ANF

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	AnimationFan (ANF)
Alias(es)	ANF
Affiliation	Avalon Studio / Avalon
Occupation/Role	Two-dimensional cultural platform integrating video, manga, animation, games, community features, and live streaming
Status	Active; the leading platform in the two-dimensional sphere 274
First Appearance	116

Background / History

ANF began as a struggling two-dimensional video website with more than 200,000 users and a dedicated core community. It lacked genuine new anime content, had poor advertisement conversion, and had no viable monetization strategy; its passion-driven creators and narrow audience made investors reluctant to fund it. 116 117

Founder Cai Quan and co-founder Wen Fei ultimately offered to sell the site after Avalon Studio expressed interest in investment. Tang Yao acquired ANF, retained the founding team to operate it, and set performance targets centered on user growth over three years. ANF's operations team then moved into Avalon Studio. 117 119 120

Tang Yao's initial plan was to turn ANF into a comprehensive platform linking manga, animation, and games. The site added manga and game sections, with Fate/Zero, FGO side stories, and Fate/Grand Order serving as its initial content base. 120

Following a major revamp, ANF adopted a smoother interface, community-oriented functions, and an FGO collaboration campaign. Its expansion into UGC, licensed animation, online manga, joint game operations, esports, and live streaming transformed it from a niche video site into a major two-dimensional platform. 128 156 233 275

Growth Metrics

Milestone	Result	Chapter
Pre-acquisition user base	Over 200,000 users	117
Revamp launch activity	Around 500,000 DAU within three hours	128
Post-revamp growth	DAU exceeded 600,000; registered users exceeded 3.5 million	132
Hearthstone pre-registrations	370,000 and rising	233
Monthly active users	Over 75 million	255

Platform Features

Video and Community

ANF shifted from a conventional video site toward a UGC-centered cultural community. Its revamp introduced a dynamic feed supporting text posts, images, short videos, event sharing, topic discussions, and one-click sharing or reposting. 128

• Strong comment and bullet-comment interaction encourages users to respond to creators quickly. 130 131
• Users function as both content consumers and creators, publishing fanfiction, game guides, videos, art, and other fan works. 130
• The platform supports community rules and bullet-comment etiquette to preserve its atmosphere as user growth accelerates. 132
• Its user experience improved substantially after the revamp, resolving frequent bugs and crashes. 128

Manga

ANF's manga section launched with free simultaneous access to Fate/Zero and later added FGO-world short stories. 120

• The platform held an original manga contest with a million-dollar creation fund, higher manuscript fees, and potential IP-development and game-royalty opportunities. 156 159 160
• Chainsaw Man became the section's key test case, traffic driver, and long-term pillar. 161 274 332
• The FGO × Into the Night collaboration demonstrated ANF's ability to turn manga IP into a game event, drawing manga artists and publishers to seek cooperation. 196 207
• By the Reze arc, the manga section had surpassed competing platforms in influence and attracted numerous creators. 274

Animation

ANF initially lacked animation licenses, leaving users to watch anime elsewhere and return only to discuss it on the site. 156

• ANF announced plans to license older anime through a user-driven process. 156
• Users first nominate titles, then vote across User Nominations, Underrated Gems, and Editor's Picks. 156
• The fifteen highest-voted works become ANF's first licensed animation batch. 156

Games and Joint Operations

ANF's game section was designed as a channel for two-dimensional games, beginning with FGO and later expanding beyond Avalon titles. 120 141

• Account binding can provide game gift packs, while the platform distributes game news, original art, wallpapers, guides, and collaboration content. 128
• FGO × ANF campaigns included new-version countdowns, social-media sharing events, voice-actor videos, and the FGO × ANF Fan Creation Contest. 121
• ANF's user base became a precise channel for reaching core and casual two-dimensional game players. 141
• Joint operations, including Fantasy Westward Journey, established a sustainable profit model and attracted further game developers. 233 255
• ANF planned PC and mobile clients for its game section. 261

Live Streaming and Esports

ANF launched its live-streaming section with a featured Hearthstone expansion broadcast and recruited streamers such as Miao Zhang through its Content Cooperation Department. 275

• The service combines game streams, avatar streams, two-dimensional music, casual chat, and strategy content. 275 277
• ANF's existing user base and direct connection to Avalon game players help streamers build immediate audiences and high interaction. 276
• In less than two weeks, live-stream DAU, retention time, and interaction rates grew sharply, exceeding industry averages. 277
• Hearthstone tournaments became a major draw after ANF found their popularity to be consistently high. 255

Major Campaigns

Campaign	Details	Chapter
FGO × ANF Fan Creation Contest	Incentivized fan-made videos and other UGC while converting FGO traffic into long-term site activity.	121 131
FGO New Version Countdown	Used limited-time events, social-media sharing, gift packs, voice-actor content, and featured promotion.	121
Rin Tohsaka collaboration videos	Virtual-streamer content drew casual users to ANF and encouraged them to register and try FGO.	139
Licensed-animation voting	Let users nominate and vote on older anime for ANF's first licensed batch.	156
Original manga contest	Offered creator incentives and positioned online serialization as an alternative to traditional magazines.	156 160
FGO × Into the Night	Promoted an original collaboration story and a gacha event adapted faithfully from the manga.	196 207
FGO 1.6 warm-up	Combined ANF homepage promotion, live streams, Game Assistant notifications, and an FGO wiki.	277

Relationships

• Tang Yao — Acquirer and owner who shaped ANF into an integrated ACG ecosystem and used it as Avalon's core promotional and community channel. 120 121
• Cai Quan — Founder and later ANF president; remained with the platform after the acquisition and oversaw its operations and business growth. 119 274
• Wen Fei — Co-founder and Cai Quan's cousin; stayed with the team after the acquisition agreement. 117 119
• Li Xue — Avalon executive who manages broader business responsibilities and participates in ANF's manga, cooperation, and operational decisions. 205 255 274
• Avalon Studio — Parent company whose games, funding, content, and promotional strategy fueled ANF's expansion. 120 141 255
• Fate/Grand Order — ANF's foundational game collaboration and a major source of early traffic, creator activity, and user conversion. 120 128 141
• Chainsaw Man — The manga section's flagship work and principal driver of its reputation and creator recruitment. 161 274 332

Trivia

• ANF's mascot concept includes a virtual administrator who discovers abnormal server data connected to Chaldea. 121
• Its top-page banner is used for major campaigns as well as seasonal artwork featuring the ANF mascot. 181
• ANF's growth prompted mainstream video platforms that had deprioritized UGC to begin supporting creators again. 255