Anime Streaming Service Funimation to Shut Down and Transfer Subscribers to Crunchyroll

Funimation, the popular anime streaming service, is set to shut down on April 2nd, 2024, and transfer its subscribers to Crunchyroll. This move will not only impact subscription prices but also result in the loss of digital libraries.

A notice on Funimation’s website informs existing subscribers that they will be automatically transferred to Crunchyroll. However, the details regarding pricing are not provided on the page, and subscribers will need to check their emails for the new pricing information. Legacy subscribers, like myself, can expect a price increase. For instance, my current $5.99 per month Funimation Premium Plus plan will rise to $9.99 per month for Crunchyroll’s Mega Fan plan. Users in Canada will have to pay $12.49 Canadian dollars for the same plan.

Other legacy subscribers will also experience similar price jumps. One user on X mentioned that their yearly subscription price would increase from $54.95 to $99.99. The reason behind the steep price hike is due to being grandfathered into an older Funimation plan.

In addition to the price increase, Crunchyroll will not support the digital copies redeemed through Funimation. This means that previously owned and redeemed digital copies from Funimation will no longer be accessible. This news has disappointed many fans who hoped to keep their digital collections forever.

The shutdown of Funimation was anticipated after Sony‘s acquisition of Crunchyroll and the subsequent plans to merge the two services into one. Although Funimation continued to add new episodes of ongoing series, the closure date was unknown until now.

To ease the transition, Funimation has provided instructions on their support page for transferring watch history and queue to Crunchyroll. However, given the changes and the loss of access to digital copies, some subscribers may opt to cancel their subscriptions altogether.

Funimation, with its wide range of anime content and childhood favorites like Dragon Ball Z, will be missed by many fans. It served as an affordable ad-free streaming service, even though the playback controls and user interface had room for improvement.