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This week on Post Games: How video games and anime took over pop culture together.

• Act 1: Anime in your video games
• Act 2: Video games in your anime
• Patreon bonus: The anime every gamer should watch
• Act 3: News of the Week

Last year, I helped oversee the first major national survey of anime consumption in the United States. Before the survey, I knew anime had achieved pop culture status, with characters from Dragon Ball appearing in Fortnite and musicians like Megan Thee Stallion wearing over a dozen anime cosplays. Even still, the numbers surprised me.

Nearly half of Gen Z watches anime once a week. And a quarter of millennials. 44% of anime viewers have had a crush on an anime character. And 65% of anime viewers find the form more emotionally compelling than other forms of media. Anime fans claimed to watch for escape and comfort. But also for strength, a tool to prepare them for a big test or a challenging day at work.

We ran this survey at Polygon, a site broadly focused on video games, because while games and anime are two different mediums, they have for decades influenced and elevated one another. And the line between the two is blurrier and blurrier, with shows inspiring games that inspire more shows.

How did we get here?

To find out, I reached out to Geoff Thew, the founder and host of the hit anime YouTube channel, Mother’s Basement.

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