← all stories
Crunchyroll
Facts
- Noted
- Crunchyroll handles international streaming, theatrical distribution, and localization. · 2026-10-23
- Noted
- Crunchyroll Manga expands to more than 250 titles in English-speaking markets · 2026-10-09
- Noted
- PlayStation 5 gets a dedicated anime space next spring · 2026-10-09
- Noted
- Crunchyroll is one of 15 entertainment companies receiving government subsidies for AI-driven translations and overseas expansion. · 2026-06-28
- Announced
- Storyworks, a new division combining Crunchyroll, Aniplex, Japanese creators, and Sony Pictures to develop global stories as anime and Japanese anime as live action (Anime Future Forum) · 2026-10-09
- Announced
- co-productions of anime adaptations for around 15 webtoon titles · 2026-10-09
- Announced
- will stream the resulting anime in select territories · 2026-10-09
- Announced
- Anime Future Forum (Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum) · 2026-10-09
- Announced
- Crunchyroll Manga launched in India, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka (Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum) · 2026-10-08
- Announced
- 7.03% stake in Link-U as fourth-largest shareholder · 2026-09-14
- Announced
- acquired most worldwide distribution rights to Makoto Shinkai's new feature film, excluding almost all of Asia but including India · 2026-08-12
Connections
Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/crunchyroll.
CC BY 4.0.
Claim activity
When a claim about crunchyroll was confirmed, debunked, or disputed against
open-web sources. The record stays even after a claim drops off the facts list.
- Confirmed Aniplex produces Crunchyroll 17h ago · source
- Confirmed Storyworks, a new division combining Crunchyroll, Aniplex, Japanese creators, and Sony Pictures to develop global stories as anime and Japanese anime as live action Oct 10 · source
- Confirmed will stream the resulting anime in select territories Oct 10 · source
- Confirmed co-productions of anime adaptations for around 15 webtoon titles Oct 10 · source
- Confirmed Anime Future Forum Oct 9 · source
- Confirmed acquired most worldwide distribution rights to Makoto Shinkai's new feature film, excluding almost all of Asia but including India Sep 6 · source
- Confirmed Crunchyroll produces Makoto Shinkai's New Film Sep 6 · source
- Confirmed crunchyroll produces sekiro no defeat May 28 · source
All coverage
1d ago
A corporate blog post from Sony describes a structure that joins production in Japan with distribution and merchandising abroad. Aniplex, under Sony Music Entertainment Japan, develops and produces anime and expands properties into games, music, merchandise, and events. Crunchyroll, a joint venture between Aniplex and Sony Pictures Entertainment, handles international streaming, theatrical distribution, and localization. The post also places the studios A-1 Pictures, CloverWorks, and Hayate within that structure.
Oct 13
HAYATE, LINE Digital Frontier, and Crunchyroll announced a co-production partnership on October 9 to adapt LINE Manga original webtoon works into anime, targeting 15 titles. The three companies will work together from the planning and development stage, with Crunchyroll streaming the finished works in certain regions. Three titles were presented at the Crunchyroll Showcase at New York Comic Con: The Remarried Empress, Enrolling in the Mercenary Corps, and The Boxer.
Oct 12
Crunchyroll's New York Comic Con showcase included a development deal with Hayate and Line Digital Frontier for around 15 webcomic adaptations, plus adaptations of The Remarried Empress and The Boxer. Sekiro: No Defeat will debut in January 2027 as an eight-episode series, and Ghost of Tsushima Legends targets a 2028 release.
Oct 9
Crunchyroll announced Storyworks, a new division combining Crunchyroll, Aniplex, Japanese creators, and Sony Pictures to develop global stories as anime and Japanese anime as live action. Tohru Iokibe, a 25-year Sony veteran, leads it, reporting to chief content officer Asa Suehira. The company also said Crunchyroll Manga expands to more than 250 titles in English-speaking markets, and PlayStation 5 gets a dedicated anime space next spring.
Oct 9
A National Research Group study commissioned by Crunchyroll surveyed 5,000 anime viewers ages 13 to 54 across 10 international markets, plus 500 in Japan. Among respondents 13 to 17, 82% said anime accounts for at least half of what they watch. Teens also favored experimental stories, fantastical settings, and unfamiliar worlds more than older viewers did.
Oct 9
Crunchyroll, HAYATE Inc., and WEBTOON Entertainment subsidiary LINE Digital Frontier have partnered on co-productions of anime adaptations for around 15 select webtoon titles, starting from the development stage. All the titles are available through LINE Digital Frontier's app, including the already announced The Boxer, The Remarried Empress, and Teenage Mercenary. Crunchyroll will stream the resulting anime in select territories.
Oct 9
James Gunn posted a photo on Wednesday with rapper Big Sean at the first Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum at the Javits Center in New York City. Gunn captioned it, "Always good catching up with my pal, this time at the Anime Future Forum." The event, announced by Crunchyroll in May 2026, brought together creators and industry voices, featuring a keynote, interactive sessions, and technology experiences.
Oct 9
Crunchyroll and the anime's official website streamed a first teaser for Everyone's Darling Has a Secret on Thursday, showing footage and previewing the voice cast. Reiji Kawashima plays Hizashi Hiruno, Hikaru Tono plays Rei Kuromiya, =LOVE member Iori Noguchi plays Sakura Akai, and Ami Maeshima plays Sora Konno. Hikaru Sato directs at Gekko, with Fumihiko Shimo on series scripts. The anime premieres in April 2027, and Crunchyroll will stream it as it airs in Japan.
Oct 8
Crunchyroll acquired the North American and worldwide rights to The Apothecary Diaries: The Late Lady's Treasure, the franchise's first theatrical anime film, the company announced Thursday. The deal covers every territory outside Asia, India included, and Crunchyroll will handle distribution with Sony Pictures Entertainment. No international release date is set. The film opens in Japanese theaters on December 11 with an original story from light novel author Natsu Hyuga, who writes a new mystery rather than adapting an existing volume. Norihiro Naganuma directs at TOHO Animation STUDIO. Mariya Ise joins the cast as Mu Qing. The plot sends Maomao and Jinshi to Binan-shu, a southern province ruled by the Bi clan, to return the remains of a concubine who died five years ago; pirates are hunting a treasure their late leader hid, and the funeral day brings a major incident. Season 3's first cour began in October 2026, with a second cour set for April 2027.
Oct 8
Crunchyroll Manga launched in India, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka on October 7, 2026, according to a company press release. The service carries more than 250 localized English manga titles from J-Novel Club, Square Enix, and Yen Press, with launch titles including The Apothecary Diaries, My Dress-Up Darling, Bocchi the Rock!, Bungo Stray Dogs, Delicious in Dungeon, Lycoris Recoil, Sasaki and Miyano, Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill, and KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!. Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini announced the expansion during closing remarks at the company's inaugural Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum in New York City. The service works on iOS, Android, and web, with offline reading, full two-page spreads, and reading lists. Access is a premium add-on to Crunchyroll's streaming service or included with an Ultimate Fan membership in select countries; in India it requires an Ultimate Fan membership, priced at INR 299 per month or INR 999 annually. The service is powered by Link-U Group.
Oct 8
Crunchyroll announced on Wednesday that its Crunchyroll Manga app is now available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, and New Zealand. The ad-free app is separate from the main Crunchyroll streaming service and launched on iOS and Android in the United States and Canada in October 2025. Crunchyroll also said it will be easily accessible in a new dedicated anime hub on the PlayStation 5 launching next spring.
Oct 7
Sony Pictures Entertainment announced Crunchyroll Storyworks on Wednesday during the Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum at the North Javits Center in New York, on the eve of New York Comic Con. The new division will adapt stories from around the world into anime and turn Japanese anime into live-action adaptations, working with Japanese creators. Tohru Iokibe, a 25-year veteran of Sony, will lead Storyworks and report to Crunchyroll Chief Content Officer Asa Suehira. The unit sits inside Crunchyroll's content group and will develop projects meant to be greenlit for HAYATE Inc., the anime production venture Aniplex and Crunchyroll founded in March 2025 and based in Tokyo, led by Chairman and CEO Masanori Miyake and President and COO Leo Watanabe. Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Ravi Ahuja delivered brief remarks at the forum. Iokibe recently led IP initiatives connecting SPE and PlayStation Productions.
Sep 14
Link-U Group will issue about 1.07 million shares to Crunchyroll Co., Ltd. at 856 yen each, raising 917 million yen and giving Crunchyroll a 7.03% stake as fourth-largest shareholder. The business alliance covers overseas manga distribution, infrastructure, and discovery using an IP data foundation. Link-U also reported revenue of 4.8 billion yen for the fiscal year ending July 2026, with operating profit at a loss of 483 million yen.
Sep 10
Crunchyroll has acquired the anime feature film Witch on the Holy Night and will release it in theaters in the United States and Canada on January 29, 2027. The film is animated by ufotable and distributed by Crunchyroll with Sony Pictures Entertainment. It adapts the 2012 visual novel written by Kinoko Nasu and developed by Type-Moon. The story follows Aoko Aozaki, a high school student who is an apprentice Magician, and her housemate Alice Kuonji. Screenings will be offered in Japanese with English subtitles and in an English dub. The international rollout opens earlier in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on January 21, then moves through Austria, Germany, and German-speaking Switzerland on January 26, France, Belgium, and French-speaking Switzerland on January 27, and a larger group of markets including Mexico, Brazil, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand on January 28. The United Kingdom, Ireland, Finland, Poland, Sweden, and India join the January 29 date, with Spain and Kazakhstan on February 5.
Sep 1
Kenny Omega entered his AEW World Championship match at All In: London in an All Might-inspired outfit, with entrance narration by My Hero Academia voice actor Kenta Miyake set to "You Say Run." Will Ospreay defeated Omega in the 35-minute main event. Omega thanked the series, Miyake, and Crunchyroll after the match.
Aug 29
Crunchyroll announced the first program details for the Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum, set for October 7, 2026, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. The invitation-only event expects more than 400 anime industry figures. Speakers include executives from Shueisha, Toho, MAPPA, and Aniplex, plus Guillermo del Toro, James Gunn, and the co-directors of Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. Sony Group CEO Hiroki Totoki opens the event.
Aug 12
Crunchyroll announced it acquired most worldwide distribution rights to Makoto Shinkai's new feature film, excluding almost all of Asia but including India. Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures will co-distribute. No title or details were revealed. Shinkai said in November 2025 he was working on a new film with dependable companions.
Jul 12
Kadokawa, Crunchyroll, Qzil.la, and ARCH released a new trailer for the Sekiro: No Defeat anime adaptation and began ticket presales in Japan. The series premieres in Japanese theaters on September 4 for a three-week run, with a worldwide Crunchyroll stream planned later in 2026.
Jul 6
Crunchyroll held its annual showcase at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles on July 6, announcing a theatrical film continuation for Solo Leveling and the first character designs for the Ghost of Tsushima Legends anime. The Solo Leveling film, titled Solo Leveling: Beyond the System, will pick up after Season 2 and is produced by A-1 Pictures with Aniplex, Netmarble, D&C Media, Kakao Piccoma, and Crunchyroll. Ghost of Tsushima Legends is directed by Takanobu Mizuno with HAYATE Inc. overseeing production, scripts by Satoshi Maejima and Gen Urobuchi, character designs by Takashi Okazaki, and animation by KAMIKAZE DOUGA. In a surprise segment, Dave Grohl appeared via video message to announce that Nirvana's "Breed" will be the opening theme for The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy At All, which premieres in early 2027. Other reveals included the Kagurabachi anime's first character design sheet for Chihiro Rokuhira, a trailer for the Here U Are manhwa adaptation, the sci-fi series Fate Rewinder for April 2027, The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 5 for next year, Aoashi Season 2 for October 2026, and several other new series including Dengeki Daisy, Gacha Girls Corps, Magical Buffs, The Vermilion Mask, and Overgeared.
Jun 28
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will provide 11.5 billion yen (~$71.1 million) in subsidies to 15 entertainment companies, including Crunchyroll, Bandai Namco, and Shueisha, to accelerate overseas expansion. The program covers half the cost of AI-driven translations, advertising, and international event participation. The government aims to counter piracy, which caused an estimated 5.7 trillion yen in losses in 2025, and grow the combined subscriber base of participating services from 100 million to 300 million.
May 16
At SusHi Tech Tokyo, executives from Production I.G, CoMix Wave Films, and MAPPA discussed alternatives to the production committee model. MAPPA's Manabu Otsuka, Production I.G's Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, and CoMix Wave Films' Noritaka Kawaguchi shared how their studios retain ownership. Studio Chizu's LLP model was also highlighted as a long-term alternative.
May 16
The anime adaptation Sekiro: No Defeat will open in Japanese cinemas on September 4, 2026, for a limited three-week run. Kadokawa, Crunchyroll, Qzil.la, and ARCH announced the date alongside a new main visual. Crunchyroll confirmed the series will stream exclusively on its platform later in 2026. The production committee also released a statement that no generative AI is used in the adaptation, a response to audience concern after studio Qzil.la was chosen. Qzil.la is known for work involving AI technologies. Kenichi Kutsuna directs, with Takuya Satou writing the screenplay and Takahiro Kishida designing the characters. The voice cast includes Daisuke Namikawa as Wolf, Miyuki Satou as Kuro, and Kenjiro Tsuda as Genichiro Ashina. The story adapts FromSoftware's game, following the shinobi Sekiro and the Divine Heir during the warring Sengoku period as Ashina faces an internal threat.