , we basically grow up together , I started watching naruto when I was 14yr anf by shippuden I was 16/17 , and in boruto I am 28yr old now , I feel like he was my frined growing up 🤭

[@mrdaykurutakuchannel]

I'm also introduced to anime at the same era thanks to animes popping on TV every Sunday morning like most Indonesians growing up at that time, and I'm hooked ever since! I love its action, characters, storylines, unique themes and or course its uniquely beautiful designs!

[@Onepieceistheworstfuckinganime]

And you watched the most corny mainstream bs like everyone else right?

[@ult7511]

That's pretty cool. I'm Filipino, anime here is pretty common, I'm lucky that most 90's kid here grew up watching the big 3.

[@thomashankins7829]

That’s why I love Japanese City Pop. It feels like the perfect blend of Soul and Anime in one. I can only imagine the magic that could be made if Black culture and Japanese culture OPENLY embraced each other on a larger scale.

[@majorlazor5058]

It’s a one way street

[@majorlazor5058]

@mVP well if white people made a white anime convention it would be full of Nazis and whites supremacists and meant to exclude. That is in stark contrast to an extreme ethnic minority of anime fans celebrating their love of anime together where whites are also welcome to join.

[@eazybaby5094]

@mVP … White people wouldn’t need to? All the current conventions have mostly white people anyway. Other races are allowed to come to dreamcon you know, Dylan with RDC world isn’t even black

[@eazybaby5094]

@mVP I didn’t delete anything. My comment is under yours

[@eazybaby5094]

@mVP it says:… White people wouldn’t need to? All the current conventions have mostly white people anyway. Other races are allowed to come to dreamcon you know, Dylan with RDC world isn’t even black

[@FizzyZailani]

Dude. I believe Black love for anime extends well beyond the US. There's a massive Anime fan base in Nigeria 🇳🇬 that's been in existence since the early 2000's. Being Black is a layered experience and I think a lot of anime are deep like that: with layers and relatable multi-dimensional characters that strive against adversity (small or big). Perhaps that plays a role. Especially vs. American cartoons with one-dimensional characters and thinking that are usually only white, or white inclined. That's not to say the cartoons aren't fun, they are. But alot of the time they're not that deep.

[@swearingclaw]

depth does not equal good

[@QWERTY-gp8fd]

@@swearingclaw it do when 90% of everything lack depth.

[@sjappiyah4071]

As a Ghanaian 🇬🇭 Anime fan you put it so eloquently 👌🏿

[@nixcutus]

Nigeria here we love anime like Mad

[@DaDualityofMan]

I disagree with cartoons one-dimensional characters and being only white though, there's a lot more black cartoon characters than anime characters.

[@aizensama9141]

I don't know how anyone would think that Piccolo is black. It's obvious that with the turban he's Indian. And the Saiyans are obviously black. But I out grew DBZ ages ago. Because it's too simplistic, so I needed anime far more challenging.

[@noelramirez1551]

Lol the only anime i watch is dragon ball same with all my other friends they think anime is lame except dragon ball i remember the weed man came to deliver and was like y'all watching thr new episode of the tournament of power and he stayed and watched it with us😂

[@TidusX16]

My favorite anime has been Yu Yu Hakusho and when I was in college my friends I met at the cultural center were all huge anime fans. We actually entered a step competition with my friends and I dressed as Yusuke, Hiei, Kazuma, and Kurama. I think all of us like the bond that was given by the show and the friendship. It meant a lot to us especially now that we graduated and are all doing our own thing.

[@anthonymort5202]

I've always wondered this only some of my white friends like anime but 80% of my black friends love anime at the very least they've watched dragon Ball z/super and Yu Yu Hakusho I didn't know if it was a thing or if it was just a coincidence

[@sjappiyah4071]

You’re correct, it’s definitely a thing, most black audiences can relate to overcoming adversities and or being othered in society which most anime protagonists are/do. Also animes like Samurai Champloo and others that are infused with Hiphop resonate strongly

[@RazorEdge2006]

It seems like white and black communities have different attitudes towards anime. In white communities, anime fans are looked down upon as "weaboo" losers. In black communities, anime is seen as "cool" among the popular black kids.

[@r3dpowel796]

@@RazorEdge2006 How about Asians community?

[@sakurakou2009]

@@r3dpowel796 from what I know anime and manga is popular in asia , many kpop idols watch anime

[@ange1210]

@@RazorEdge2006 deamn i though there was something on my screen😂

[@MrBlaq]

I'm a Black GenXer, and I STILL watch anime on the regular. My friend, who's also a Black GenXer watches Naruto on a nightly basis. I recently introduced her to Death Note.

[@majorlazor5058]

I love Death Note.

[@killiun55]

Same been watching since the 80's.

[@lamontjones3849]

I thought I was alone way back in the mid 90's in my love for anime.

[@rashad123us]

By black do you mean black Americans? 🤔

[@AnimeFan-bw1qn]

Thats what they mean. It’s always the black Americans. The self absorbed victim mentality one’s.

[@GAZAMAN93X]

I'll say the Black African diaspora in general tbh. I'm Jamaican but I love anime/manga

[@Willow-cw9te]

@@GAZAMAN93XAs an Nigerian who grew up in Nigeria, I can tell you that alot of Africans like Anime

[@ghostthomas9221]

I was always into Anime for the underdog stories. I've always been the underdog and how the characters pull through and find inspiration to beat the odds and become stronger more powerful etc...Plus, the composers of the soundtracks are usually so beautiful.

[@parrotcracker6629]

Have you ever noticed in the Kingdom Hearts franchise that the main antagonists have darker skin? Ansem, Xenohort and the bodies he takes over change to darker skin tones. Hero to villain concept.

[@MoonlightSonata88]

Yep!!!!!!

[@dreliq981]

Huh

[@taliwave1946]

It's just basic colour theory, different colours convey different feelings and meanings, it's why Goku black was a little more tanned than regular Goku. Its just like when a film climax has the setting darker and gloomy. It's not just colour tho, characters who are evil will be designed to be more angular as well. Don't read into it so much

[@Cindy99765]

@@taliwave1946 We as humans also assign meaning to color. For example, there are societies and cultures that associate death, gorey matters, and general depressing topics with the color white, particularly those in certain Asian countries.

[@angelusvastator1297]

@@taliwave1946 Yeah. Shakespeare did the same thing too and he was pretty anti-racist based on his Othello play

[@Curling_Rack]

flip it to "Why So Many Asians Love Hip-Hop"

[@xavier9183]

?

[@Curling_Rack]

@@xavier9183 Pray For Haiti

[@madderthanever]

Actually a great topic for this channel, cause Asia *loves* hip-hop, zero doubt about it.

[@xavier9183]

@@Curling_Rack what…?

[@xavier9183]

@@madderthanever ….? Rock and roll and hip hop are big in Asia; they are also big everywhere

[@kivloli8385]

I'm black and it's bc I like magic and abnormal thing and all the story.

[@kivloli8385]

@Zakaria Ali facts

[@GEnghis559]

Why does the pigmentation of your skin matter when it comes magic, abnormal things?

[@kivloli8385]

@@GEnghis559 idk tbh

[@FatBunny168]

Abnormal things? Hnmm....check out southeast asian myths and legends. Preferably, spirit rituals and shit.....

[@gjergjaurelius9798]

@@FatBunny168 check out our shit in the Balkans.

[@marie2511]

I was first introduced to anime in the 80s when my family lived in W. Germany. The first I ever watched? Warriors of the Wind (it was called back then) now called Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Big anime fan here💯

[@Malakai__WeLoveYouMafumafu]

I'm gen z but Nausicaa was one of my first anime, and more than a decade later still one of my favorite anime of all time, that movie taught me so many things and Nausicaa is such a great character

[@GeteMachine]

Its pretty underexplored that a lot of rappers, black millenials and more so openly Gen Z black anime fans exist and always had, and its why we shouldn't just assume that audiences for media are white by default. Its why people get shocked whenever there is a backlash to racism in accused media. Producers not considering audiences outside of their own group see things. I know a lot of black Gen Z like Naruto, My Hero Academia, and Michiko & Hatchin (which is the anime that actually depicts black people in a much more flattering way than we assumed.) Then of course the Boondocks being anime inspired, and having homage to Afro Samurai. Then there is also a lot of Black Dragonball fans who like Piccolo and joke abot him being the "black guy" of the cast due to his personality or Kale being ambiguous enough to project onto if you're a poc (and Toei acknowledging her being darker skinned in her advertisement). As well a dutch from Black Lagoon for cosplay, and the fact that Pokemon finally has black characters in it instead of just only blondes and Japanese characters. Thats why I say markets should finally acknowledge their old stereotypes and not just assume predetermined audiences ignoring reality.

[@wrestlinganime4life288]

Too bad certain people(yall know who) think this is an attack on them

[@suzygirl1843]

Metal, rock and country is assumed to be WHITE but I as a black girl listened to a lot of punk back in the 2000's but didn't openly express it. If people asked who my favorite artist was I'd say Beyonce because it was the music agreed upon by the whole family. However, I also liked Evanescence, Green Day, Paramore, Linkin Park and recently Haim.

[@wrestlinganime4life288]

@@suzygirl1843 where have you been. I literally grew up with those group, Papa roach, Three days Grace, Breaking Benjamin.. Yeah I was full blown emo 😂

[@Hardmanferdead]

@@suzygirl1843 I had a similar experience growing up I was teased for liking ska, house and jazz music instead of being into hip-hop and r&b.

[@fartmagus]

@@suzygirl1843 youre so right

[@asalejobabatunde.2737]

you will be surprised how much nigerians love anime.

[@dominiquefo]

I feel like the video didn't answer the question

[@oliviajohnson915]

Oh my god!!! This video is everything!! Yall got me over feeling seen and tearing up!!❤❤❤

[@groovypacosta1212]

I'm pretty sure a lot of of countries in Latin America consumes far more anime / manga individually than America

[@thebruhnetwork]

That’s actually true. Especially in Mexico cause anime first aired there back in the 80s before it hit the US.

[@Wolfy39565]

im a fellow anime nerd most of my life grew up in the 90s and 2000s and saw the best of DBZ i loved it and will love till the day i die. im also a white girl who had no idea of this until the last few years and honestly im a shamed of myself of black people loving dragon ball z. im not racist, i just didnt know. its so cool there's so much love out there for anime, that i dont feel alone any more. glad i watched i learning more. this was Fasinating to learn. DBZ for life people ❤❤❤

[@serioustalkwithbhudax]

This is a weird question. 😅 Why wouldn't we love Anime?

[@SarimFaruque]

I guess it goes to show that you don’t really need “representation;” just a nice plot with relatable characters. I’m not particularly too much into anime/manga; I’ve been finding myself more watching childhood cartoons such as Regular Show and Phineas and Ferb, but I do love Death Note and AOT.

[@J972M]

Something's gotta give. Blacks and Asians like each other's shit too much to not like *each other* ( more commonly Asians not liking/misjudging Black folk) So many black folk love Asian cuisine, music (Kpop, Jpop), anime/manga, movies (especially kung fu movies), etc. Just like many Asians love black culture, black dress style, black music (hip-hop, r&b, funk, soul, jazz, rock, etc) black dance style ( esp the b-boy breakdance style), etc. I don't believe that it's just racism or prejudice, rather it's mostly lack of immersion, or interaction for that matter. There are tons of Asians in America, but there's almost no black ppl in any of the Asian countries.

[@CHill-ko9fj]

Never really got into anime but I do love the Boondocks!

[@suzygirl1843]

Boondocks is like the only one and it's a bit misogynistic. I never understand why content created by black men are so negative about black women all the time but animations created by white men paint their own women in a good light.

[@nashambenyisrael7689]

you're missing out

[@Onepieceistheworstfuckinganime]

The boondocks is not an anime you shortsighted nerd.

[@DaDualityofMan]

It's a perfect gateway anime really.

[@DaDualityofMan]

@@suzygirl1843 It's funny you say that because the Boondocks creators responded to the question of "why are there no black female main characters?" by basically saying "because you wouldn't like what we have to say", at least there was Jazmine, although people complain about her being biracial, black is black.

[@Tubb2581]

gundam was my thing. Love DBZ but gundam wing is my ❤️

[@I_Lemaire]

Gundam WING!

[@nashambenyisrael7689]

gundam wing was dope and gundam seed, but G gundam was my og favorite it was so unique for a gundam.

[@I_Lemaire]

@@Kemetyu-Centered36 MS 08TH TEAM! Suit up!

[@ritagreenwood9397]

I'm 49, and have had a strong appreciation of Japanese film, anime and culture since I was 18. My introduction to anime was at college when another student handed me Akira and told me "you've gotta watch this'". Haven't looked back since and still watch some anime today along with my teenage children. Though I love anime it's traditional Japanese aesthetics and crafts, like pottery and textiles that I love even more. I did try to learn the hiragana, but didn't think I could ever visit Japan, so stopped. ☺ RIP Nujabes 🙏🤍

[@danielscott7985]

They shouldn't like anime because the people who create it probably don't care for that demographic/archetype

[@swiggyhunter4682]

They aren't particularly fond of the ytes either...

[@pixelander]

Why would it matter though if it’s for enjoyment

[@binaryrot9173]

I still read hp lovecraft even though he’s an extremely racist man, if you can’t separate art from the artist that’s on you 🙃

[@nashambenyisrael7689]

People can like what they like, honestly

[@peterhub1]

Hey this is super interesting. Maybe my eyes were only opened to this in the last 5 years, but it blows my mind. And black anime fans seem so healthy. I grew up where anime was for the outcast nerds, and most of us were unhealthy myself included. We enjoyed DBZ but rarely thought to go to the gym and train to be like Vegeta. The black community has a special closeness and brotherhood to it, I have been blessed with several black anime fans. It won't be long now until I hit the gym myself. This is encouraging.

[@stevenc.1067]

I really appreciate the love from the Black community. I hope that creators of anime will continue to increase their own awareness on racial issues and create characters and plots that better connect with the minority struggle and not perpetuate the prejudices of past American cartoons. I'm sure most of them have a good heart.

[@sreenivas6071]

The last thing anime creators and manga artists should do is cater to a western audience. They're doing fine the way they are, no need to shove woke shit down other people's throats

[@pilot8220]

@@sreenivas6071 The last thing they should do is cater to western bigots like you. Thankfully they arent doing that and are fine with telling complex stories about racial issues, dumass

[@Rudenbehr]

@@sreenivas6071 agree. No woke shit. I’m black and love Japan the way it is❤️

[@thewatchersdidnothingwrong7702]

@@sreenivas6071 black anime fans: maybe don't draw us like racist white people do Y'all: stop with the woke shit

[@angelusvastator1297]

@@sreenivas6071 Yep. Anime should only talk about Japanese interests, not American ones.

[@wosamosman9814]

I grew up in Saudi Arabia and Anime is insanely popular there specially from the late 70s/early 80s.

[@iammatthewdavid03]

This video while pretty good, doesn’t explore and downright dismissed other types of anime like the movies from Studio Ghibli and other non-shonen anime

[@hexcodeff6624]

This video just overlooked the entire premise of "why are there so many black anime fans" by saying "the tv stations had a lot of children of color", which is the exact point it should dive into deeper, but then, instead, it just lists every black person that has ever referenced, talked about or watched an anime. This is just low effort.

[@wavveytae4181]

Anime has always been a way for me to escape what I was going through in my kid and teen years. I was surprised to see that most black men in my neighborhood watched anime. Now I’m seeing more black men that comes from the hood watching anime which to me in a way was great cause the rest of the world expect one thing from us but in turn ends up being surprised that we don’t just watch rap videos all day on KZbin. Most of us are watching dragon ball z, Naruto, one piece, inu yasha etc. I’m glad these type of videos is challenging the black stereotype of us black folks just purely being into rap and hip hop culture. Some of us love anime and the Asian culture which is me. From a young age the Asian culture was the first ever culture that was exposed to me. I wish I would have kept up with it but now that I’m in the military I’ve begun being in-tuned with it more. This video was awesome and it needs to be more like this💯🤟🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾😊😊

[@jaughnekow]

Dude, watching anime is cool. Don't let anyone stop you from watching it just because it's "childish". They're missing out.

[@pixelander]

Yea the anime haters are missing out

[@andrewlim9345]

Thanks for shedding light on a little known of anime. Also learnt about the Boondocks.

[@JGSMusic]

Wrong! So wrong! Before Toonami, 25 episodes of Dragonball and Dragonball Z aired early morning on Fox in the early 90s. Also 25 episodes of Sailor moon and Ronin Warriors were coming on early mornings before school on weekdays I think either on WB or Fox. Before Toonami we had to wait an entire week just to see one new episode of DragonBall Z on Saturday mornings on Fox. It was rough cause it took like 3 episodes just for a character to power up. By the time Toonami came out, people my age had already seen Sailor moon, Ronin Warriors, Dragonball, Dragonball Z, Speed Racer. But we were shocked to find out that all those anime had tons and tons more episodes.

[@latawnniegarris3883]

They missed out on talking about Afro Samurai voiced by Samuel Jackson awesome anime

[@norman4588]

Simple answer: Anime bring Unity. All nation regardless of ethnic, religion and belief, it brought us all together that we like Anime.

[@Melko_277]

Highly recommend these Anime: Attack on Titan Death Note Berserk Naruto Ajin

[@suzygirl1843]

Is Attack on Titan back?

[@suzygirl1843]

@H Why give me hope? I thought that it had returned. It went on break like June last year?

[@Melko_277]

@@suzygirl1843 It's on last season part 1 is finished and part 2 will be released next year

[@suzygirl1843]

@@Melko_277 I actually forgot how it ended. They can't keep stretching these release dates.

[@Melko_277]

@@suzygirl1843 You can watch recap of few minutes on yt to catch up quickly.

[@davidemuzio3719]

I believe one of the most nuanced depictions has been the parallel between Afro-American history and the fishmen in one piece. Portaing the pain and long term consequences of slavery but also how the cycle of hatred can be broken

[@Dunnplayin]

YO! I never saw that perspective until you described it, but it definitely clicks!

[@shyguy1630]

I loved this. I remember when Dragon ball Z came out. Me and my Best friend would watch those 30 min episodes ever day. I wanted to be the Cell Saga. I remember hearing a rumor because everything was a rumor back then. That in Japan that they were further along in the story. So I went to a random Japanese video story. Found something with Goku on it and we watched. No Sub no dub straight Japanese. With characters we never seen before. Later found out it was Dragonball GT. But we just wanted to watch more. It’s so cool to know it’s so many of us. I too also felt piccolo was black. I still watch the Dragonball movies. I hope people appreciate our fandom.

[@suzygirl1843]

1. I'm disappointed GT never entertained Goten as a protagonist. And also there's Bulla, Marron - do a Clannad/ Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-Chan "slice of life" type short spinoff series. It didn't have to be Shonen. 2. If they did another live action DBZ, they should just do the Future Trunks Saga and a Bardock movie only. Mainstream audiences won't understand the rest. Keep Gohan and Bulma but leave out Goku - mainstream audiences won't understand him. I always saw him being played by Brandon Routh from Superman Returns.

[@postpwnmalone]

I wanted to BE the CELL SAGA.

[@thrillington2008]

They got Dutch from Black Lagoon right and anime been a part of my viewing habits for years.

[@charondesousa8868]

Dutch is still one of the coldest black anime characters, Kilik Rung from Souleater is pretty awesome too

[@jcf2322]

Great video. Is Popo supposed to be of any African-descent though? I've always assumed Popo was more associated with places and cultures from the Indian sub-continent than from Africa. Where there are many Blue, Black, Red and other color gods and creatures, which seemed to match Popo's attire, not to mention the flying carpet and the general design of Kami's look out. The lips definitely have a closer association, but I guess I never once associated Popo with being African at all.

[@OmegaKyo_x2]

I think majority of us never saw popo as black. I always saw him as a turban wearing alien. Seems a lot more closer to Asian stuff than African

[@ogolow570]

He's supposed to a Jinn, they're spiritual figures in Islam. He was never black, people get cheesed too fast before lookin into things.

[@Anedoje]

@@OmegaKyo_x2 Africans wear turbans as well but popo to me was always Indian but then again you see how DB makes its indian characters and how it draws its black characters and you realise oh shit

[@classic88warrior83]

Anime showed Black people it’s okay be the different one because they usually the strongest that nobody knows about 😂✊🏿

[@wiseass2149]

Anime speaks to the black experience. It's that blacks are always have been counted out in society and always have to be extraordinary to succeed. Many anime characters are like that and it's easy to relate too. Not just for blacks, but for the oppressed of the world.

[@luizy6701]

Such freakin' drama, bud. Goddamn it. Everyone can like anime, stop your conspiracies

[@wiseass2149]

@@luizy6701 man read a book about the experience of blacks in the USA. Black people have had to work twice as hard as whites to get anything and when black people achieve it's epic. It's like with so many anime characters who have had to do double the work to get ahead on the show. You're just a fragile little child in an adult discussion and you need to see yourself out.

[@ladybluelotus]

@@luizy6701 Please read more books. Thanks in advance.

[@luizy6701]

@@ladybluelotus more conspiracy theories? Nah, thanks, I prefer read something useful, not inventions

[@t1naftore]

I think you are the opposite of oppressed, you even get special treatment. Its just moving pixels, why you guys have to exaggerate like always

[@jaisriram6178]

Now the wokesters are criticizing anime for being racist. WOW 😞

[@lizzybennet5726]

It's more about ignorance in depiction, rather than being racist. There are articles that make that accusation, but we do not know their intent. Those articles were only referenced in the video. You would've known that if you watched the video.

[@clarktaylor8729]

You damn right. Keep spitting truth

[@DirtyEdon]

started watching anime in Congo when in was like 5 years old.

[@luxuriousmindset1906]

Because the Japanese know how to make amazing stories with any subject without it being sjw I've read soo many different stories with female leads, black or hip-hop related connections, lgbt other things I thought i wouldn't have entertained

[@Whocares158]

Agreed.

[@kylealleyne4417]

You might not like his appearance but mr. Popo was one of the smartest useful and kindest character in the series

[@retro9173]

WHOA .. wait a minute now how they just gonna go gloss over Black Dynamite?! And it's just not Anime we family on that but also 70's Kung fu genre and thanks to the Wu-tang Clan, they manage to put it on the map still going strong!

[@mk_annan22]

Surprised; not even one mention of Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (1990-91) anime series despite the video title. Nadia was one of the most famous female black anime characters of her time. Plus she's African, but in context to the series, can't recall which country she's from, hence her expedition. The series was directed by Hideaki Anno who used this as a prototype to create The Evangelion series and movies. This anime had huge influence, even inspired the 2001 Hollywood movie; Atlantis The Lost Empire- a direct imitation as some say. I'm Bangladeshi by the way.

[@wosamosman9814]

True I was legit shocked to see a main character that wasn't a parody or caricature of black/brown people 😳

[@user-yc3fw6vq5n]

Wow why won't they mention something like that . . . Tamako market, don't troll me Nagato, Konbu Wakama's Anime . . .

[@ankurchaudhary3515]

Indians are also loving anime .. wish someone can make Mahabharata

[@azraieruslim]

Don't shoot, he's not Black!!!

[@xavier9183]

This video didn’t really answer the question in the title at all. I was expecting a historical explanation.

[@GeorgeDaniels-me7ru]

They like anime because manga means reading.

[@tristanceles7738]

Subtitles include reading also, so ur joke didn’t work hun. ❤

[@GeorgeDaniels-me7ru]

@@tristanceles7738 You're right, I'll fix it. Black people like anime because they are allergic to things that remind them of books.

[@tristanceles7738]

@@GeorgeDaniels-me7ru No, more like ur just a racist person who’s on the internet to talk trash since you know u wouldn’t do it in real life, I harbor no hate or negative feelings towards any other race, but it seems you do, I hope you realize in later life hating isn’t good for health, I’m glad I was able to speak to you without any negativity.

[@tristanceles7738]

@@GeorgeDaniels-me7ru Typically, stereotyping a race never works as there is plenty of black people who like reading; including me.

[@tristanceles7738]

@@GeorgeDaniels-me7ru Though, I do hope you realize how immature you are right now and change you’re ways, Though most people who stereotype a race,etc, don’t do it for no reason, Rather they do it because of a certain experience.

[@seeteearel5215]

I am black and it reminds me of graffiti. I grew up in the 80s.

[@stringstorm]

What an odd title that overly reaches into sociopolitics. The answer is actually much simpler and more consistent with other countries, cultures, and races: Because back when we were kids, it was the only thing fun on the telly. And then this love for anime transfered over when technology started giving us better accessibility and content on demand. And then we started telling the younger generations that this and that anime is so good, even better than what western media aimed at their age could come up with. Case and Point: Who do you remember more? Ash Ketchum or Rocko?

[@Lilpat60]

I'm 31, I've been watching anime since I was 10. Personally, I think one of the reasons black-folks like anime is because of the drama & conflicts in the stories that matches what most minorities go through. Black-folks are outsiders no matter where they're on this planet, even in the anime community we're outsiders. A lot of anime themes are that of an outsider who has to gain the approval of others around them. To us anime is relatable compared to western cartoons that were primarily based from the perspective of white-folks. Anime characters are influenced by European & western beauty standards, but the stories are not. And everything the Japanese know about black people come from non-black folks, hip-hop and social media.

[@hubertcumberdale2651]

Are you so tone deaf to realize that White people are only 7% of the worlds population? Whats a "minority" to you? lol

[@Lilpat60]

​@@hubertcumberdale2651 lol You must be a classified tone deaf yourself, you misread everything i said and went straight to triggered mode. I'm talking about minorities from the stand point of western countries, where majority of anime fans are, where the most anime stories are based from and the main consumers of anime are white. Anime creators don't waste their time making anything based on Africans or any other non-white developing nation. Their main customers are white folks. People like you don't want to hear the truth, because it challenges your fictional perception of reality. Facts are facts, and to those who are blind to racism they'll say and do anything to keep their perceptions the way they defined it. Just like how the non-black anime community always loses their minds when a coloured anime fan cosplay as someone that's not black.

[@MJ-hg1mk]

Try most of the Carribean, Africa & much of the Latin Americas' east coast if you wanna be where black folks are not "others".

[@trystennishioka7880]

Here’s where you’re wrong, anime characters aside from legitimate white characters arent influenced by “European & western beauty standards” They’re influenced by Disney cartoons for their exaggerated proportions and emotional looks. Are you trying to say that other pocs are endorsing said “beauty standards” that just makes your point even worse. It works well because of the culture within. Anime is supposed to be as expressive as possible, if anything people with that ideology are the ones with these “Eurocentric” mindsets to begin with.

[@trystennishioka7880]

I don’t think I made myself clear enough. Anime characters are created with ambiguous features, like stick figures. No western beauty standard has eyes the size of lightbulbs, dots for noses, barely visible nose bridge and multi colored hair. You’re literally putting your own bias there. Are the dark skinned characters going to be called this too? That’s awfully hypocritical of you folks. Especially when anime goes out of its way to depict actual white American characters much differently than the asian characters. Rainbow colored hair, they have meaning. It’s expressive art, you practically butchered the actual reason to why it reasonates to a lot of people, disappointing.

[@reeseseater12]

It’s strange that this video came out when it did because I was recently thinking about why anime captured the black community as it had, very interesting to me

[@tristankawatsuma8962]

Maybe do a couple more videos on how Anime has impacted and gained popularity in other cultures besides Black America. After all if anime is able to be Japan’s greatest export across the globe, then that means it is more diverse than to only appeal to Japanese and Black audiences. How about the other regions of Asia? Europe? The Middle East? If Anime can keep being praised by Japanese and American audiences, how does the rest of the world react?

[@GD-xk8cb]

People just forgot about México and latín america, before anime was popular in the USA it was first popular in México, since USA in the 90's didn't think anime would have such of a cultural impact, but latinos they saw anime and they hugged it, embraced it, they respected the original script, the openings were fully adapted and not changed, anime was popular in México before it was popular in the USA, unlike Americans, latinos have the benefit of liking both sub and dub since the dub is just that good and fits the characters perfectly, you guys may not know ir but dragon ball is waaaayyy more popular in México than in the rest of the world, basically being culture around here, its like if japan forgot about us even though we embraced it better first than the USA.

[@fabianojeda3078]

here in latin america had a bigger impact than the us

[@fabianojeda3078]

here in latin america had a bigger impact than the us

[@arkscrew]

I think one reason why I absolutely love anime is becoz they show stuff in the coolest way and there is no commentary on politics. Usually when people drag in politics, the story is highly neglected. Although there is no real representation, yet all people can find themselves in anime. That is why I love anime.

[@DELTABOY04]

there is anime that does have social commentary ..ghost in a shell, perfect blue, re:zero, akira ...

[@triple_gem_shining]

AJ answering the questions that I'm too afraid to ask but that I think 😂

[@scorpzgca]

Yasuke was real that is awesome and yeah the black community of anime fans is great we need more african and british anime fans do to stuff like this too

[@oboroth51]

It's because black people are a large part of the LGBT community.

[@jamalwilliams3674]

My dog diggity this negr04s are a big part of the LGBTQ is what I'm saying my homeo hahahahaha!!!!

[@Sun-Tzu-]

Was the question ever answered in this video?

[@robotictitanmenas5914]

ANIME is amazing I’m not black I’m white german Dutch Portuguese and it’s amazing but I’m not that racist.

[@barcaman1013]

Born 87, yup the days of toonami was lit , dbz Gundam, sailor moon. Dont forget " the action Channel " had late night cyber punk anime

[@almm9486]

You cannot just force your ideology on a country just because you want representation post.

[@PigeonD136]

What are you talking about? Nobody's forcing anything lol. And the best part about the anime community is they actually listen to criticism and learn better than our own country.

[@nashambenyisrael7689]

what do you mean?

[@gabriellejackson6327]

It seems like black people like anime more nowadays, but years ago it wasn’t the cool thing in their group. 🤔 interesting 🧐

[@pixelander]

Not true

[@bigcoop3717]

Cap🧢🧢🧢🧢we been rocking anime from the beginning

[@vic85667]

Cap it I’m a black fan a anime always mocked back then when U said I like it by non blacks

[@Philosophicalblackman]

@@gabriellejackson6327 bro anime years ago took the absolute piss out of black people. This coming from someone who lived anime ever since childhood

[@Jupiterssilhouette]

We Hispanics are also huge fans of anime too. 🤝 Respect

[@pixelander]

@Hidden Truths of the Universe why’s that

[@pixelander]

@Hidden Truths of the Universe it recently became cool

[@pixelander]

@Hidden Truths of the Universe seems like you’re gate keeping

[@Jupiterssilhouette]

@Hidden Truths of the Universe Who cares, none of your business

[@thedeed8740]

@hiddentruthsoftheuniverse4522nah bruh I was watching anime in diapers Also who cares if newer fans are coming in because it’s popular now. Don’t gatekeep, they should be allowed to enjoy it like everyone else 😅

[@editname6346]

Why do you need to specify “ black people loves anime “ They’re people from earth. Earth people loves anime. I don’t know what is so surprising about that.

[@selfmaderish4690]

They like anything that doesn’t resemble them 😂

[@pulkitrastogi295]

😂😂😂

[@WR-sc7io]

The truth hurts. You draw a black person with a big fat nose and fat lips with curly pubic hair on their head and fat yall be wild'n out even though that shit is true. But if you are drawn with straight hair a small white nose and thin lips and a lighter skin tone and skinny you guys clap and jump for joy.

[@Joi2049]

Black and in my experience Hispanic male communities love anime esp DBZ bc the stories are aspirational, even when we don't look like the characters.

[@calipachanguero]

Black people can resonate withe struggles of the protagonists thats why.

[@shqip_sumejja]

Latinos are huge anime fans too

[@Samano-N-games]

Exactly, what I expected. If racist people fears this, it's a matter of time for them to try to use their little games to keep them down, I assume. I'm glad.

[@suzygirl1843]

I just think that black people should create their own stuff if they want representation in this medium so bad. The Boondocks did it well. And so did Avatar/ Legend of Korra. You don't want Asians writing bad stereotypes since they don't interact with many black people. Asians could loan their studio talents in good faith but stories should remain in the control of the black/ African producers.

[@hexcodeff6624]

Why are you cropping the cowboy bebop opening and then showing animation from the movie with censored English audio when he is clearly talking about the tv show?

[@triplearielinfinite2]

As a black person with 600 anime completed. I don't really mind that there aren't many black ppl in anime. It's obviously another culture with different values to my own culture as I'm an outsider looking in. Unlike korea and especially China, Japan isn't as racially exclusive and closed minded. So usually when they show a black person or dark skin, it's typically very tasteful. Especially nowadays.

[@oliviajohnson915]

A part 2 would be INCREDIBLE!!!

[@tessy4018]

I love this. Thank you for making it. I'd like to add a couple points as well if I may, mostly centered on the black-male centric view of this video, as well as the non-american international influence of anime. Firstly, I believe this video heavily focuses on black male fans' perspective on manga/anime. It is hugely popular with black female and non-binary black fans as well, and although it is easy for us to relate to black male fans' points of view as we watch and read a lot of shonen and seinen, the opposite is often not true and we thus typically have a much wider understanding and love for the medium as we are also very prominent consumers of other manga/anime genres, especially shoujo, josei and slice of life. Additionally, France and Italy are also massive markets for the medium, and have created, in my opinion, event more of clearly manga-inspired franchises e.g. W.I.T.C.H., Les Legendaires, Pink Diary, etc... which tend to be more diverse in both cast and audiences. As a combination of both in the realm of manga/anime-inspired video games, I find the emergence of international amare games - an off-shoot of japanese otome games with distinctly more diverse casts esp. in terms of ethnicity and genders, a fantastic example of the two points above. I highly recommend having a look at the emergence of the genre as I believe we are at its beginning, and in my opinion will only continue to grow.

[@swearingclaw]

wth is a “nonbinary-black fan” 💀💀

[@suzygirl1843]

Yes, black girl anime fan here. I grew up watching DBZ, Pokemon, WITCH, Mew Mew Power. I missed out on Naruto and Bleach and Sailor Moon, though, so I won't call myself a connoisseur. I just think that black people should create their own animation and distribution to be respected rather than just beg to be a part of an already existing medium that took 80 years to develop. I don't expect Asians to include Africans when there are Indians who need representation even more. Piccolo seemed Indonesian to me while black men swear that he's black coded. Tyler Perry already has a studio, perhaps if there's a demand, we should do animation segment. Disney/ Pixar, Dreamworks, Sony don't have to be the only competing studios in the USA. Let's start black animation entertainment

[@ChieftainHawke]

@@swearingclaw anime attracts alot of weirdos, that fact isnt talked about. and thats why alot of people steer away from it.

[@PrinceZakariyya]

@@swearingclaw BS

[@PrinceZakariyya]

@@suzygirl1843 did u not just see the Nigerian woman say she thought piccolo was black? Wth is wrong with blk females lmao

[@aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa790]

I feel like they messed up on the anime from the 90s. Naruto and One Piece were not there when I was a kid. Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball, Pokemon, yes. Also others like Digimon and I think Beyblade. But Naruto wasn’t an English hit until I was a teenager, in the 2000s. I introduced Naruto to my non-anime friend online long before the English version came out, and then she became a Narutard. I started learning about anime when I watched Inuyasha and Wolf’s Rain on adult swim. That was in the early 2000s.

[@Student0Toucher]

Because they want to claim every culture but cry if you claim theirs

[@thedeed8740]

How is watching anime claiming culture It would be calming culture if mfs were pretending they invented it but we aren’t. It’s just some fun entertainment 😂

[@InBobWeTrust]

Digimon was my favorite anime growing up.

[@spykemxd]

So ya'll think popo is african inspired bacause he's got dark skin?

[@mechajay3358]

Yeah, it's ridiculous they think that.

[@spykemxd]

@@mechajay3358 People need to stop crying for "representation" from the Japanese. It's stupid. I mean, sure, it's cool to see a black character in anime and manga when we get it. But I'm not gonna cry foul every time one isn't in a certain work. Or when said characters don't act how I want them to act. I just don't get why everyone here is just so silly when it comes to black people in anime. Is that all they care about? Skin color?

[@mechajay3358]

@@spykemxd Exactly, they're reading tol much into this.

[@noxkurosaki4213]

Even outside of America, anime is very loved here in Burkina Faso 🇧🇫. The cosplays and otaku events are increasing every year

[@xMarrilliamsx]

I never even saw Mr Popo as a racist black caricature, I just thought he was an actually black skinned alien with some sort of velvet-like skin. It is nice to see more black anime characters and in general a wider representation overall.

[@OmegaKyo_x2]

I agree I never saw mr popo like that.

[@nashambenyisrael7689]

nahh dude growing up I always had a feeling mr.popo was black but since you rarely seen black anime characters I just accepted it. When uub came into the picture I was so happy I was l;ike finnally a black person who is a key player as well. But I definitely felt that mr.popo and piccolo was black but yet not if that makes sense.

[@rocketmanart7964]

I am black and I never saw Mr. Popo as black or piccolo as black either, but I saw some black characters in anime like Afro Samurai

[@WeCanCos]

This has always been a question in my mind. Being Japanese American, all my black friends were obsessed with anime and to me it was just more cartoons. My best friend and I were the Asian kids of our school and this was fun, but not special. We'd seen this all our lives. We were into magical girl anime mostly and Barbie movies. We were mystified by the number of kids freaking out about DBZ and Naruto.

[@autumnhomer9786]

🎀KMT. Don’t most people like anime?🎀

[@ladybluelotus]

No. Most people do not. Most people are still unaware of anime in the West.

[@codytaylor2482]

Anime is the Hip-Hop of Animation!

[@blt4157]

And yet no one will attack them for “cultural appropriation”

[@pixelander]

How is that cultural appropriation

[@thsuperelite]

what is wrong with the first 2 characters from the left at 7:00 ? The one from durarara and promised neverland. they don't seem as portraying black as inferior...