Anime streaming service Funimation, and its subsidiary Wakanim, have merged with Sony-owned Crunchyroll. The merger will see Crunchyroll viewers given access to a total of more than 40,000 sub and dub episodes on the service. Funimation – which currently serves millions of anime fans across 52 countries – will continue to host new episodes of continuing series, however no new shows will appear on the service and Sony encourages subscribers “to move to a Crunchyroll account as soon as possible.”
Titles migrating from Funimation and Wakanim to Crunchyroll include My Hero Academia, Tokyo Ghoul, as well as Cowboy Bebop and Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation.
Colin Decker, CEO of Crunchyroll, said: “When we brought Funimation and Crunchyroll together last year, our top priority was to put fans first. Unifying all of our brands and services under the Crunchyroll brand globally enables us to offer more value than ever before as we combine subs, dubs, simulcasts, library, music, movies, manga—all into one subscription. The new Crunchyroll is the realisation of a dream, and we are grateful to the creators of anime and the millions of fans who have joined us in making the community what it is today.”
Sony acquired Crunchyroll from WarnerMedia in August 2021, in a deal valued at $1.175B. Last year, the service surpassed 5 million global subscribers and 120 million registered users. Subscription fees currently range from $7.99 to $14.99 – Crunchyroll has said the pricing of the subscription has not change in the wake of the merger.
