On March 1, 2022, it was announced that the Funimation, Wakanim, and VRV SVOD services would be consolidated into Crunchyroll. Following the acquisition, Sony stated that they wanted to create a unified anime subscription experience using their existing anime businesses as soon as possible. However, on March 24, 2021, it was reported that the United States Department of Justice had extended its antitrust review of the acquisition. The acquisition was considered to be a major consolidation of global anime distribution rights outside of East Asia.
As Eren and his army of Colossal Titans march on toward the mainland, his former friends and comrades race to stop him. A spokesperson for Crunchyroll later blamed a third-party vendor, acknowledging that the subtitles were AI generated. A couple of weeks later, Wald announced he left his role as the English voice of Gajeel Redfox in Fairy Tail and he would not return to Crunchyroll’s studio following the accusation.
Stream the Best Anime on Crunchyroll
Later in October 2020, it was reported that Sony was in its final talks with AT&T to acquire the streaming service for more than ¥100 billion (2020) (US$936.55 million). On September 5, Crunchyroll announced that they had entered into a partnership with Sentai Filmworks to distribute Crunchyroll licensed titles onto home video and electronic sell-through, with Granbelm, Food Wars! On February 25, 2020, Crunchyroll announced a slate of several programs under their new “Crunchyroll Originals” brand, including anime adaptations of the webtoons Tower of God, The God of High School, and Noblesse. In Summer 2019, independent Australian production company Glitch Productions announced that they had partnered with Crunchyroll to produce their YouTube original series, Meta Runner.
Crunchyroll eventually began securing legal distribution agreements with companies, including Gonzo, for a growing list of titles. The investment drew criticism from anime distributors and licensors Bandai Entertainment and Funimation as the site continued to allow users to upload unlicensed copies of copyrighted titles. Crunchyroll was first launched in 2006; initially, it was a pirate site that specialized in hosting East Asian content. ■ Multiple device streaming—watch on up to six devices simultaneously with Ultimate Fan membership.
While Crunchyroll has co-produced other anime titles, this list only includes those that Crunchyroll themselves officially placed under the label. On February 25, 2020, Crunchyroll initially announced seven series under its Crunchyroll Originals label. On August 15, Crunchyroll began rolling out the campaign on Crunchyroll official launch in Indonesia, complete with local subs and dubs in most of the newly-added titles for the Southeast Asian regions including Indonesia. It was also announced that the first three episodes of select titles would be free a week after their premiere until May 31. On March 24, Crunchyroll announced that starting with the Spring 2022 season, a subscription would be required to watch new and continued simulcasts, with older titles featured on the site prior to this season remaining free to watch. In the wake of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, Crunchyroll and Wakanim announced that they would suspend their services in Russia as of March 11.
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Ellation’s services included VRV, which debuted in 2016, a video streaming platform described as targeting “geeks, gamers and lovers of comedy, fantasy and technology.” On April 22, 2014, AT&T and The Chernin Group announced the formation of a joint venture to acquire, invest in, and launch over-the-top (OTT) video services. On December 2, The Chernin Group (the holding company of former News Corp. president Peter Chernin) announced that it had acquired a controlling interest in Crunchyroll for a reported $100 million. ■ Ad-free streaming—enjoy your favorite anime without interruptions. ■ Stay up-to-date with simulcast episodes—watch shortly after they air in Japan.■ Discover Crunchyroll Originals—watch exclusive anime titles created in collaboration with top studios.
- In Summer 2019, independent Australian production company Glitch Productions announced that they had partnered with Crunchyroll to produce their YouTube original series, Meta Runner.
- In the wake of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, Crunchyroll and Wakanim announced that they would suspend their services in Russia as of March 11.
- Three days later, Crunchyroll announced that the Funimation Shop would be moved to the Crunchyroll Store.
- On February 25, 2020, Crunchyroll initially announced seven series under its Crunchyroll Originals label.
- On October 10, 2023, Sony announced it would launch a Crunchyroll-branded free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel, commonly referred to as the Crunchyroll Channel, under a partnership between its Crunchyroll, LLC and Game Show Network, LLC divisions.e
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Watch anime legally, free, and in high quality—all in one place.EXCLUSIVE MUSIC VIDEOS AND CONCERTSGet access to thousands of music videos, concert exclusives, and special performances from top artists worldwide. In July 2025, Crunchyroll faced controversy when the company allegedly used generative artificial intelligence for some of its subtitles, with The Verge and Engadget highlighting the German and English subtitles for Necronomico and the Cosmic Horror Show. In February 2024, Crunchyroll announced that it would not be honoring Funimation customers’ digital purchases of anime, leading to a backlash. Since the Sony acquisition, the United States Department of Justice reviewed Sony’s plan to combine Funimation and Crunchyroll into one service as a possible antitrust case. The linear channel launched on October 11 for The Roku Channel, LG Channels, and Vizio WatchFree+ platforms.
The app launched as a standalone, called Crunchyroll Manga, on iOS and Android with web browser support planned for the future. On the next day, Crunchyroll announced that its store would be available across 34 European countries. On July 8, Crunchyroll removed the comment section across all platforms, stating that it was done to “reduce harmful content”, presumably in response to backlash from certain users being against Twilight Out of Focus. In February 2024, Crunchyroll president Rahul Purini said that relying on artificial intelligence to produce subtitles faster was “definitely an area where we are focused on”. Throughout February 2024, Crunchyroll launched its application for LG and Samsung smart TVs globally. On October 6, Senior Vice President of global creative marketing Markus Gerdemann stated that some of Crunchyroll’s fastest-growing markets outside the United States were Brazil, France, Germany and Mexico, and more than 800 million people were interested in anime worldwide.
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According to Wald, for five years the company received fan mail meant for him and gave the items to staff instead. The Coalition of Dubbing Actors called the merged company a “chokepoint of power” in the dubbing industry. After shifting to at-home recording during the COVID-19 pandemic, Crunchyroll announced a return to studio recording in May 2022. Crunchyroll Expo (CRX) was an anime convention held annually in San Jose, California since 2017.
Crunchyroll would stream select Funimation titles, while Funimation would stream select Crunchyroll titles as well as their upcoming dubbed content. It also granted Crunchyroll the right to co-finance Kadokawa anime titles to be produced in the future. On October 30, 2013, Crunchyroll began digitally distributing 12 different manga titles from Kodansha through Crunchyroll Manga, including Attack on Titan and Fairy Tail. In 2010, Crunchyroll announced its acquisition of the North American DVD rights to 5 Centimeters Per Second.
Watch unique behind-the-scenes footage, live performances, and carefully curated playlists that bring anime soundtracks and J-pop sensations to your screen.APP FEATURES ■ Watch anime subbed and dubbed—choose from multiple languages (dub availability varies). Whether you love action-packed anime, heartwarming slice-of-life stories, or fantasy adventures, Crunchyroll offers the largest anime collection online, featuring a massive library of anime shows and movies available on your favorite device. WATCH THE MOST POPULAR AND TOP-RATED ANIME ANYTIME, ANYWHEREStream new episodes, classic favorites, and anime movies with the Crunchyroll app—watch for free or upgrade for an ad-free experience.
Crunchyroll Expo
A couple days later, Crunchyroll launched a feature where users with subscriptions could watch J-pop and anime music videos and live concerts on the site. On that same day, March 13, Crunchyroll would start adding new anime titles, including Hindi or Indian English subs and dubs for India. On September 23, Crunchyroll announced that they had entered into a partnership deal with Fuji TV for anime content development and production.
Crunchyroll: River City Girls
On August 12, 2020, The Information reported that Sony Pictures Entertainment, Funimation’s parent company, was in talks to acquire Crunchyroll from WarnerMedia for US$1.5 billion. On October 15, it was announced that Naver Corporation’s webtoon publishing portal, WEBTOON, was partnering with Crunchyroll to produce animated adaptations of its series. Due to a subsequent reorganization, Crunchyroll was moved under WarnerMedia Entertainment, owner of networks such as TBS and TNT, in May 2019 so that Tony Goncalves, CEO of Otter Media, could oversee the development of its forthcoming streaming service.
Crunchyroll: inbento
Following Sony’s acquisition of Crunchyroll, the brand was quietly discontinued alongside the closure of the in-house production studios. In December 2025, it was reported that Crunchyroll was eliminating its free, ad-supported tier at the end of the month. In October 2025, Crunchyroll announced that it had partnered with Delta Air Lines to bring its catalog into the latter’s in-flight entertainment system starting in November. In April 2025, Purini told Forbes that Crunchyroll was “not considering AI in the creative process, including our voice actors.” Crunchyroll Manga first launched in English in the United States and Canada, with other language options planned.
On July 3, Crunchyroll announced that they had partnered with Viz Media to distribute select Crunchyroll-licensed titles on home video and electronic sell-through in the United States and Canada. As a result of said reorganization, the company and Crunchyroll became corporate sisters to the American cable channel Cartoon Network and its nighttime programming block Adult Swim, which broadcast anime under the Toonami brand. On October 18, Funimation announced that their partnership with Crunchyroll ended as a result of Sony Pictures Television’s acquisition of Funimation and AT&T’s acquisition of Crunchyroll’s parent company, Otter Media. On July 1, Crunchyroll announced plans to dub and release a number of series on home video. On April 11, 2016, Crunchyroll and Kadokawa Corporation announced the formation of a strategic alliance that gave Crunchyroll exclusive worldwide digital distribution rights (excluding Asia) for Kadokawa anime titles in the upcoming year. In addition, the company announced that Crunchyroll and Sumitomo Corporation had created a joint venture to produce and invest in anime productions.
On September 6, Crunchyroll announced that they had become the majority investor in Viz Media Europe. On March 4, 2019, it was announced that Otter Media would be placed under Warner Bros. as part of their reorganization efforts. In August 2018, AT&T acquired the remainder of Otter Media that it did not already own from The Chernin Group; the company and Crunchyroll were thus folded under WarnerMedia (formerly Time Warner, which AT&T had also recently acquired).
On May 15, Crunchyroll partnered with the language learning app Duolingo to help users learn Japanese while watching anime. On March 1, 2023, it was reported Crunchyroll received a dedicated button on new Sony Bravia TVs remotes. Three days later, Crunchyroll announced that the Funimation Shop would be moved to the Crunchyroll Store. The partners planned to start work on the new slate in April 2022 with anime-focused developer and producer Slow Curve. On December 9, Funimation and its owner Sony announced that they had reached a deal with AT&T and WarnerMedia to acquire Crunchyroll for around US$1.175 billion.
- On March 4, 2019, it was announced that Otter Media would be placed under Warner Bros. as part of their reorganization efforts.
- On March 24, Crunchyroll announced that starting with the Spring 2022 season, a subscription would be required to watch new and continued simulcasts, with older titles featured on the site prior to this season remaining free to watch.
- In February 2024, Crunchyroll president Rahul Purini said that relying on artificial intelligence to produce subtitles faster was “definitely an area where we are focused on”.
- ■ Multiple device streaming—watch on up to six devices simultaneously with Ultimate Fan membership.
In August 2018, the service announced an expansion into original content with the anime-inspired series High Guardian Spice, produced by Ellation Studios. On August 3, 2015, Variety reported that Otter Media would unveil Ellation, a new umbrella company for its subscription-based video services, including Crunchyroll. The company faced further backlash in October 2025 when their subtitles for the Fall 2025 anime season were either missing or featured different fonts among other issues. vegas casino apk On October 10, 2023, Sony announced it would launch a Crunchyroll-branded free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel, commonly referred to as the Crunchyroll Channel, under a partnership between its Crunchyroll, LLC and Game Show Network, LLC divisions.e These are anime or other animated series that were either co-produced or directly produced by the company. On January 7, 2025, Crunchyroll announced during Sony Group Corporation’s CES 2025 press conference that a new digital manga application would join the service as a premium add-on, launched on October 9.
In addition, Funimation would act as the distributor for Crunchyroll’s home video catalog. The Chernin Group said that Crunchyroll management and existing investor TV Tokyo would maintain a “significant” stake in the company. On January 8, 2009, after announcing a deal with TV Tokyo to host episodes of Naruto Shippuden, Crunchyroll stated that it was committed to removing all copyright-infringing material from its site and to only hosting content to which it had legitimate distribution rights. Some of the content hosted on Crunchyroll included versions of East Asian shows that had been subtitled by fans.