Founded in 2006, Crunchyroll has always been a go-to destination for anime fans. A niche streaming service, Crunchyroll specialises mainly in anime series, subbed and dubbed, but also offers a vast collection of digital manga and anime-based mobile games.
Moreover, Crunchyroll hosts an online store with collectibles, media, clothing and accessories that will appeal to anyone with a passion for Japanese culture. Unfortunately, it ships from the US, so you may need to wait a bit to get your hands on your order.
In March 2022, Crunchyroll and Funimation have merged under the Crunchyroll brand, which means that Crunchyroll is now the ultimate platform for anime enthusiasts. Funimation will continue to add new episodes of ongoing series, but any new series will stream exclusively on Crunchyroll. You can find more details about what that means for subscribers in the dedicated section below.
Crunchyroll is completely free to use, with limitations.
You'll need to sign up for an account to watch most titles (as they come with age restrictions), but once that's done you can watch a wide collection of anime episodes for free, with ads. You can't access the entire library with a free account nor read manga.
If you enjoy using Crunchyroll and want to unlock everything the service has to offer, you can splurge on a paid subscription, which comes with extra perks.
There are 2 types of Premium subscriptions that Crunchyroll enthusiasts can opt for: Fan or Mega-Fan.
With Fan, you unlock the entire library with no ads as well as get access to new episodes 1 hour after Japan and the collection of manga. It costs $10.99 a month but doesn't include offline viewing and you can only stream on 1 device at a time.
If that's not enough, Mega-Fan costs $11.99 a month and lets you stream on 4 devices at the same time as well as download content on your mobile device to watch offline. Plus, you get all that's included in the Fan subscription.
You can sign up for 12 months and save 16%. A Mega-Fan subscription for an entire year costs $139.99.
As of March 2022, Funimation and Crunchyroll have merged, so anime fans no longer have to pay for 2 separate services to keep up with their favourite shows.
The Funimation library is moving to Crunchyroll and any new shows will stream exclusively on Crunchyroll moving forward. For the time being, Funimation will continue to add new episodes of ongoing series. However, it is strongly advising subscribers to move over to Crunchyroll in March. Even better, eligible Funimation users get an extended 60-day free trial of Crunchyroll Premium. If that's you, you should have already gotten instructions for how to redeem the trial via email.
The downside? You can't log in to Crunchyroll with your Funimation credentials or transfer your watch history and queue just yet. However, given that Crunchyroll will become home to any new shows moving forward, it's best to make the switch sooner rather than later.
Crunchyroll has a vast library of anime series, so there's no chance you'll run out of stuff to watch, even with a free account. One of the most popular anime on the platform is One Piece, which has over 900 episodes, all streaming on Crunchyroll.
Other notable titles include Attack on Titan, Dr. Stone, Hunter x Hunter, Naruto, Jujutsu Kaisen, Bleach, Dragon Ball Super and Fruits Basket – to name only a few. Following the merger with Funimation, even more titles will become available on Crunchyroll, like Cowboy Bebop, which was previously missing from the service. A few movies are available as well, though they might be hard to find since everything is listed under "Shows".
Looking for a new anime series to watch? Check out the full Crunchyroll TV show library.
| Watch it | |||
|---|---|---|---|
'Tis Time for "Torture," Princess
| Comedy | show | |
07 Ghost
| Action Fantasy | show | |
11eyes
| Action Fantasy Romance Seinen | show | |
16bit Sensation: Another Layer
| Comedy Sci-Fi | show | |
18if
| Fantasy Supernatural | show | |
2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team
| Sports | show | |
22/7 (nanabun no nijyuuni)
| show | ||
7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!
| Drama Fantasy Romance | show | |
86 EIGHTY-SIX
| Action Drama Sci-Fi | show | |
91 Days
| Action Drama Seinen | show | |
<DOGEZA>I Tried Asking While Kowtowing.
| Seinen | show | |
A Bridge to the Starry Skies - Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi
| Romance Seinen | show | |
A Centaur's Life
| Comedy Fantasy Romance Seinen | show | |
A Certain Magical Index
| Action Fantasy Sci-Fi | show | |
A Certain Scientific Accelerator
| Action Sci-Fi | show | |
A Certain Scientific Railgun
| Action Sci-Fi | show | |
A Couple of Cuckoos
| Comedy Romance | show | |
A Destructive God Sits Next to Me
| Comedy | show | |
A Galaxy Next Door
| Romance Sci-Fi | show | |
A Girl & Her Guard Dog
| Drama | show | |
A Herbivorous Dragon of 5,000 Years Gets Unfairly Villainized
| Fantasy | show | |
A Place Further Than the Universe
| Adventure Comedy Drama Seinen | show | |
A Playthrough of a Certain Dude's VRMMO Life
| Action Adventure Sci-Fi | show | |
A Returner's Magic Should Be Special
| Action Drama Fantasy | show | |
A Sign of Affection
| Romance | show |
One of the most popular anime series to come out in recent years, My Hero Academia, is available to stream on Crunchyroll in its entirety. Even better, season 5 of the series is on the platform as well.
If you're unfamiliar with My Hero Academia, it follows a young boy with no superpowers who is training to be a hero. It's fun, earnest and offers a fresh spin on the superhero genre. All in all, it's easy to understand why it became a cult phenomenon.
Crunchyroll offers a free 14-day trial for its premium membership tiers, including access to its entire library and simulcasts.
You have to give your personal information and credit card, and your subscription is automatically purchased at the end of the trial. If you decide the Crunchyroll Premium service isn't for you, cancel before your trial is up to avoid getting charged.
With Crunchyroll's focus on Japanese pop-culture content, it could be a great streaming service for anime and manga fans.
Watch popular anime titles and live-action dramas included in its extensive library. But, possibly its most popular feature is its simulcasts, which allow you to access select new episodes within hours of their original broadcast.
With its Crunchyroll Premium accounts, you can read popular comics online and access the newest releases from Kodansha Comics with its simulpub feature.
Crunchyroll Games brings anime games to your iOS and Android phone or tablet. It's fairly new to the gaming space and says it's working to bring on more games to its service for Crunchyroll users and beyond.
Crunchyroll works on a variety of devices, so you can watch your favourite anime on all types of screens. Here's the full list:
In Australia, Funimation and AnimeLab have merged. Moreover, Funimation has merged with Crunchyroll, so Crunchyroll is now the go-to platform for anime fans.
If you're new to the anime world, sign up directly for Crunchyroll since it will have exclusive series and the majority of the Funimation library moving forward. If you're using Funimation, switch to Crunchyroll to get access to the latest releases.
Both services come with free tiers and free trials, so give each a try and see which one is a better fit for you.
Foxtel has slashed the price of BINGE to just $5 a month for new and returning customers for up to 12 months.
Read more…
Foxtel and Binge are set to lose a raft of TV shows and movies to rival streaming service Max, including hugely popular HBO favourites.
Read more…
Spice up your holiday watchlist with punches and thrills. Here are 10 action movies that have… at least something to do with Christmas.
Read more…
Kanopy offers thousands of quality streaming titles for free.
The Lionsgate Plus service comes with a small but sturdy collection of titles.
Subscribe to AMC Plus in Australia and get access to 3 services for the price of 1.
Will Peacock, one of the USA's biggest streaming TV brands, release in Australia?
Who said you need to pay a subscription to watch quality movies online?
If you’re a fan of British television, Acorn TV will have you covered for $6.99 per month.
You can still watch Hulu shows even though the service is not in Australia.
From Home and Away to House Rules, stream all your favourite Channel 7 TV shows at home or on the go.
Missed the latest episode of MasterChef? With 10 play, you can catch up on all the hottest shows at your own pace.