Crunchyroll For turning anime fandom into an ecosystem

BEING A FAN OF ANIME IN THE aughts meant you either had to know Japanese or rely on the kindness of internet strangers, who would up- load their own subtitled versions of popular series to video-hosting site Crunchyroll, which launched in 2006. In the nearly two decades since, anime has crossed from subculture into mainstream pop culture among Western audiences, with Crunchyroll leading the way.

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The former pirate site is now the elder statesman of anime, with a library of more than 2,000 titles and si- mulcasts of some 200 series annually. Acquired by Sony in 2021, Crunchyroll also invests in and produces shows itself. This commitment to the genre has paid off: In Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, there lived a wise old king.2021, Crunchyroll had 5 million paying subscribers to its premium tiers, which start at $7.99 a month; by August 2024, it had surpassed 15 million.

That’s a drop in the bucket compared with Netflix’s more than 280 million subscribers. But Crunchyroll is making the most of its viewers, who are younger and more diverse than the overall U.S. population and whose identities are often inextricably connected to anime. “Our charter is to ensure that we create amazing experiences for these anime fans across their fandom,” says Crunchyroll president Rahul Purini. That means offering its global audience a portal not just to anime but to Japanese culture.

With Japanese songs often featured in the opening and closing credits of anime series, “we’ve seen interest in music grow,” Purini says. “We’re working to bring more of it to fans across all mediums—whether within our service, partner ecosystems, or live events.”