Sakamoto Days dropped on January 11, 2025, and it quickly became a top hit. Based on the popular shonen manga by Yuto Suzuki the anime is now ranked number 2 globally for non-English shows on Netflix for two weeks straight.
From January 13-19, 2025, it pulled in 8.6 million views and over 7.7 million hours watched, just behind Squid Game: Season 2.
The following week, January 20-26, 2025, it stayed at number 2, but views dropped a bit to 5.7 million, with 7.3 million hours watched.
| Week | Global Ranking | Views | Hours Watched |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 13 – January 19, 2025 | #2 | 8.6 Million | 7.7 Million |
| January 20 – January 26, 2025 | #2 | 5.7 Million | 7.3 Million |
In Japan, it has been number 1 since it came out. But internationally it is still holding strong at number 2 right under Squid Game, showing that it is pretty popular worldwide.
Other Winter 2025 anime on Netflix, like The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 and Dr. Stone Season 4, are doing well but Sakamoto Days is definitely leading the pack.
Sakamoto Days is produced by TMS Entertainment, and directed by Masaki Watanabe, and it is clear people are really liking the show. It has become one of the most successful ongoing shonen manga adaptations out there right now.
Why Sakamoto Days Views Dropped on Netflix?
Netflix has the global streaming rights for Sakamoto Days, but there is something affecting its views. In Japan, Netflix releases new episodes one week earlier than in other regions, just like Blue Box Anime.
This causes a bit of a problem because after the episode airs in Japan, it is quickly uploaded to pirated sites with fan subs.
So, instead of waiting for the episode to drop on Netflix, many people end up watching it on pirated sites.
The issue lies with the deal Netflix has with Netflix Japan, giving Japan early access to episodes. Because of this, people are not watching on Netflix as much anymore, and instead, they are turning to those pirated options.
Even though Sakamoto Days has a huge fanbase thanks to the popularity of its manga, Netflix is losing viewers due to this early release deal with Netflix Japan.
Netflix globally has released 3 episodes of Sakamoto Days till now. However, Episode 4 is available on Netflix Japan. According to Manga Plus, the synopsis of Sakamoto Days is:
Taro Sakamoto was the ultimate assassin, feared by villains and admired by hitmen. But one day…he fell in love! Retirement, marriage, fatherhood and then… Sakamoto gained weight! The chubby guy who runs the neighborhood store is actually a former legendary hitman! Can he protect his family from danger?
Production Team
- Director: Masaki Watanabe
- Series Composition: Taku Kishimoto
- Music: Yuki Hayashi
- Original Creator: Yuuto Suzuki
- Character Design: Yō Moriyama
- Art Director: Yukiko Maruyama
- Sound Director: Jin Aketagawa
- Director of Photography: Baek Ryun Chae
- Producers: Ryōta Hasegawa
Japanese Cast
- Shin Asakura: Nobunaga Shimazaki
- Tarō Sakamoto: Tomokazu Sugita
- Lu Shaotang: Ayane Sakura
- X (Slur): Daisuke Namikawa
- Hana Sakamoto: Hina Kino
- Hyō: Hiroki Yasumoto
- Takamura: Hōchū Ōtsuka
- Piisuke: Miyari Nemoto
- Aoi Sakamoto: Nao Tōyama
- Nagumo: Natsuki Hanae
- Heisuke Mashimo: Ryōta Suzuki
- Osaragi: Saori Hayami
- Shishiba: Taku Yashiro
- Boiled: Yasuhiro Mamiya
- Son Hee: Yasuyuki Kase
- Obiguro: Yumi Uchiyama
Source: Netflix Tudum
