Student retention and persistence in college is an ongoing concern for higher education professionals. There are many different transitional problems students face on a college campus that are addressed in some of the literature within the college setting. To gain a better understanding of students’ challenges in college and what creative tools could assist in their transitions, the responses of first-semester college students (18-24 years of age) who engage in anime and were enrolled in a first-year student success course were explored. A qualitative research design using a generic approach was used to address the research question: How do college students who engage in anime describe the value of this art form as resiliency building with transitions? Resilience theory was used to explain how exploring anime engagement is useful as a resource to help students overcome risk exposure in college. Qualitative data were collected through a sequence of open-ended, face-to-face interview questions. Results revealed how students experience anime and how this art form can support in obtaining academic success strategies to overcome and bounce back from challenges and transitions in college. Students described how anime in its many different forms (television shows, movies, manga, graphic novels, and cosplay) modeled appropriate goal setting techniques, academic rigor, and appropriate social constructs that can be transferable to the academic experience of the first-year college student. In summary, students’ have been observing and imitating behavior since they started school through different learning tools and techniques. Students expressed interest in a college-wide intervention of awareness through anime that brings counselors and educators closer to students, the real interpersonal experience, and familiarity with living with transitions during college.