In today’s entertainment landscape, anime has become a global juggernaut with series like Delicious in Dungeon, no longer relegated to niche fandoms or Saturday morning cable blocks. From high-stakes shōnen battles to heartwarming slice-of-life tales, anime’s reach has exploded, and with that expansion comes an intense battle among streaming platforms to dominate the space. While Crunchyroll has long been the home for anime lovers, boasting the largest catalog and millions of loyal subscribers, Netflix is making bold moves to reshape the narrative. 74f1v

Anime is booming in popularity, but animators aren't being compensated in proportion to that success. That's where Crunchyrollis stepping in, with a new program designed to help studios who license their content to the streaming service.

The 2025 CrunchyrollAnime Awards have come and gone, and the ceremony remains as divisive as ever. Solo Leveling dominated the awards while anime like One Piece, Delicious in Dungeon, and Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War continue to go unrecognized for their achievements. It came off as another example of the Anime Awards being a popularity contest more than anything, and it was hard to sit through because of it.

In the golden age of streaming, anime’s global popularity has skyrocketed, but behind the scenes, tension is mounting because a small group of powerful platforms like Netflix and Crunchyroll have transformed into gatekeepers, locking highly-anticipated titles behind exclusive paywalls. For fans, that often means juggling multiple subscriptions just to keep up. But for Japanese studios and rights holders, the real problem is deeper: exclusivity is limiting reach, obscuring valuable sales data, and weakening their grip on international markets.

The wait for Solo Leveling season 3 has become an exercise in patience for fans who were swept up in the high-octane action, stylish animation, and underdog-turned-overlord arc of Jinwoo Sung. With no concrete release date in sight, many are left scouring anime catalogs for something that delivers the same adrenaline rush, dark themes, or powerful character development. Luckily, Crunchyroll has no shortage of masterful anime that scratch similar itches while standing tall in their own right.

Few debates are as heated in the anime community as the one surrounding whether it is better to watch anime subtitled or dubbed. Based solely on discourse available online, it's easy to conclude that the overwhelming majority of fans prefer to watch anime in the original Japanese. However, a new interview with Crunchyroll president Rahul Purini reveals that dubs actually have the slight advantage, though there is one catch that is easy to miss.

Crunchyroll is one of the biggest anime streaming platforms in the world, with over 1,000 titles available to stream instantly and simulcasts of the most popular shows currently airing in Japan. From niche franchises to the most successful titles in anime history, Crunchyroll likely has something for any fan of the medium. Now, even potential new anime fans can get in on the fun, as the service will be making a number of shows free-to-stream throughout the month as part of its Ani-May celebration.

As artificial intelligence continues to make waves across the entertainment industry, some anime fans wonder when the medium might follow suit. While AI-generated anime may seem like the inevitable next frontier, Crunchyroll, the leading global streaming platform for anime, is making its stance crystal clear that it will not be part of that future. Despite its tech-savvy foundation and rapid global growth, the company is prioritizing authenticity, creativity, and connection with fans over experimental shortcuts powered by machines.

The Beginning after the End’s manhwa was one of which fans anticipated the most the announcement of an anime adaptation. But fans' expectations quickly turned into disappointment as the adaptation showcased bad animation quality that only worsened with the release of its second episode. While the animation Studio A-CAT and Crunchyroll have yet to make an official statement about the causes behind The Beginning After the End’s animation issues, the series' creator, TurtleMe, has recently referred to the anime for the first time since its release.

For years, Crunchyroll has held the crown as the premier platform for anime lovers. With a deep catalog of both classics and simulcasts, it is become synonymous with anime streaming. The platform’s focus on the genre, strong community presence, and partnerships with Japanese studios give it an authenticity that resonates with die-hard fans. But in recent years, another major player has entered the scene, and that is Netflix. While Crunchyroll may dominate in quantity and cultural cachet, Netflix is approaching the anime industry from a different angle, with equally ambitious goals.