Crunchyroll is an American subscription-based streaming service primarily focused on distributing anime television series and films. The service was launched on May 14, 2006, by a group of University of California, Berkeley graduates and is currently owned by Sony Group Corporation. From 2016 to 2018, Crunchyroll partnered with Funimation, which Sony acquired in 2017. Following Sony's acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T in 2021, Funimation was eventually merged into the Crunchyroll brand in 2022.
Crunchyroll became the North American licensor and distributor of the Initial D anime after its license was transferred from Funimation when its catalog was fully moved.[1] However, as of March 2025, the Initial D anime is no longer available on Crunchyroll or any other streaming service due to the expiration of its licensing rights.[2]
Following the merger of Crunchyroll and Kazé (who originally published the Initial D manga in France), Crunchyroll released the final two volumes of the Initial D manga in France, with the releases featuring Crunchyroll branding. The company offered to send collectors of the series the new Crunchyroll dustcovers for their volumes, so their collections were consistent.[3] Additionally, Crunchyroll released an exclusive variant cover of the Kodansha USA edition of the first omnibus.[4]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Todd Spangler (March 1, 2022). "Crunchyroll Is Adding All Funimation Anime Content, Sony Starts to Phase Out Funimation Brand". Variety. Retrieved on March 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Prime Video: Initial D: Season 1: 1st Stage". Prime Video. Retrieved on March 11, 2025.
- ↑ "Kazé devient Crunchyroll : tous les détails du changement de marque" (fr). Crunchyroll (September 6, 2022). Retrieved on March 5, 2025.
- ↑ @KodanshaManga (January 16, 2024). "🚨Cover Reveal: #InitialD Omnibus 1 arrives March 2024". Twitter. Retrieved on March 11, 2025.