The anime world was hit with major news recently as Crunchyroll and Funimation officially announced their long-expected merger. While many fans are excited, there are a lot of questions for people that use Funimation as their go-to anime service. Is Funimation shutting down following the Crunchyroll merger?
We’re going to look at answering that and more in this article dedicated to Funimation subscribers.
Funimation and Crunchyroll Merge News
It was announced on March 1st that Funimation’s content will be moving over to Crunchyroll to create “the world’s largest anime library.”
Last year, the owners of Funimation, Sony, purchased Crunchyroll in a deal world billions of dollars. At the time, it was widely speculated that the two competing anime sites would eventually combine into one service. This latest announcement appears to be the first major step to making that happen.
Beyond the recent library movements, from the Spring 2022 anime season, only Crunchyroll will see all the new anime releases. However, Funimation will have some sequels airing in Spring 2022, such as Kaguya-sama Season 3 and The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2.
Funimation subscribers have been officially told to get a Crunchyroll account “as soon as possible”.
Is Funimation Shutting Down?
So far, there has been no official word stating that Funimation will be shut down. However, it’s only a matter of time following the Crunchyroll merger.
It’s clear from the statement released that all attention will now be on Crunchyroll. While Funimation is staying online for the time being, it’s unlikely there will be any major updates at this point, as the platform inevitably winds down.
One thing worth mentioning is that currently-airing anime will have new episodes released on Funimation as normal. Funimation is also receiving some of the biggest sequels in the Spring 2022 anime season, but won't have a full simulcast list like previous seasons.
Despite the Funimation anime library moving over to Crunchyroll, it’s still going to be a massive migration of internal systems and external users. Therefore, it’s likely that Funimation as a service will be managed and kept online as normal for at least the next few months.
Is Funimation Adding New Anime?
Funimation will continue to add some new anime for the time being. However, it won't be as many as previously, as part of efforts to encourage users over to Crunchyroll.
When the Crunchyroll merger was first announced, their statement said that any new series, starting from Spring 2022, would only be available on Crunchyroll. However, it was quietly revealed that some of the shows airing in Spring 2022 will now, in fact, be available on both Crunchyroll and Funimation in most English-speaking regions outside of Asia.
This change in approach for Funimation/Crunchyroll might be an acknowledgement of the amount of work and time required to complete the two sites' merger, along with the number of fans that are staying at Funimation for now.
However, it should be expected that there will be even fewer new anime when the Summer 2022 season rolls around in July.
Ultimately, the long-term aim is for Funimation to stop and all users to migrate to Crunchyroll. Therefore, there will come a time when Funimation stops adding new titles.
Should I Cancel My Funimation Subscription?
Funimation is asking its subscribers to cancel their Funimation accounts and move to Crunchyroll “as soon as possible”. It’s also offering a 60-day free trial to users who don't yet have a paid Crunchyroll account.
However, there are some reasons why you might not want to cancel Funimation just yet.
The majority of the Funimation library is now on Crunchyroll, but not everything has been transferred. The list of Funimation titles on Crunchyroll is continually getting updated, but it’s likely going to be a long process. So, if there’s a Funimation show you’re watching that hasn’t moved, you might want to binge that first.
If you’re worried about losing your favourites and watchlists, Funimation and Crunchyroll have stated that they are looking into a solution to transfer this data to Crunchyroll accounts.
When you are ready to move to Crunchyroll and cancel your Funimation subscription, make sure to not completely delete your Funimation account. Instead, keep it alive on a free plan so some details can potentially be transferred in future.
How Do I Transfer My Funimation Account to Crunchyroll?
For many fans, keeping track of their favourites and watchlists is why they’ve not changed their streaming platform for years.
Crunchyroll has mentioned that it wants to allow Funimation subscribers to transfer their bookmarks and watch history onto their Crunchyroll account. However, they are yet to confirm how that will happen.
As the layouts of both platforms are slightly different, especially in how they present subs and dubs, it will likely take a lot of technical work to ensure everything is transferred correctly. Plus, not all the shows have been moved over, so moving all account details isn’t feasible yet.
For now, Funimation subscribers have two options. If your shows are on Crunchyroll and you want to move over straight away, your best bet in terms of your watchlist (see below regarding subscriptions/payments) is to just make a note and start again from scratch.
Long-term, it’s likely that Funimation will come up with a solution for transferring watchlists, so depending on your subscription, you may wish to stay on Funimation for a little while until the transfer is ready to go. However, we would suggest moving to Crunchyroll as soon as possible, as explained below.
Can I Get a Refund on My Funimation Subscription Now it’s Merged with Crunchyroll?
Funimation is not offering refunds following the Crunchyroll move. However, you are allowed to transfer any remaining time on your Funimation subscription into your Crunchyroll account.
This question is arguably the most important, but Funimation’s initial answers were unclear. Ultimately, like many things in life, it depends on whether you are a new or existing subscriber to Crunchyroll.
If you already have Funimation and Crunchyroll accounts, you are being told to cancel your Funimation subscription. After speaking to Funimation customer support, it appears that you can transfer any remaining time you had paid for on Funimation onto a new or existing Crunchyroll account. You will need to speak to Funimation customer support who are handling this issue.
If you have a Funimation subscription but don’t yet have a Crunchyroll account, you have more options. First of all, you are being offered a 60-day free trial of Crunchyroll, which will hopefully cover the period during which the remaining transfers of shows and systems takes place.
It has also been reported by customers that annual Funimation subscribers are being allowed to carry over any remaining time on their subscription into a new Crunchyroll account. You should get in touch with Funimation support to discuss this for your account.
We will update this article with any new information regarding Funimation, so stay tuned.
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