Whether Invincible is an anime or not has been a matter of debate among fans of the show. At first glance, being that Invincible is a series made by Skybound Entertainment and Amazon Studios, it’s not a Japanese production. But given that the animation is clearly influenced by the anime art style and there’s a recent report suggesting that at least a part of the show was made in North Korea, the answer gets a bit fuzzy. So here’s a breakdown of whether Invincible can be classified as an anime.
Does Invincible count as an anime?
Mostly no. If an anime is defined as being an animation produced in Japan, then Invincible doesn’t count as one.
Even if a part of the animation was indeed outsourced to North Korea and China, the vast majority of the show was likely managed and created by several Western studios. Specifically, that means Wind Sun Sky Entertainment, Skybound Entertainment, and Amazon Studios. If it’s found that North Korean and Chinese studios had a larger role in the production of the series, then it may be more proper to call it a “donghua” (Chinese animation) or a “hanguk aeni” (Korean animation).
That said, some define anime as an art style originating in Japan, and its influences can be seen throughout the series. Some of the camera angles and expressive character reactions are reminiscent of other popular “shonen” anime. From the perspective of some Japanese fans, Invincible can be considered an American anime, though we would consider it an animated series or cartoon that’s closer to Teen Titans and other superhero TV animations from DC Comics and Marvel.
This debate harkens back to past discussions of whether Avatar: The Last Airbender can be considered an anime, though most would not consider that an anime either. That said, the lines between Western animation and Japanese anime are becoming blurrier, as American studios push to create shows for international audiences and Japanese studios are becoming more open to animating series based on Western IPs, like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. So the question of whether something counts as an anime may become less pertinent as the genre continues to evolve.
