The most profitable otaku markets in Japan in 2017

Every year, the Yano Research Institute releases a report on the otaku market. This research is conducted to find out what is generating the most money within the otaku world. The 2017 survey ranked specialized hobby niches in Japan, the spending that sits beside anime, manga, and light novels.

The otaku area with the highest growth is the world of idols. This happens because this market can encompass a large adult audience that is not very interested in anime and manga, including long-time fans of AKB48 and Johnny's groups plus newer acts. The market with the largest decline was cosplay, which fell by 7.9% in generated profit. It is believed that the decline was due to prices and not popularity.

Ranking of the top 9 otaku markets in 2017

1. Idols - 210 billion yen (US $1.8 billion), an increase of 12.3%.
2. Doujinshi - 81.7 billion yen (US $720 million), an increase of 2.8%.
3. Adult video - 49.5 billion yen (US $436.1 million), an increase of 0.6%.
4. Cosplay - 35 billion yen (US $308.4 million), a decrease of 7.9%.
5. Figures - 32.5 billion yen (US $286.3 million), an increase of 1.6%.
6. Boys' love - 21.9 billion yen (US $193 million), a decrease of 0.5%.
7. Eroge (adult games) - 16 billion yen (US $140.1 million), a decrease of 4.8%.
8. Romance games / dating sims - 15.5 billion yen (US $136.6 million), an increase of 3.3%.
9. Vocaloid - 10 billion yen (US $88.1 million), an increase of 4.2%.

Other categories that did not appear on the list but are in the research conducted by Yano are: plastic models, dolls, model trains, maid cafes and other cosplay services, toy guns (トイガン), and survival games. We do not need to mention the anime, light novel, and manga market, which are responsible for a large part of the related categories such as cosplay and the figures sold around Akihabara.

What happened to the otaku market in 2017

Sales of manga and individual creations are increasing on the internet, which caused a 2.8% increase in doujinshi works. The figure industry saw an increase thanks to high mass production and lower prices.

Adult video rose 0.6% in the 2017 estimate after a small drop the year before. Free websites were already eating into paid discs, including among older viewers who had learned to find clips online. Just as anime Blu-rays were declining, the eroge (erotic games) industry saw a decline of 4.8%. Meanwhile, romance and dating games increased due to the popularity of games for the female audience.

That 2017 mix remains a dated ranking of those nine niches. Yano's later surveys still treat idols as a high-spend niche: in fiscal 2024 the institute said the idol segment led growth among 17 major otaku markets, up 23.7%, while anime studio revenue reached 405 billion yen. VTubers and indie games now sit on the same list.