Here’s everything about the best social media for anime:
Overall, the best platform is probably MyAnimeList.
It’s designed specifically for sharing information related to anime, and pretty much all anime fans use it.
From there, Twitter is the best for official announcements, and Facebook is the best for finding local groups and making in-person connections.
So if you want to learn all about which social media platforms are best for anime, then you’re in the right place.
Let’s jump right in!
What Are Your Goals for Identifying the Best Social Media for Anime? (4 Objectives)
Before I can accurately recommend social media platforms to you, we have to talk a little bit about goals.
Depending on what you want out of the experience, you might favor one social media over another.
The best place to find the next great show to watch might not be the same as the preferred site for meeting local anime groups.
There’s a lot of variety to this stuff.
So, let’s take a minute to discuss goals.
Then, I’ll make recommendations based on these goals, and you’ll have an easier time seeing which platform might be best for you (and don’t forget that you can use more than one if you want).
#1 Finding New Shows to Watch
This seems like a reasonable and common goal for anime fans on social media.
I’m going to discuss the best social media resources for this later.
Actually, I’m going to list each of the top platforms, and when I do, I’ll include what they’re good and bad for, but before that, it’s worth noting that social media isn’t your only resource.
Virtually every site that allows you to watch anime will also make recommendations and show you which series are the most popular at the moment.
It’s a good way to look for the next great show.
You can see this with licensed sites like Crunchyroll, but it’s even common with unlicensed sites (which I won’t list for legal reasons).
#2 Meeting Fellow Fans
Maybe finding new shows isn’t your primary concern.
Maybe, you’re more interested in finding like-minded individuals who like the same stuff that you do.
If that sounds about right to you, then you’ll find that different social media resources are better suited for your purposes.
You’ll also find that the anime-watching sites aren’t quite as useful.
As I break down social media platforms a little later, I want you to remember that you can meet fans in two ways.
You can make online friends who you can talk to and interact with, or you can try to make friends who you will see in real life.
These are very different goals, and that’s why you’ll favor different social media sites depending on which is your top goal.
As an additional note, if you’re just trying to have conversations and make online friends, then anime Discord servers might be your thing.
You’ll have to search for them separately, but they are a good way to meet people who like the same shows that you do, and things can evolve naturally from there.
#3 Chatting With Strangers
If you join a Discord server, you’re going to be talking with the same people day after day (although people will come and go with any popular server).
You might get to know some of them pretty well and even become friends.
If you’re looking to keep a little more distance and detachment, then I might describe this as a desire to discuss anime with strangers.
It’s actually a common thing.
Most sites that allow you to watch anime have chat discussions under each episode, and they tend to be active.
If this is your thing, then the anime sites are already a good start, but there are a few social media resources that are better for this type of engagement.
#4 Rating Anime
Lastly, I’m going to throw a few ideas into a general category.
If you want to rate shows, read reviews, try to track what is trending or coming next, or otherwise keep an eye on the production and critical review side of things, then that’s another experience altogether.
Basically, this suggests that you want to try harder to engage with people who make anime or professionals and influencers in the anime community.
Goals in this category are less about making friends and more about having a presence in the community or larger scene.
If that strikes a chord, don’t worry, I have recommendations for you too.
What Are the Best Social Media for Anime? (5 Platforms)
With those goals in mind, I can give you a more focused breakdown of the major social media platforms that a lot of anime fans like.
Some of them are social media giants that you have no doubt heard of before (and might already use).
Others are more specific to anime (although you still might have heard of them).
What you’ll find is that each has its own strengths, so depending on your goals, the best platform might change.
#1 MyAnimeList
If we’re talking about anime and social media, then MyAnimeList is the obvious starting point.
It’s probably the very most famous anime-related website in the world, and it has a lot to offer.
For starters, it’s a great resource to use as a bit of an encyclopedia.
You can browse lists of shows, reviews, announcements, and more.
But, it’s more than that too.
As the name suggests, the site allows you to make your own list of favorite or least favorite anime shows.
In fact, you can make multiple lists, and you can do it all under an anonymous user.
If you don’t want to be anonymous, you can also make your personal information public on the site (but your information will not be public by default).
This is probably the very best resource for finding new shows.
It’s also not bad for meeting other fans of anime.
Since every user can see each others’ lists, you can find people who like the same things as you.
The site allows for direct communication, so you can have random conversations and even try to make friends.
When it comes to face-to-face connection, MyAnimeList is not quite as strong.
The site is not broken into regional groups, so you have no idea where the person you’re talking to might live.
Most in-person connections through the site happen when people plan to meet up at conventions or major events.
#2 Reddit
And then there’s Reddit.
If you aren’t familiar with the platform, Reddit is basically the ultimate hub for chat forums.
The site is sectioned into groups called subreddits, and there is a subreddit for just about anything.
That includes anime and even genres of anime or specific shows.
Reddit is a great place to just talk about anime.
It’s amazing for having conversations with strangers and keeping a certain level of detachment.
You can make friends on Reddit, but it’s definitely not optimized for that.
Reddit also isn’t terrible for keeping up with the latest anime news.
You will see announcements there, but they aren’t always vetted, so keep that in mind.
While news always does break on Reddit, there are false announcements too.
It’s best to always take things you read on the site with a grain of salt.
#3 Twitter
You’ve heard of Twitter, right? It’s one of the largest social media platforms in the world.
As such, you might think that it’s too generalized to be useful for Anime, but then you would be wrong.
Twitter is particularly great for following official members of the anime community.
You can follow channels and production companies.
Many of them make formal announcements on Twitter, so you can always keep up with the latest information.
Also, this is where social media influencers live. If you’re interested in that side of anime and the community, then Twitter has to be part of your plan.
#4 Facebook
As if Twitter wasn’t enough, Facebook is actually the very most popular social media platform of all.
It has the most users and the most active users, and it certainly has a ton of stuff that has nothing to do with anime.
That said, Facebook has a near-unlimited number of groups, and within those groups, you can find anime communities.
Facebook is actually the best resource for tapping into your local scene.
If you want to go to a local anime convention, meet people who are into cosplaying, or do anything else that involves in-person interactions, Facebook is the best resource.
You can try to follow production companies and such on Facebook.
You’ll get mixed success.
They are all more active on Twitter, but some groups are active on Facebook too.
Outside of in-person connections, Facebook isn’t as useful as the other platforms, but in this one area, it’s the best.
#5 FoNIme.com
This site comes up a lot, so I’m going to cover it, but I don’t actually have good things to say about it.
A lot of people love the site.
I’ve barely been able to interact with it.
It has a lot of structural problems and downtime.
More importantly, the site isn’t properly secured by modern standards.
It is not up to date with security certificates.
To skip a long-winded lecture on cybersecurity, this basically means that the site is easily spoofed and used to steal information from you.
Basically, you’re taking a risk when you use the site.
And, even if you’re ok with that site, its performance is unreliable at best.
All of that said, people have had good experiences and swear by it.
I’m not recommending it (and I didn’t even link it specifically because of the security risks), but you’re free to take a chance if you like.