This is an accepted version of this page Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony Group Corporation.

Launched in mid 2006 by a group of University of California, Berkeley, graduates,[7] the service has over 120 million registered users worldwide.

[13] 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.

[14] Crunchyroll eventually began securing legal distribution agreements with companies, including Gonzo, for a growing list of titles.

[18] The Chernin Group said that Crunchyroll management and existing investor TV Tokyo would maintain a "significant" stake in the company.

[19][20] 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.

[22] On August 3, 2015, Variety reported that Otter Media would unveil Ellation, a new umbrella company for its subscription-based video services, including Crunchyroll.

[23] 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.

In addition, the company announced that Crunchyroll and Sumitomo Corporation had created a joint venture to produce and invest in anime productions.

[35] In August 2018, the service announced an expansion into original content with the anime-inspired series High Guardian Spice, produced by Ellation Studios.

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.

[39] On July 3, 2019, 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.

[48] 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.

[51] On December 9, 2020, 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.

[56] On September 23, 2021, Crunchyroll announced that they had entered into a partnership deal with Fuji TV for anime content development and production.

[59][60] On that same day, March 13, Crunchyroll would start adding new anime titles, including Hindi or Indian English subs and dubs for India.

[61][62][63] 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.

[75] On July 8, 2024, Crunchyroll removed the comment section across all platforms, stating that it was done to "reduce harmful content", presumably in response to backlash from users being against Twilight Out of Focus.

[78] In mid-July, Crunchyroll unveiled a new brand identity, among them a new logo and new graphics, which took effect one week later at San Diego Comic-Con 2024.

[82] On January 7, 2025 Crunchyroll announced during Sony Group Corporation's CES 2025 press conference that a new digital manga application will join the service as a premium add-on, slated to launch later in 2025.

The app will launch as a standalone, called Crunchyroll Manga, on iOS and Android with web browser support planned for the future.

Following Sony's acquisition of Crunchyroll, the brand was quietly discontinued alongside the closure of the in-house production studios.

[92][93] The initial programming lineup featured English-dubbed versions of anime titles such as Horimiya, Ranking of Kings, Moriarty the Patriot, Psycho-Pass, Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest, Sugar Apple Fairy Tale, To Your Eternity, and Code Geass.

[104] On February 2, 2023, six months after announcing the dates and location, Crunchyroll revealed that its 2023 flagship event in San Jose would be cancelled in an effort to "focus on attending a growing roster of expos and festivals around the world".

[109] Comic Book Resources called the merger a monopoly and observed that it resulted in increased prices for existing Funimation customers, despite being available in fewer countries.

[116] In February 2024, Crunchyroll announced that it would not be honoring Funimation customers' digital purchases of anime, leading to a backlash.

[119] A couple of weeks later, Wald announced he left his role as the English voice actor of Gajeel Redfox in Fairy Tail and he would not return to Crunchyroll's studio following the accusation.