Disney Adults, Anime Fans & The Rise of Fandom Culture

By: Rylan B.

Since making my Dragon Con video, I’ve been replaying memories from that weekend in my head like a Spotify playlist that somehow keeps looping the same three Taylor Swift songs over and over again.

There’s something fascinating about fandom culture, especially at events like Dragon Con where thousands of people fully immerse themselves in their favorite fictional worlds.

Walking through the convention felt like stepping inside one giant imagination simulator. Everywhere you looked there were people transforming into characters from anime, movies, comic books, video games, and fantasy series they genuinely love.

And honestly? It made me realize how often fandoms become more than just hobbies. For a lot of people, fandoms turn into identities, lifestyles, and entire personalities.

We all know someone like this. Maybe it’s the guy who treats every football game like a religious experience. Maybe it’s the Disney adult who plans yearly pilgrimages to the parks. Maybe it’s the anime fan who can explain the entire Naruto timeline without taking a breath. Some people don’t just enjoy a fandom — they live inside it.

People will passionately defend the things they love, whether that’s sports teams, religion, K-pop groups, fantasy worlds, or anime series. Entire communities form around shared interests, and over time those interests start shaping how people dress, decorate their homes, spend money, communicate online, and even socialize.

In this article, we’re diving into fandoms that people often turn into full-blown personality traits — from Disney adults and Harry Potter fans to K-pop stans, anime communities, and superhero obsessives.

Because once somebody starts casually quoting Yoda in everyday conversations, spending hours writing Naruto fanfiction, or transforming their bedroom into a shrine dedicated to Mickey Mouse… we may have crossed into dangerous territory.

So with that being said… let’s start with the most powerful fandom kingdom of them all: Disney adults.

To some Disney is just a theme park, to others, Disney adults it is sacred land.

Jodi Eichler-Levine, a religion professor at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania said in a viral tweet she wrote: “Many of the Disney fans I have observed in person and online find immense meaning in the parks. People don’t just marry at Disney. They mourn lost relatives at Disney. They go to Disney to celebrate surviving cancer. They go there for one last trip before they die. Religion is a way of making meaning in the world through stories and rituals.”

Disney adults live, breath, and die by the hand of the Disney brand. Some call it an entertainment conglomerate, I call it a cult!

Just think about it, Disney’s footprint is far larger today when compared to their origins. The Walt Disney Company has its hand in cable television networks, film studios (one which includes another fandom that we’ll dive into in a bit), brands, fashion, celebrities, you name it, they own it all! Cut them some slack, everybody knows if you want to have a successful company that last generations you’ve gotta maintain the sacrificial head in the company dungeon. Fun fact, Walt Disney and I were born on the same day, December 5th. We’re natural born cult leaders!

And Disney adults are the cult followers. They are usually the first in line to purchase limited edition Mickey ears, land the character themed popcorn boxes, or spend $800 on park tickets to celebrate the return of character hugging.

Disney’s primary message of “magic moments” and “making dreams come true,” sells a very vague wish fulfillment to consumers, who willingly spend thousands of dollars on an immersion experience.

Disney is one of the few fandoms where fans can actually live and escape into their world if they can afford it.

As early as the 1990s, coverage of Disney’s fairy-tale weddings programs invited many to celebrate their shotgun nuptials in the house of the mouse.

Like many aesthetics, the Disney adult originated on Tumblr under the term “Disneybounding,” where people are shown cosplaying as a character at the parks using the color palettes inspired by that character.

Harry Potter

Many grown adults today still identify themselves by their chosen Hogwarts house. In case you were wondering, I'm House Hufflepuff.

It has been more than 20 years since the first book of the series has been published, but it still has not lost its shine, except for the fact that JK Rowling is kind of a terrible person. Harry Potter fans or Potterheads, no not potheads, although I wouldn’t put it past some of them, are known to have their own custom wand and have more than a few Harry Potter mugs and other paraphernalia. What’s up Dumbledork!

The idea of magic and wizardry is fascinating to kids. The world building is so detailed and many impressionable minds once believed in becoming a part of the Wizarding World. Like Disney it is completely possible to escape from the real world and immerse yourself into The Wizarding World. We should all be familiar with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter themed park at Universal Parks. Another destination known to Potterheads as sacred land.

There is definitely a pattern with the biggest fandoms having physical locations. When companies see the opportunity to milk a fandom they will definitely go for it. We’re starting to see a trend of other genres, industries adopting that same method of building theme parks for a fandom. Just take a look at the Super Mario World theme park that opened last year and Ghibli Park which opened this year.

The series is nostalgic for many adults that grew up reading the books, bringing back memories of some of the happiest times of their lives. I personally remember my childhood friends that read the book constantly comparing the movie portrayal to the books.

A fantasy world does not only serve as a form of escapism but also serves to inspire others to overcome personal challenges. not only an escape from reality but as a source of inner peace becoming kind of a therapy helping to overcome personal and inner psychological problems and at the same time inspiring to take action.

One attribute for the connection people have with Harry Potter is the moral issues characters face. These experiences add an adult spice to the world of wizards. There are no easy answers and every victory in the series has a price. The acceptance of these realities connects with many adults that struggled with the same issues.

ARMY

K-Pop boy band BTS has the biggest fan following in the world currently. Their fandom is known as the ARMY and has millions of followers. The ARMY is not a fandom you want to mess with, they are very devoted and huge contributors to BTS’ success. KPOP super fans in general are not people you want to mess with. Just think back to their Twitter war with Qanon and White Supremacist in 2020. The BTS troops effectively commandeered the racist Twitter hashtag and rendered it all but unusable.

BTS has been amassing a legion of fans long before it became the first all-South Korean act to top the Billboard Hot 100.

BTS fans are more than willing to show up in person to support their favorite boy band but they are also one of the most active online communities in existence. If you’re an active social media scroller you've probably come across BTS fan accounts and posts that inform you on which member you are based on your horoscope. (LOOK THIS UP)

Some members of the ARMY will fill up their time translating live video streams, wait for new releases during promotional season, and learn the choreography from music videos.

Hey Kpop record labels, I have a brilliant idea for you. Build a theme park, you’ll make a lot more money!

Anime

The anime fandom has always had a presence but in the last few years we’ve seen a huge increase in its popularity. The genre has reached such popularity now that it's common for 2 people in a group of 5 to be familiar with the fandom. I actually dive into anime’s popularity in this video.

While some may argue that anime is not a personality trait, I beg to differ.

There is always that one anime fan that knows all the hand seals from Naruto or will fact check you if you misname a character from their favorite series. UM ACTUALLY!

Watching anime is definitely a hobby and some even choose to hide the fact that they watch anime because of the negative connotations that come with. (You like anime, that means you dont show, you like anime that means you dont get bitches, fuck you)

Serious anime fans that live for anime and will die for anime, often have bedrooms decked out with their favorite characters, they b line it to the anime section of stores like Hot Topic or Spencers, and probably know some badass anime moves.

The fandoms for anime are very spread out depending upon which series you closely follow and the character that you become connected with. There’s fandoms for series like Jojo, My Hero, One Piece, the list goes on.

Anime fans can also be referred to as an otaku, a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, particularly in anime, manga, video games, or computers.

The otaku culture began in the 1980s as people who were considered outcasts and nerds took ownership of the term. The term was first used by the humorist and essayist Nakamori Akio in his 1983 essay “Research for Otaku”. He used the word in a pejorative way to refer to unpleasant anime fans. After that, anime fan groups started to use the term “Otaku” to label themselves in a self-mockery way.

The Star Wars family or Warsies are one of the biggest and oldest fandoms.

Started by George Lucas in 1976, fans of the family drama series will often recite words of knowledge from the great philosopher Yoda, and probably own novels, movies, toys, and the Star Wars themed Monopoly board that has never been played.

The Star Wars fandom consists of generations that grew up with the original trilogy and millennials and zoomers who watched the prequels and animated series unencumbered by the past.

Fans of the trilogy are known to be more vocal and critical towards the series, especially since Disney came into the picture.

Whether you follow the path of a Jedi or the dark path of the Sith, dedicated Star Wars fans may even test using the power of the force in real life.

Twitter has become the homebase for many Star Wars fans that spend their time dissecting the franchise. Some have even gone as far to call Star Wars fans toxic because of some of the hateful comments made towards the newer movies and shows.

Marvel Universe

If we’re talking about fandoms, then there is no leaving out the Marvel Universe. Stan Lee, the creator of Marvel comics, called the fandom “True Believers,” but it officially doesn’t have a name, unlike Potterhead and ARMY.

Marvel has one of the biggest fandoms when it comes to Superheroes.

The Marvel comics have been around for a long time, and generations of people have been their fans for years. Many parent introduce their children to Marvel to keep the fandom family lineage going. Many popular shows like My Hero and The Boys would not exist without the influence of many Marvel superheroes.

The Marvel fandom is made up of people of different ages across different genres.

Serious Marvel fans will often spend their time staying up to date on the events of the cinematic universe, this includes the movies and the series. They are known to own at least 1 marvel superhero tshirt and possibly pray to their Stan Lee figurine for giving them a reason for their lives.

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