Crunchyroll is once again facing backlash for quietly removing three major anime series from its platform, leaving fans scrambling for options to watch their favorite shows.
Over 60 episodes from Black Lagoon (Seasons 1, 2 and the Roberta’s Blood Trail OVA), Blood Blockade Battlefront (two seasons), and Grimgar, Ashes and Illusions are no longer available to stream in the United States on Crunchyroll. The issue came to light when viewers pointed out that they were unable to access these titles on the platform.
It is likely that the licenses for all three anime series have expired and Crunchyroll opted against renewing them. All three series were originally licensed and distributed by Funimation and subsequently became a part of Crunchyroll’s library after the merger between the two companies.
Crunchyroll Removes 3 Major Funimation Anime Titles With No Warning
Crunchyroll has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons recently. Earlier this week, the company announced that the new Crunchyroll store shopping experience would only be accessible to Mega Fan and Ultimate Fan subscribers — a decision that agitated a large portion of its user base.
Now, the removal of these shows has only intensified the wave of disappointment among them. While viewers acknowledged Crunchyroll’s decision not to renew a show’s license, they were put off by the abrupt removal of these series without prior warning. Users have long requested a section on Crunchyroll that provides updates on which series will be leaving the platform soon. Many noted that they were in the middle of watching the shows, some even on the final few episodes, when the content suddenly went offline.
Currently, the only way to watch all three of these anime in the U.S. is to purchase their Blu-ray Discs or DVD releases. While these titles are fan favorites, they lack the mainstream appeal of shows like Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen, making it hard for viewers to find them on alternate platforms.
Black Lagoon is arguably the most popular of the three titles. It follows a team of mercenaries who operate a delivery and smuggling service in a lawless criminal underworld. Meanwhile, Grimgar, Ashes and Illusions, animated by A-1 Pictures, follows a group of strangers stranded in a fantasy world with no memories of their pasts, who must work together as novice soldiers to survive. Finally, Blood Blockade Battlefront, animated by Bones, centers on an organization fighting to maintain order in a city where humans and supernatural creatures coexist.
This is not the first time that Crunchyroll has removed multiple series from the platform out of the blue. In October 2025, the streamer deleted over 16 hours of anime content, including shows like Death Parade and 91 Days. Popular anime titles, including Hunter x Hunter and Eighty-Six, were also not spared, as they were removed from the platform earlier this year.
