Draft:Japanese Anime Dubbing in India

  • Comment: More sources with in-depth coverage of the subject needed to establish notability to the topic. GrabUp - Talk 07:20, 25 July 2024 (UTC)

The journey of Japanese anime in India has evolved significantly over the years, transforming from a niche interest to a widely appreciated entertainment medium. Initially, the availability of anime dubbed in Indian languages was scarce, limited to a few Kodomo shows on linear TV channels. However, as the unique animation style and compelling storytelling of anime captivated young viewers, a growing demand emerged for more localized content. This article explores the milestones in the localization and dubbing of Japanese anime in Indian languages, highlighting key players and developments that have contributed to its current popularity.

Early Challenges and Growing Appreciation

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Historically, the availability of Japanese anime dubbed in Indian languages such as Hindi, Tamil, Telugu was exceedingly rare. Only a handful of Kodomo shows graced Indian television, captivating young audiences with their distinctive animation styles. As these viewers matured, they developed a deeper appreciation for anime, often questioning why such compelling storytelling and artistry remained underappreciated in India. This burgeoning fanbase began advocating for localized content to enhance anime's accessibility and recognition in the country.

Landmark Entry of Crunchyroll

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A pivotal moment for Indian anime enthusiasts occurred on July 18, 2022, when Crunchyroll, a leading anime distribution platform, entered the Indian market. They pledged to localize and dub Japanese anime in Indian languages, setting affordable subscription prices for their OTT platform. Crunchyroll's initial offerings included Hindi dubs of the acclaimed series "Ranking of Kings" and "My Dress-Up Darling."[1]

On July 20, 2023, Crunchyroll held its first-ever special screening in India. The screening featured the Hindi Dub (S1 – E1 and E2) of the popular anime series Jujutsu Kaisen. The event was attended by Tiger Shroff and Rashmika Mandanna[2]. Crunchyroll was working on bringing anime films to Indian theaters, starting with “Psycho-Pass: Providence,” which was scheduled to release in Indian theaters on July 28, 2023.

On Dec. 12, 2023, Crunchyroll revealed plans to host an exclusive fan premiere of Solo Leveling on December 20 in Mumbai. The screening took place at Maison PVR, Jio World Drive in BKC, Mumbai, starting at 5:30 pm. Following the Hindi screening of the initial two episodes, film journalists Anupama Chopra and Suchin Mehrotra conducted an interview with actor Ali Fazal, who voiced the character of Song Chi-Yul in the Hindi dub of Solo Leveling.[3]

Expansion and Market Competition

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Following Crunchyroll's successful foray, the company expanded its licensing efforts, providing dubs in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. The rising popularity of anime in India attracted other significant players. Streaming giants such as Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, and JioCinema, along with linear TV channels like Cartoon Network, Sony Yay, and Zee Cafe, began producing localized dubs of their anime content, intensifying competition.

Cartoon Network Aired Dragon Ball Super in Three regional Languages (Hindi ,Tamil & Telugu) From 22 May 2022.[4][5] After that, Cartoon Network Expanded its Anime programming by airing Digimon Adventure, My Hero Academia, Dragon Ball Z Kai and many more shows.[6][7][8]

Sony Yay Started Airing Naruto in India From August 15, 2022 in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Bengali language.[9] Shin-chan Arrived on Sony YAY! as well with “never-before-seen episodes and movies”.[10] Sony YAY! launched a dedicated anime channel called Anime Booth[11] in collaboration with DTH tv provider Bharti Airtel for its Airtel digital TV, offering a 24-hour anime channel featuring shows like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, Black Clover, and more.The channel is available on Airtel Digital TV.[12]

Zee Café, the popular Indian pay television channel, responded to fans’ demands by introducing a dedicated anime slot at 6 PM. From March 13 to April 24,2023, viewers enjoyed a month-long anime marathon featuring four captivating shows Along With Hindi dub:[13][14]

  1. Kurozuka (March 13 to March 20)
  2. Guin Saga (March 21 to April 6)
  3. Viper’s Greed (April 7 to April 14)
  4. Ultraviolet: Code 044 (April 17 to April 24)

Free Access and Increased Availability

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A notable player in this expansion is Muse India, a YouTube channel under Muse Communication, a prominent anime distributor in Asia. Muse India began streaming Hindi dubs of various renowned anime titles for free, making a substantial impact on accessibility and popularity. They have streamed series such as "Spy × Family", "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime", "Mushoku Tensei" etc. This was a huge contribution to the growing list of anime titles available in Indian languages.[15][16][17]

Current Landscape and Future Prospects

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As of July 25, 2024, over 100 anime titles are available with dubs in various Indian languages across multiple platforms. This extensive list includes Simuldub titles, which release weekly dubbed episodes shortly after their Japanese broadcasts.

The rapid proliferation of localized anime in India has sometimes led to confusion about which titles are available in specific languages. To address this, a comprehensive and regularly updated list of dubbed anime titles has been compiled. This initiative encourages community participation to ensure its accuracy and timeliness.

List of Dubbed Titles

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This list does not include any Kodomo title & mostly revolves around animes which were dubbed and released on or after May 2022. {*Point to be noted: Some exceptions are there} Also, we refrained from adding some titles that aren't involved with any Japanese production/ origin at all. For that reason, you may not find some of the popular self-proclaimed anime titles in this list. [Such as; Lookism, Blue Eye Samurai, Blood of Zeus etc.] Since this list only deals with dubs in Indian languages, we tried using related links of Indian server only. Therefore, if you are trying to open these links from any other country & it doesn't open, then that most probably means either it's regional-restricted content or has been removed by the site; due to some licensing problems or other valid reasons! And finally, if you haven't noticed by now, we're only going to mention official & legal sources & dubs.

Digital Platforms:-

Platform Titles Languages
Crunchyroll Ranking of Kings [1] Hindi, Tamil, Telugu
My Dress-Up Darling [2]
Akebi's Sailor Uniform [3]
Radiant [4]
The Ancient Magus' Bride [5]
Vinland Saga (TV series) [6]
A Couple of Cuckoos [7]
The Daily Life of the Immortal King [8]
Mashle [9]
Jujutsu Kaisen [10]
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead [11]
Spy × Family [12]
Tomo-chan Is a Girl! [13]
Solo Leveling [14]
Metallic Rouge [15]
The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash [16]
Gods' Games We Play [17]
Kaiju No. 8 [18]
An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride [19]
Black Butler (Public School Arc) [20]
Dr. Stone [21]
Haikyu!! [22]
Blue Lock [23]
Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy [24]
Quality Assurance in Another World [25]
The Strongest Magician in the Demon Lord's Army Was a Human [26]
The Apothecary Diaries [27]
Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian [28]
Wistoria: Wand and Sword [29]
Bye Bye, Earth [30]
No Longer Allowed in Another World [31]
Too Many Losing Heroines! [32]
Shangri-La Frontier [33]
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End [34]
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (Season 1 & 2) [35]
Tokyo 24th Ward [36] Hindi, Indian English
Miss Kuroitsu from the Monster Development Department [37]
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba [38] Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Indian English
Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games Is Tough for Mobs [39]
Fire Force [40]
Darling in the Franxx [41]
Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun [42] Hindi
ReLIFE [43]
The Case Study of Vanitas [44]
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury [45]
My One-Hit Kill Sister [46]
Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion [47]
KamiKatsu [48]
Akudama Drive [49]
Masamune-kun's Revenge (Season 2) [50]
My Unique Skill Makes Me OP Even at Level 1 [51]
Horimiya (Only Spin-Off named "Missing Pieces") [52]
Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon [53]
The Great Cleric [54]
Rent-A-Girlfriend season 3 [55]
Chainsaw Man [56]
My Tiny Senpai [57]
Rurouni Kenshin (2023 TV series) [58]
Reign of the Seven Spellblades [59]
The Detective Is Already Dead [60]
The Maid I Hired Recently Is Mysterious [61]
Handyman Saitou in Another World [62]
She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man [63]
I'm in Love with the Villainess [64]
I Shall Survive Using Potions! [65]
Log Horizon [66]
I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too [67]
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers [68]
Code Geass [69]
My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 [70]
The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten [71]
Buddy Daddies [72]
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero [73]
The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World [74]
The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World [75]
The Strongest Tank's Labyrinth Raids [76]
Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! [77]
The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic [78]
Villainess Level 99 [79]
Bucchigiri?! [80]
Tower of God [81]
I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability [82]
BARTENDER Glass of God [83]
A Condition Called Love [84]
Wind Breaker [85]
A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics [86]
Vampire Dormitory [87]
The Many Sides of Voice Actor Radio [88]
Viral Hit [89]
Days with My Stepsister [90]
Twilight Out of Focus [91]
The Elusive Samurai [92]
VTuber Legend: How I Went Viral after Forgetting to Turn Off My Stream [93]
Why Does Nobody Remember Me in This World? [94]
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation [95]
Assassination Classroom [96] Tamil, Telugu
Re:Monster [97]
Chillin' in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers [98]
AnimeTimes [Prime Video Channel] Junji Ito Collection [99] Hindi
Spy × Family (Season 1) [100]
Rent-A-Girlfriend (Season 1 & 2) [101]
Muse India [YouTube Channel] That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (Season 1 & 3) [102] Hindi
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (Season 1) [103]
Spy × Family [104]
JioCinema Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Season 1 & 2) [105] Hindi
Spy × Family [106]
Mushoku Tensei:Jobless Reincarnation [107]
Netflix Spy × Family [108] Hindi
The Imaginary [109]
Kiki's Delivery Service [110]
Baki Hanma [111]
Delicious in Dungeon [112]
Ponyo [113]
My Neighbor Totoro [114]
Spirited Away [115]
Howl's Moving Castle [116]
My Oni Girl [117]
Castlevania: Nocturne [118]
Akuma-kun (2023) [119]
Princess Mononoke [120]
Onimusha [121]
The Grimm Variations [122]
Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King [123]
Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf [124]
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off [125]
Disney+ Hotstar Summer Time Rendering [126] Hindi
Aoashi [127]
Black Rock Shooter: Dawn Fall [128]
Amazon Prime Video Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone [129] Hindi
Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance [130]
Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo [131]
Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time [132]
ZEE5 Buddha: The Great Departure [18] [133] Hindi
Buddha 2: The Endless Journey [19] [134]

TV Channels:-

Network Serial No. Titles Languages
Cartoon Network (Indian TV channel) 1 Dragon Ball 1986 Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam
2 Dragon Ball Z Kai
3 Dragon Ball Super
4 My Hero Academia (Season 1-6 & Movie 1-3)
5 One Piece: Wano Country Arc
Sony YAY! + {Anime Booth [135] & Anime Local [136]} 1 Naruto Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali
2 Naruto Shippuden Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam
3 Black Clover
Zee Café 1 Kurozuka Hindi
2 Guin Saga
3 Viper's Creed
4 Ultraviolet: Code 044
5 Valkyria Chronicles
ETV Bal Bharat 1 Detective Conan Indian English, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu
2 Bakugan: Battle Planet

Theatres:-

Network Serial No. Titles Languages
Sony Pictures Networks 1 Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Hindi
PVR Inox Pictures 1 One Piece Film: Red Hindi
2 Suzume

Conclusion

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The evolution of anime localization in India marks a significant cultural shift, transforming from a niche interest to a mainstream phenomenon. With the unwavering support of distribution platforms and the passion of dedicated fans, the future of anime in India appears exceptionally promising, poised to offer a rich and diverse array of content to an ever-growing audience.

References

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  1. ^ Sayyed, Rayan (2022-07-18). "Crunchyroll Reduces Subscription Pricing in India Which is Great News for Anime Fans Across the Country". IGN India. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  2. ^ "Crunchyroll to add 200 hrs of content, bring Tamil & Telugu dubs in India". www.animationxpress.com. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  3. ^ Sayyed, Rayan (2023-12-12). "Solo Leveling's Special Fan Hindi Dub Premiere Set for Mumbai by Crunchyroll". IGN India. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  4. ^ Nair, Rupesh Nair (2022-05-11). "Cartoon Network to Telecast Dragon Ball Super in Three Regional Languages From May 22". IGN India. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  5. ^ Sayyed, Rayan Sayyed (2022-10-11). "Cartoon Network Expands Its Anime Programming By Airing 'Digimon Adventure:'". IGN India. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  6. ^ Sayyed, Rayan Sayyed (2023-04-14). "Dragon Ball Z Kai Premiere on Cartoon Network: Date, Timings, and More". IGN India. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  7. ^ Sayyed, Rayan (2023-08-21). "Cartoon Network India Reveals My Hero Academia Dub Information". IGN India. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  8. ^ Sayyed, Rayan (2024-04-19). "One Piece on Cartoon Network India Is Jumping Straight Into Wano Arc". IGN India. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  9. ^ Sayyed, Rayan (2022-08-06). "Naruto to Start Airing in India on Sony Yay From August 15". IGN India. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  10. ^ Sayyed, Rayan (2024-04-18). "Shin chan Set to Arrive on Sony YAY!". IGN India. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  11. ^ "'Sony Yay!' Launches Anime Booth Channel on Airtel Digital TV". Anime News Network. Anime News Network. 26 July 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  12. ^ Sayyed, Rayan Sayyed (2024-02-21). "Demon Slayer, Naruto, Black Clover and More Anime to Air in Hindi on Airtel Anime Booth". IGN India. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  13. ^ Sayyed, Rayan Sayyed (2023-03-07). "Zee Café Responds to Fans' Demands and Offers Anime in Different Time Slot". IGN India. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  14. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  15. ^ "Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation [Hindi dub] | Muse IN". YouTube. Muse India. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  16. ^ "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime [Hindi dub] | Muse IN". YouTube. Muse India. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  17. ^ "SPY×FAMILY [Hindi dub] | Muse IN". YouTube. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  18. ^ Morishita, Kôzô (28 May 2011). "Tezuka Osamu no budda: Akai sabaku yo! Utsukushiku". IMDB. Osamu Tezuka's Buddha Production Committee, Kinoshita Group, Tezuka Productions.
  19. ^ Komura, Toshiaki (8 February 2014). "Buddha 2: Tezuka Osamu no Budda - Owarinaki tabi". IMDB. Osamu Tezuka Buddha 2 Production Committee, Kinoshita Group, T.Y.