Born in Japan

Working in anime and manga in Japan

Anime and manga are loved worldwide, but what is it like to make them? Industry surveys give a clearer picture than the myths.

Animator pay over time

Average annual income of anime production workers: ¥2.552M (2009) · ¥3.328M (2015) · ¥4.408M (2019) · ¥4.555M (2023) · ¥4.446M (2025, median ¥4M)

Pay has risen considerably since 2009, according to the Japan Animation Creators Association (JAniCA). Hours remain long: on average 8.9 hours a day, 190.6 hours a month, with 7.2 days off a month (JAniCA 2026 survey).

The comics market

Japan’s comics market, print and digital, was ¥692.5 billion in 2025. Digital accounted for ¥527.3 billion, about three quarters (Research Institute for Publications). There is no official count of how many manga artists there are.

The career paths

Many manga artists start as assistants to established artists while submitting their own work to magazines and competitions; a series can be cancelled if it is not popular enough. Many animators start with in-between drawings, then move to key animation, animation direction and directing.

What the simulator assumes

The special edition uses the JAniCA pay averages by year and the market figures above. Manga artists’ income, the odds of debuting, getting a series or an anime adaptation, and animators’ promotion odds are game assumptions.

Sources: JAniCA "Anime Production Workers Survey 2026" and earlier surveys; Research Institute for Publications (Feb 2026 release).

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