Crunchyroll To Shutter Funimation Later This Year

The legendary Funimation brand will be no more starting April 2nd, 2024. The streamer that helped make English dubbed adaptations into a fledgling industry will officially be sunset by parent company Sony who in 2021 purchased Crunchyroll and merged the operations of the two into one Crunchyroll service. As part of the closure, both the Funimation App and Funimation.com will be removed.

Funimation’s history can be traced back to the early nineties becoming an intermediary between Japan and Cartoon Network, helping bring the likes of Dragon Ball Z and soon other titles over and really helping establish Cartoon Network’s Toonami brand. As the streamer had launched in the mid-2010s, first-run English dubbed adaptations would typically be seen first both via digital and with an OTT TV network made available by most cable companies. 2014 would see Funimation go in on it’s first original series Space Dandy which was the company’s very first worldwide simulcast available in multiple languages. Later, this success would see Funimation mostly focus on bulking up it’s own library of English dubs, especially after Sony acquired a 95% controlling stake in 2017.

Sony methodically would acquire a number of notable anime brands over the years including Funimation, Aniplex, Crunchyroll, and RightStuf Anime in an attempt at to have a major foothold in an industry that is expected to grow into a multi-billion dollar entity within the next few years.

RIP Funimation. Your importance will be remembered for years to come.