Crunchyroll’s decision to officially end its free ad-supported streaming service on December 31, 2025, marks one of the biggest shifts in anime access in more than a decade. For many longtime viewers, it feels like the end of an era where anime was becoming easier to watch legally, even for fans who couldn’t afford monthly subscription fees.

But the timing could not be worse. Less than a month after the program’s shutdown, Crunchyroll’s own CEO criticized the rising surge of pirated anime online. The irony wasn’t lost on fans, who saw the company eliminate one of the last legal, affordable pathways for discovering new series before condemning the audience for turning elsewhere.

Crunchyroll's Decision Breaks the Service’s Original Promise

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