Genre trend · 2000–2026
The rise of drama anime
Share of new TV anime tagged drama each year since 2000. In 2025 it was 25.1%, up from an average of 6.2% a decade earlier.
- Share in 2025
- 25.1%
- 42 of 167 new TV series
- Change since 2015
- +20.6 pts
- from 4.6%
- Peak year
- 2023
- 27.5% of new series
- 2026 so far
- 37.7%
- 26 of 69 listed so far
Drama share of new TV anime
Percent of TV series premiering each year that are tagged drama · 2026 is partial
Show as table
| # | Year | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2000 · 5 of 55 series | 9.1% |
| 2 | 2001 · 6 of 91 series | 6.6% |
| 3 | 2002 · 7 of 88 series | 8.0% |
| 4 | 2003 · 15 of 111 series | 13.5% |
| 5 | 2004 · 16 of 131 series | 12.2% |
| 6 | 2005 · 14 of 134 series | 10.4% |
| 7 | 2006 · 31 of 190 series | 16.3% |
| 8 | 2007 · 19 of 159 series | 11.9% |
| 9 | 2008 · 20 of 161 series | 12.4% |
| 10 | 2009 · 11 of 153 series | 7.2% |
| 11 | 2010 · 9 of 133 series | 6.8% |
| 12 | 2011 · 14 of 167 series | 8.4% |
| 13 | 2012 · 20 of 185 series | 10.8% |
| 14 | 2013 · 15 of 211 series | 7.1% |
| 15 | 2014 · 19 of 241 series | 7.9% |
| 16 | 2015 · 11 of 240 series | 4.6% |
| 17 | 2016 · 17 of 282 series | 6.0% |
| 18 | 2017 · 30 of 264 series | 11.4% |
| 19 | 2018 · 17 of 254 series | 6.7% |
| 20 | 2019 · 27 of 202 series | 13.4% |
| 21 | 2020 · 30 of 194 series | 15.5% |
| 22 | 2021 · 46 of 220 series | 20.9% |
| 23 | 2022 · 33 of 209 series | 15.8% |
| 24 | 2023 · 61 of 222 series | 27.5% |
| 25 | 2024 · 53 of 216 series | 24.5% |
| 26 | 2025 · 42 of 167 series | 25.1% |
| 27 | 2026 (so far) · 26 of 69 series | 37.7% |
Drama TV series per year
How many new TV series were tagged drama · 588 from 2000 to 2025
Show as table
| Item | Series |
|---|---|
| ’00 | 5 in 2000 |
| ’01 | 6 in 2001 |
| ’02 | 7 in 2002 |
| ’03 | 15 in 2003 |
| ’04 | 16 in 2004 |
| ’05 | 14 in 2005 |
| ’06 | 31 in 2006 |
| ’07 | 19 in 2007 |
| ’08 | 20 in 2008 |
| ’09 | 11 in 2009 |
| ’10 | 9 in 2010 |
| ’11 | 14 in 2011 |
| ’12 | 20 in 2012 |
| ’13 | 15 in 2013 |
| ’14 | 19 in 2014 |
| ’15 | 11 in 2015 |
| ’16 | 17 in 2016 |
| ’17 | 30 in 2017 |
| ’18 | 17 in 2018 |
| ’19 | 27 in 2019 |
| ’20 | 30 in 2020 |
| ’21 | 46 in 2021 |
| ’22 | 33 in 2022 |
| ’23 | 61 in 2023 |
| ’24 | 53 in 2024 |
| ’25 | 42 in 2025 |
| ’26 | 26 in 2026 |
Defining drama series by decade
2000s · most followed
2010s · most followed
How this is measured
Counts are TV series (not films, OVAs or web series) on Kitsu, grouped by the year they premiered, with the drama tag. A series can carry many tags, so shares across genres add up to more than 100%. Kitsu's tagging has become more thorough over time and its listing of the latest year is still filling in, so treat sudden jumps in single years with caution; the long-run direction is the reliable part. Browse all drama anime →
Other genre trends
Drama anime trends FAQ
Is drama anime getting more popular?
Yes. Drama went from about 6.2% of new TV anime around 2015 to 25.1% in 2025.
How many drama anime came out in 2025?
42 new TV series tagged drama premiered in 2025, out of 167 listed on Kitsu.
When were drama anime most common?
2023 was the peak, when 27.5% of new TV series were drama. It first reached half that level in 2006.