Genre trend · 2000–2026
The rise of romance anime
Share of new TV anime tagged romance each year since 2000. In 2025 it was 29.9%, up from an average of 15.2% a decade earlier.
- Share in 2025
- 29.9%
- 50 of 167 new TV series
- Change since 2015
- +13.7 pts
- from 16.3%
- Peak year
- 2002
- 30.7% of new series
- 2026 so far
- 34.8%
- 24 of 69 listed so far
Romance share of new TV anime
Percent of TV series premiering each year that are tagged romance · 2026 is partial
Show as table
| # | Year | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2000 · 9 of 55 series | 16.4% |
| 2 | 2001 · 20 of 91 series | 22.0% |
| 3 | 2002 · 27 of 88 series | 30.7% |
| 4 | 2003 · 24 of 111 series | 21.6% |
| 5 | 2004 · 34 of 131 series | 26.0% |
| 6 | 2005 · 40 of 134 series | 29.9% |
| 7 | 2006 · 55 of 190 series | 28.9% |
| 8 | 2007 · 37 of 159 series | 23.3% |
| 9 | 2008 · 42 of 161 series | 26.1% |
| 10 | 2009 · 35 of 153 series | 22.9% |
| 11 | 2010 · 25 of 133 series | 18.8% |
| 12 | 2011 · 32 of 167 series | 19.2% |
| 13 | 2012 · 41 of 185 series | 22.2% |
| 14 | 2013 · 38 of 211 series | 18.0% |
| 15 | 2014 · 42 of 241 series | 17.4% |
| 16 | 2015 · 39 of 240 series | 16.3% |
| 17 | 2016 · 34 of 282 series | 12.1% |
| 18 | 2017 · 41 of 264 series | 15.5% |
| 19 | 2018 · 40 of 254 series | 15.7% |
| 20 | 2019 · 32 of 202 series | 15.8% |
| 21 | 2020 · 25 of 194 series | 12.9% |
| 22 | 2021 · 24 of 220 series | 10.9% |
| 23 | 2022 · 37 of 209 series | 17.7% |
| 24 | 2023 · 62 of 222 series | 27.9% |
| 25 | 2024 · 65 of 216 series | 30.1% |
| 26 | 2025 · 50 of 167 series | 29.9% |
| 27 | 2026 (so far) · 24 of 69 series | 34.8% |
Romance TV series per year
How many new TV series were tagged romance · 950 from 2000 to 2025
Show as table
| Item | Series |
|---|---|
| ’00 | 9 in 2000 |
| ’01 | 20 in 2001 |
| ’02 | 27 in 2002 |
| ’03 | 24 in 2003 |
| ’04 | 34 in 2004 |
| ’05 | 40 in 2005 |
| ’06 | 55 in 2006 |
| ’07 | 37 in 2007 |
| ’08 | 42 in 2008 |
| ’09 | 35 in 2009 |
| ’10 | 25 in 2010 |
| ’11 | 32 in 2011 |
| ’12 | 41 in 2012 |
| ’13 | 38 in 2013 |
| ’14 | 42 in 2014 |
| ’15 | 39 in 2015 |
| ’16 | 34 in 2016 |
| ’17 | 41 in 2017 |
| ’18 | 40 in 2018 |
| ’19 | 32 in 2019 |
| ’20 | 25 in 2020 |
| ’21 | 24 in 2021 |
| ’22 | 37 in 2022 |
| ’23 | 62 in 2023 |
| ’24 | 65 in 2024 |
| ’25 | 50 in 2025 |
| ’26 | 24 in 2026 |
Defining romance 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 romance 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 romance anime →
Other genre trends
Romance anime trends FAQ
Is romance anime getting more popular?
Yes. Romance went from about 15.2% of new TV anime around 2015 to 29.9% in 2025.
How many romance anime came out in 2025?
50 new TV series tagged romance premiered in 2025, out of 167 listed on Kitsu.
When were romance anime most common?
2002 was the peak, when 30.7% of new TV series were romance. It first reached half that level in 2000.