All data
Zoomed in on smaller fandoms
Anime Fandoms Are Popular on AO3 If They’re New Enough
We’ve all heard that FFN is the place for anime fandoms and even that anime fans find AO3 unwelcoming. While I do remember some unfortunate PR errors early on, I think anime fandom behavior actually shows a different pattern: fandoms tend to establish themselves on whatever platform is popular when they get big. Once they’re established, they don’t tend to move.
The charts above show big anime/manga fandoms on AO3 and FFN, grouped by canon age. One shows all data; the other is zoomed in so you can see the smaller fandoms more clearly.
AO3 went into open beta at the end of 2009. It became popular circa 2010-2011.