From Spacetoon to Strategy: Anime’s New Power in Saudi Consumer Culture
By: Hadeel Karnib
Saudi Arabia is witnessing an anime revival, one that goes far beyond entertainment. For decades, anime has been an integral part of the Kingdom’s cultural fabric, influencing the imaginations of generations raised on Arabic-dubbed classics and Spacetoon staples. This nostalgic connection has transformed into a powerful creative language that is driving youth identity, social belonging, and brand strategy.
Anime’s influence in Saudi Arabia dates back to the 1980s, when early Japanese series were adapted into Arabic and broadcast widely across the region. For many Saudis, anime is not a trend; it’s part of growing up.
Dentsu’s latest report highlights that over one-third of Saudis under 35 engage with anime regularly, a testament to how deeply rooted it has become in the national psyche.
Unlike typical cartoons, anime introduces young audiences to emotionally rich worlds that explore resilience, identity, friendship, justice, and hope. These themes naturally align with Saudi cultural values, making anime both globally appealing and locally resonant.
As the Kingdom embraces a fast-changing future, anime offers youth a space where tradition and modernity coexist, where imagination expands without compromising cultural roots.
Today’s anime environment in Saudi Arabia is vibrant and multifaceted. Digital platforms such as Spacetoon, Starzplay, and manga apps have amplified accessibility, while social media has turned fans into active creators. According to Dentsu, Saudi anime fans are twice as likely as global fans to launch podcasts, create fan art, or participate in fandom discussions.
But anime culture extends far beyond screens. The Kingdom’s ecosystem includes conventions, gaming events, cosplay communities, exhibitions, and homegrown merchandise brands. One standout example is Saudi graphic designer Njood Alkharboush, whose brand Haku blends Japanese aesthetics with Saudi humor, identity, and storytelling. Her work reflects a broader movement of local creators forging an authentic cultural fusion.
Anime enthusiasts in Saudi Arabia are not passive viewers. They are mega-fans with deep emotional commitment—31 percent watch anime daily, and more than one in five spend over SAR 2,000 (about $533) annually on merchandise. This makes the category not only culturally influential but commercially powerful.
Manar Samad, Associate Director – Media at Dentsu KSA, explains to Communicate that anime resonates so strongly because of nostalgia, emotional depth and visual imagination in a way few storytelling formats can achieve.
“To explore individuality without clashing with local values,” he notes.
“With 62 percent of Saudi anime fans under 35, this rare mix of childhood memory, artistic richness and emotional honesty makes anime a powerful bridge for brands seeking to connect with the youth mindset,” he added.
The Dentsu report makes one thing clear: anime-driven branding works. Nearly 67 percent of Saudi anime fans view brands more positively when anime IP or aesthetics are integrated into campaigns or products. But not all executions perform equally.
According to Manar, it’s clear that the executions that win are the ones that feel experiential, premium and culturally engaged while campaigns that simply use anime visuals though still positive deliver the least lift.
The key lies in offering structured creative freedom. Brands should define clear visual and narrative guidelines through character systems, style kits or themed challenges to ensure fan creativity remains aligned with overall brand identity.
Additionally, partnering with recognized Saudi anime artists and cosplayers adds both cultural fluency and quality control. Fan art, cosplay, and creator-driven content should be showcased in curated environments rather than used as primary advertising assets. By offering commissions, incentives and paid collaborations, brands can elevate fans into partners, benefiting from authentic community creativity while still maintaining strategic and visual governance.
Anime’s influence doesn’t live in one place; it’s distributed across an interconnected network of platforms.
According to Manar, TikTok drives momentum through short-form edits and fast-moving trends. YouTube deepens emotional connection through long-form analysis, storytelling, and behind-the-scenes content. Then Instagram acts as the aesthetic hub for character reveals, merchandise, and visual fandom culture, and X (Twitter) fuels real-time conversations and community reactions.
“Brands that tailor anime content to each platform, rather than applying a universal approach, achieve the strongest results,” he said.
Local or Japanese? Both Have Power
Manar highlighted that Saudi consumers appreciate both styles, Japanese anime and local adaptations, but for different purposes. Japanese style anime carries emotional authenticity, artistic credibility and nostalgia, making it ideal when a brand wants to tap into heritage or global fandom. While local anime-inspired storytelling creates cultural closeness by reflecting Saudi values, humor and identity in a format that youth love. The most effective approach blends both—maintaining anime’s DNA while grounding it in the Saudi context.
He also emphasizes that brands must stop thinking of anime as one-off design choice. Future-focused brands should develop long-term anime-driven creative systems: evolving characters, interconnected storylines, and visual system that live across seasons, campaigns, events, packaging, and digital content.
Partnerships with anime studios and local creators will be essential, as will investments in young Saudi talent—illustrators, animators, scriptwriters, designers, and cosplayers. Through consistency and intentional world-building, anime becomes an integral part of a brand’s identity, not just a temporary aesthetic.
