Anime streaming platform Funimation has been folded into one-time rival Crunchyroll to form an anime super-service.
More than 1,600 hours of anime has been added to Crunchyroll at no extra cost, following the merger between the two that completed in August last year. 80% of what Funimation calls its “most popular series” will be available on Crunchyroll by the end of March – that includes My Hero Academia, Tokyo Ghoul, Cowboy Bebop, and much more.
You can see a full list of Funimation shows on Crunchyroll here. Funimation will continue to operate as normal for the time being, but the move makes clear that Crunchyroll will be the main platform going forward, and any new anime starting in spring 2022 will only be available on Crunchyroll. Funimation will only continue to update series already hosted on the service.
The move will also bring Funimation subsidiary Wakanim, and Crunchyroll’s VRV into the core Crunchyroll subscription.
CEO Colin Decker 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.”
Funimation Premium currently costs $5.99 (£4.99) a month while Crunchyroll starts at $7.99 (£6.50) a month.
Anyone already subscribed to Funimation, Wakanim, or VRV will be offered 60 days of Crunchyroll Premium for free. Current subscribers to the non-Crunchyroll platforms will be emailed within the next few days (from March 1) to be offered the free 60 days.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who rarely remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.