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 and just recently, the popular websites KissAnime and KissManga were shut down. While fans may have lost a resource to watch their beloved anime, there are actually places to stream anime legally.
Compared to 10 years where having access to English-subbed and dubbed anime were difficult, various companies nowadays are making efforts to make anime much more accessible internationally. Here is our list of where to stream anime legally.
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 like Japan Sinks 2020 and Children of the Whales. Netflix is available globally but the availability of the anime shows depend on which country you are from.
Cost: $7.99 – $11.99/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. You’ll be able to watch popular anime series on Hulu like My Hero Academia and Naruto. They also have old series like Cowboy Bebop and Akira; and they have simulcasts as well. Unlike Netflix and Amazon, Hulu is only available in the U.S and Japan.
Cost: $7.99 – $11.99/month
Anime Lab
Anime Lab is a streaming service purely dedicated to anime. The website offers both subbed and dubbed versions of the anime they hosts like Demon Slayer and Attack on Titan. They also have simulcasts so that fans can watch almost at the same time of its Japan release. Unfortunately, Anime Lab is only available to Australia and New Zealand residents.
Cost: Free or $6.95 AUD/NZD for membership
Funimation
Like AnimeLab, Funimation is another streaming service that specializes in distributing anime content. Their catalog consists of popular anime series like Black Clover, Toradora, and Fire Force. Their services are only limited to the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
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. Founded in 2006, Crunchyroll is now making the series in their catalogue available to over 200 countries. Simulcasts are also available on their website.
Cost: Free, $6.95 – $11.95/month
Aniplus Asia
Aniplus Asia is actually a TV channel but has also made anime available through their streaming services. The company almost focuses on the Asian audience like Singapore.
Cost: Free
iflix
iflix is like Netflix but caters more to Asian countries. Their catalogue mostly consists of Asian dramas, Asian movies, and even anime shows. Their anime catalogue is not as extensive like the others, but they have old anime shows that long-time fans will love like Full Metal Panic. iflix is only available in Asian countries like Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
Cost: RM10/month, RM96/year
Midnight Pulp
Midnight Pulp is a streaming service known for its horror or mystery catalogue. While there are no series available on their website, they 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 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 actually 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. In the near future, you can expect Japan’s animation studios like Toei Animation and Kodansha will make their titles available on YouTube.
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