For years, anime piracy platforms thrived by offering fans access to huge libraries of anime series and movies, many of which were unavailable on official streaming platforms due to licensing issues. Recently, popular piracy sites like 9anime, aniwave, animesuge, and zoroxtv have disappeared overnight.
Most of these sites have the same message: they announce their closure but do not say why. This could be the result of legal action by the studios or a government action. Some of these sites had over 200 million monthly page views, with more than half of the views coming from aniwave.
For many fans, these platforms have been the first port of call for anime, as many old-school anime series and movies are unavailable on streaming platforms. Many users took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to express their dismay at some of these sites being taken offline.
As streamers like Netflix, Prime Video and Disney try to grab a share of anime productions largely dominated by Crunchyroll, studios are becoming more aggressive in cracking down on piracy. This comes after episodes of popular series like Terminator Zero, Ranma ½ and Danadan were leaked months before they premiered.
Shutting down these piracy platforms may be a victory for the studios, but the hole is deep. When one popular site closes, two more pop up in its place, and it's like a never-ending game of whack-a-mole. Fans hope that one day, streaming platforms will offer all titles on their respective sites.
Not everyone could afford the monthly subscription fees of these streaming platforms, which is why piracy was so popular. Crunchyroll had to endure the wrath of closure as many fans criticized the streaming platform on X. Most streaming platforms are operated from Vietnam. An example would be 123Movies, which was shut down in 2018.
While these closures will drive fans to legal alternatives, they also highlight the industry's need to continue to expand access to some of the lesser-known titles. We expect official comments in the coming days on why these piracy platforms were shut down. Stay tuned for the latest updates from the anime industry!
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