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- Image of anime therapy, Courtesy of Yokohama City University COI-NEXT Center Minds1020Lab and Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP)

Anime Therapy Is Real—And It Might Just Revolutionize Mental Health Support

Originally posted on Total Apex Gaming | By Michelle Kitz | Last updated Nov 1, 2025 3:16 PM ET

What if anime and video games could be used to help young people achieve better mental health outcomes? That’s what the Yokohama City University COI-NEXT Center Minds1020Lab and Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP) are researching in Japan right now. They’re calling it “Anime Therapy®” and, while it might sound strange at first, when you get into the details, I think you may change your mind. There’s hope for positive outcomes here.

What is “Anime Therapy?”

According to Minds1020Lab, “Anime Therapy” is “an online counseling service using original characters.” This particular program was designed in collaboration with Dr. Francesco Panto, an Italian psychiatrist and visiting researcher at Yokohama City University. He said it’s “a therapy that aims at the healing effect of the mind through the appreciation of works that have a fictional element and realistically depict human conflict, physical, relational, and social distress.” (Note that this was translated from Japanese using automated translation.)

DNP designed the original characters and created the actual system that is in use.

The trial started on October 1, 2025, and will run through June 30, 2026. It includes 20 individuals aged 18 to 29. Each participant was given a questionnaire before starting the therapy, and they will be given another one after the treatment is completed. To begin the “Anime Therapy,” they each chose an original character. These characters each have their own stories and backgrounds. Then the psychologists provide the therapy to the person through that character.

Can This Work?

Image of anime therapy, Courtesy of Yokohama City University COI-NEXT Center Minds1020Lab and Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP)

Well, that’s what the study is for. Being faced with telling a person all of your deepest fears and troubles can be difficult for many people. If an anime visual novel can be used to provide the support and guidance a person needs, then why not? For gamers, it wouldn’t feel like a huge step away from the RPGs they might already be playing. And, from the information provided, it sounds like you learn more about the character as you go. So, it’s not just talking about yourself. I, for one, am very curious about this process, and I don’t even fall in that target age group.

Who is Minds1020Lab?

Minds1020Lab is part of the Collaborative Innovation Support Program of Japan (COI-NEXT). They’re working towards a better society through mind, body, and environment. That’s a beautiful thing, in my humble opinion. Minds1020Lab’s website is also in Japanese, so the machine translation was imperfect, but it’s clear, from their messaging, that they have a goal of improving the lives of young people and, through them, improving all of society. I think that’s a worthy cause.

Final Thoughts

With everything happening in our world, access to mental health is of critical importance. If there’s a chance of providing better care by meeting people where they are, then that seems like a very positive direction. This author, for one, sees studies like this one as hopeful for a better future. Would I engage in “Anime Therapy?” Absolutely, yes.

This article first appeared on Total Apex Gaming and was syndicated with permission.

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