Anime Takes Center Stage at SXSW 2026

As a local, you’d think I’d attend South by Southwest (SXSW), the annual festival bringing several hundred thousand travelers into Austin, Texas, to screen movie premieres, go to concerts, and attend industry and business panels, annually. But I don’t. I’m in anime, and there’s rarely (or just barely) anything for me. But that changed in 2026. This year, Crunchyroll was one of the promoters of SXSW’s Film and TV Festival, which featured quite a lot of anime content. So I braved the crowds to attend—and it was worth the hustle and bustle to see a different side of the anime streamer!

Want to Connect With This Generation? Anime is Your Gateway

Crunchyroll participated in several panels on the Film & TV and Innovations tracks. I attended two:

How Anime Became A Worldwide Cultural Force

Scott Donaton (Senior VP of Global Brand and Community, Crunchyroll) joined Mary Kish (Head of Community Marketing) of Twitch and content creator, Lena Lemon, to talk about how anime has become such a significant part of culture and the entertainment business. I appreciated all three panelists, who brought different perspectives to the event, especially Lena, who is one of my favorite content creators!

L – R: Jasmine Selah, Scott Donaton, Mary Kish, Lena Lemon

The panel was hosted by Jasmina Selah, Thought Leadership Director of National Research Group (NRG). She did a wonderful job asking questions, but I was also thrilled to get her insights because NRG is the group that conducted a research study about anime fandom that I frequently refer to (if you haven’t taken a look at this infographic before, I encourage you to—it’s enlightening!).

I was also given the opportunity to ask a question during the panel’s Q&A portion. During the panel, Lena had mentioned doing a Crunchyroll live stream with her audience at one point, and following up on that comment, I asked Scott if there were indeed plans for more live streaming opportunities in the future.

The response? Well, Scott didn’t really give us a yes or no; it’s apparent, in my opinion, that the roadblocks for widespread anime streaming are too big at this point to expect Crunchyroll to jump in soon (either that or CR is holding this possibility close to the vest). Believe me, though, we’d be the first to jump on it if that could be an option!

The Anime Advantage: Brand Strategy Meets Cultural Power

The next day, I attended a panel that was less for anime fans and content creators, and more for businesses and brands desiring to leverage anime to improve their own reach. Darren Traub (Senior Vice President of Global Business & Legal Affairs, Crunchyroll), Robin Tilotta (Head of Brand and GTM Marketing, Twitch), and Brittanie Boyd (Senior Vice President of Corporate Sponsorships) shared the stage with Crunchyroll General Counsel, Elizabeth Cohen, who hosted their panel on brand strategy.

L-R: Liz Cohen, Darren Traub, Robin Tilotta, Brittanie Boyd

In addition to cool sizzle reels—which included a Crunchyroll one that, despite my attempts not to, had me almost on my feet and cheering for how it showed anime’s impact on its audience, and a really fun video showing a Solo Leveling promotion at a Dallas Mavericks game earliers this season—the panel shared a ton of thoughts on how anime can reach audiences for diverse brands.

Between this panel and the one the day before, I noted a few key themes that Crunchyroll kept bringing up, and which were largely echoed by others:

  • Anime is a medium, not a genre. Anime fans know this, but marketers and others in business who aren’t into anime don’t. This is such an important lesson to learn—and one that helps brands understand the appeal of anime. It’s more than something for some specialized group; there’s an anime for practically anyone!
  • Anime is personal. Anime fans have a really strong connection to their favorite series and characters. Again, we otaku already know this. From fan art to fan fiction, cosplaying to Twitter wars, we connect deeply to anime; they hold very important places in our hearts and souls. Companies need to understand that—and be ready, too, when fans tell you what you did wrong when you post about it!
  • Anime is global. This honestly isn’t something I typically think of, but of course, global reach is something that companies build into their business plans. Crunchyroll noted this time and time again. But the audience did, too, when asking questions—they want CR to expand more and more into their countries and regions. One cool experience that Brittanie brought up that covers all this point (and the others, too) is a Mexico City event where the Mavericks partnered with Crunchyroll and brought partners over who understood the brand and could connect with anime fans.
  • Anime is an experience. Crunchyroll is looking to make its product a better experience for consumers. The platform is not just for streaming. One of their experiences at SXSW for a current anime is an example—more on that below!

Oh, and as the topping on the cake of a wonderful panel, there was a swag giveaway! One of the questions asked was, “What was your gateway anime?” I was selected to answer, and said that it was “Evangelion.” Darren noted that Eva is an older, classic anime, and asked if I understood the ending when I watched it all those years ago. My response? “I still don’t understand the ending.”

There are more items hidden in the back, and the bottle is a cool CR one

Getting to Know Crunchyroll Better

If asking Scott Donaton a question and having a little banter with Darren Traub was an opening toward something new for Beneath the Tangles—chatting with the business side rather than interviewing a voice actor or responding to marketing announcements—mingling at the Crunchyroll mixer was more down our alley.

Crunchyroll invited certain members of the press, VIPs, and staff to a cool event at the Omni Downtown Austin. Hosts greeted guests and cosplayers ushered us into the space where we mingled, had hors d’oeuvres and drinks, and listened to live bands taking requests (including the Pokemon theme song!). Many of the guests (and others walking by) took photos with the cosplayers.

I requested lots:

An event like this, which was much smaller and more specialized than a convention, opened up the opportunity for conversation. I got to know a little about some of the cosplayers and what they hope to do with their cosplay careers. And I won’t spoil this yet, but at least one of their stories struck me as something that would be of interest to our greater community—so Invited that cosplayer (and she agreed to come) on to season two of Something Genuine.

I also spoke to fellow members of the press and to Crunchyroll staff, including those I only knew previously through email communications. As is practically always the case, meeting in person gives you a new perspective about those you work with; it was so much fun networking with the CR staff; they really reaffirmed to me their personal commitment to care for their product and their audiences.

Don’t Forget the Anime

Lest you think SXSW was all industry panels and networking opportunities, Crunchyroll did take the opportunity to share straight-up, anime-related experiences with attendees, as you might experience at a major anime convention. Of most interest to me was their Sentenced to Be a Hero: Teoritta Doll Activation.

@animetangles

An animatronic doll of the goddess Teoritta from Sentenced to Be a Hero descended onto SXSW and she looks amazing. She responds to your touch and of course, demands MORE head pats! @Crunchyroll #sentencedtobeahero #kawaii #animeedit #animetiktok

♬ Cute Anime – FASSounds

This animatronic doll was carefully crafted by a firm they selected who had previously done work for Disney. I spoke with one of the individuals involved, and he was very proud of how well this came out, and I can see why. Teoritta looks so anime-ish, which I think helped the doll be way more cute and way less creepy than you might expect from an animatronic. Plus, the doll itself worked really well—when you pat Teoritta’s head, she pleads for more!

Crunchyroll also hosted a sneak peek panel showing animation from the upcoming anime, Sekiro: No Defeat, and featuring a Q&A with the series’ director and music composer. But if you weren’t in Austin, no fear! You can see the stunning trailer below:

In the Present, Into the Future

Between the panels and mixers, animatronics and anime, SXSW reminded me of something I already knew, but maybe hadn’t fully appreciated until stepping into that world for a few days: Anime isn’t just a niche corner of entertainment anymore. It’s a cultural language that’s being appreciated across the entertainment spectrum.

People are beginning to take in that reality. Businesses are jumping on it. Students—like those from a Carnegie Mellon master’s program sitting behind me at the “How Anime Became A Worldwide Cultural Force” panel and one from the University of Michigan at a J-rock concert (more on that event to come!)—are studying it. Creators like us are building communities around it. Fans—well, we’ve been living it for years. What used to be a hobby shared among a relatively small group has become something much bigger: A global conversation shaped by stories from Japan that resonate across cultures and generations.

For someone like me, who usually engages with anime through writing, interviews, and conversations within fandom, SXSW offered a different vantage point. Watching Crunchyroll participate in these spaces—panels about culture, conversations with brands, and experiences designed for fans—showed how intentional the company is about positioning anime within the wider entertainment world. It wasn’t just about promoting shows; it was about explaining anime to audiences who might not yet understand its reach, its emotional pull, or its potential.

And that may have been the most interesting part of the experience. Whether through industry panels, fan activations, or simple conversations at a mixer, Crunchyroll was doing something larger than advertising its catalog. It was advocating for anime itself—helping businesses, creators, and audiences recognize what fans have known for years: anime isn’t a niche trend or passing phase. It’s a powerful storytelling medium with a global community behind it.

If SXSW offered a glimpse of where the entertainment industry thinks anime is headed, Crunchyroll made one thing clear throughout the week—they intend to be leading the way there.

Twwk
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