BEST Legal Anime Streaming Websites 2021
What is Anime?
Anime is a type of animation or cartoon series that originated in Japan in the early 20th century. Over the years it has gradually grown in popularity, both inside and outside of Japan. Anime is written as アニメ in Japanese, coming from the word アニメーション (animation). Although anime is extremely popular, it can be hard to watch due to the strict distribution laws surrounding it; this leads to anime often being consumed and distributed illegally online.
How Can I Watch Anime Legally?
You can watch anime legally by accessing anime via legal anime streaming websites. These are websites that have been approved by the animation studio to upload the content on to their website. Due to websites often having to pay animation studios in order to do this, you often need to pay a subscription fee to these websites to view the anime that you want to. However, there are also many websites that allow you to view popular anime for free and legally. In this list we will include these free anime streaming websites, as well as some subscription based websites so you can watch as much anime as you want to!
FREE Legal Anime Streaming Websites
1. Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is one of the most popular free and legal anime streaming websites on the internet. The website offers a huge amount of free anime that can be streamed anywhere, anytime! The reason that all the anime on the platform can be viewed legally even though it is free, is due to the fact that Crunchyroll places quite a lot of ads on their anime videos, which is how they generate income. The ads can get quite annoying so if you want to get rid of them, you can sign up for their premium membership and pay a monthly subscription. If you’re not sure you want to pay or not, you can sign up for their 14 day free trial and see if it it worth it or not. Overall, Crunchyroll is a great website that allows users to watch unlimited anime free and legally.
Official Website
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2. Funimation
Like Crunchyroll, Funimation also generates income through the use of ads on their platform. Whilst this can be quite annoying when you are trying to binge watch your favourite anime, it does allow you to watch all of your favourite anime for free at any time! Funimation has a HUGE selection of anime for you to stream, with most anime being available in both sub and dub. Funimation also offers a premium membership that allows you to watch all the anime ad free. Like Crunchyroll, Funimation charges a small fee every month for you to be a part of this membership. Funimation is another great option for anyone looking to stream anime legally for free.
Official Website
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3. HiDive
HiDive is actually an anime streaming platform that you need to pay a monthly subscription fee to access. However, the reason it is on the free list is due to the fact that they offer a 30 day free trial for you to test out the platform and see if it is worth paying for or not. The anime streaming website offers tons of anime for viewing, including extremely popular animes such as ‘Haikyuu!!’. If you’re wanting to try out an anime streaming platform before committing to paying a monthly fee, this is a great option for you.
Official Website
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PAID Legal Anime Streaming Websites
4. Netflix
Netflix is one of the most popular subscription based streaming services in the world right now. Not only does the platform offer tons of western movies and tv shows, it also has tons of anime available to watch. The anime that is available differs depending on the country you are in, with some countries even offering Ghibli films for streaming! Most people in the world have Netflix now, so it is a great place to first start looking for the anime that you are wanting to watch. Although you need to pay, Netflix is very much worth it to be able to watch a huge amount of anime and other shows!
Official Website
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5. VRV
VRV is a fairly new anime streaming website that states it puts ‘fans first’. Although the streaming platforms main focus is anime, it also has tons of other series and films. There is a huge selection of anime available on the platform and it is extremely easy to use and find a great anime to watch. If you’re someone who is a fan of anime as well as other fandoms, VRV is the perfect streaming service for you. The platform offers a monthly subscription service which gives you access to all the content on the platform.
Official Website
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6. CONtv
CONtv is a streaming service that allows you to stream a huge selection of anime online. Like VRV, CONtv focuses on content that has a strong fandom such as anime, comics and various other series! CONtv has an extensive selection of anime available for viewing including many ‘retro’ anime that cannot be viewed on other anime streaming websites. On top of this, CONtv also has some very famous anime available for viewing such as ‘Yu-Gi-Oh!’
Official Website
Where Can I Read Manga Legally Online?
You can read manga online legally at websites that have obtained a legal license to distribute the official manga. These websites charge a small monthly fee for you to access all the popular manga on the platform whenever and wherever. Some of these websites include:
There are many websites that distribute manga illegally. This directly has a negative affect on manga artists due to them not being able to earn an income through people reading the manga. Many manga artists, especially new ones, often cannot make enough money through their manga to live and therefore must give up being an artist. So to support your favourite mangas and their artists, make sure you are consuming your manga legally!
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