It’s no surprise that anime and piracy have always had a long-standing feud. With Japan as the origin of these great shows, non-Japanese speakers have had to resort to some not-so-legal ways to watch anime. While piracy greatly helped the spread of anime beyond Japanese waters, the industry itself suffered losses. This is why the anime (and manga) industry has been fighting against piracy. Hench, popular websites such as KissAnime and KissManga were shut down. While fans may have lost some resources to watch their beloved anime, there are actually many awesome places to stream anime *legally*. By streaming legally, fans get to show their ultimate support for their favorite anime. So check out the list below!
Netflix
Netflix is known for its huge catalogue of movies and TV shows. In the past few years, they have recently started adding anime to their catalogue. Moreover, they also started producing Netflix Original anime shows and movies. Netflix is available globally, but the availability of the anime shows depend on which country you are from.
Cost: $8.99 – $13.99/month
Amazon Prime Video
Like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video is another VOD service that hosts a number of movies and shows – including anime. You can stream the oldie but a goodie anime shows like Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and even Slam Dunk on their site. Amazon is also available worldwide except for a few countries like China and Iran.
Cost: $12.99/month or $119/year
Hulu
Hulu is another VOD service that includes anime shows in their catalogue. Apart from anime, hulu also offers thousands of shows and movies. With hulu, you can stream on your TV, phone, laptop, or tablet. It also has Live TV
Cost: $7.99 – $11.99/month, $64.99 – $70.99/month (+ Live TV)
Anime Lab
Anime Lab is a streaming service that offers both subbed and dubbed versions anime. What makes this website awesome is it offers simulcasts which means users get to stream anime within hours of its broadcast! Unfortunately, Anime Lab is only available to Australia and New Zealand residents.
Cost: Free or $6.95 AUD/NZD for membership
Funimation
Owned by Sony, Funimation is another streaming service that specializes in distributing anime content. Their catalog consists of popular anime series like Dragon Ball, One Piece, Attack on Titan, any many more. Their services are only limited to the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, but will soon be available in Mexico and Brazil.
Cost: Free, $5.99/month, $7.99/month, $99.99/year
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is one of the first websites to offer anime streaming services to the public. It offers anime on demand, user reviews, video-sharing, and comes in different languages. Not to mention, this site also has one of the widest selection of anime. Crunchyroll was recently acquired by Sony which is an exciting new venture that will brings us more things to look forward to!
Cost: Free, $7.99 – $9.99/month, $79.99/year
Aniplus Asia
Aniplus Asia is actually a Southeast Asian anime pay television channel and anime distributor based in Singapore. It is available in Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Thailand.
Cost: Free
iflix
Think of iflix as the Asian Netflix. Their catalogue mostly consists of Asian dramas, movies, and anime shows. Their anime catalogue is not as extensive like the others, and some may vary per country. However, they have classic anime shows that long-time fans will love. iflix is only available in Asian countries like Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, and Pakistan.
Cost: RM10/month, RM96/year
Midnight Pulp
Midnight Pulp is a *strange* streaming service known for its horror, mystery, and sci-fi catalogue. While there are no series available on their website, they have anime movies that you might not see in other streaming services. Midnight Pulp is only available to US and Canadian regions.
Cost: Free
Screen Anime
Screen Anime is actually an online anime film festival available to UK and Ireland residents. What’s unique about Screen Anime is that its selection refreshes monthly, offering its subscribers a curated catalogue of four anime films, and one binge-worthy anime series.
Cost: £3.98/month, £39.98/year
Anime-Planet
Anime-Planet is a industry-supported streaming service available globally. Their anime shows available on the website are actually from Crunchyroll, HIDIVE, and Hulu, since they are in partnership with them.
Cost: Free
Viz Media
Viz Media is not only an anime streaming service, but they are also a distributor of translated manga series. They both have classic anime titles, as well as new and popular ones like One Punch Man and Boruto. Viz Media is only available to the US.
Cost: Free
YouTube
Believe it or not, there have been (legal) anime channels opening their accounts on YouTube, making the industry so much more accessible. You can watch a variety of series on the Ani-One channel or Muse Asia. Nozomi Entertainment is another channel you can visit on YouTube which has both subbed and dubbed shows.
9Anime
9Anime allows you to watch anime films, shows, and OVA (Original Video Animation) for free. Plus, you can also request anime you’d like to watch. It is available in the US, UK, Philippines, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Malaysia, and more.
tubi
tubi offers a variety of Japanese anime movies from the classics to new releases for free. It is available in the US, Philippines, Mexico, Canada, and Australia.
Animefreak
This website allows you to watch the latest episodes of your favorite anime for free. Enjoy streaming without the hassle of buffering. It is available worldwide.
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