Crunchyroll Locks Manga Behind Paywall, Shrinks Physical Catalog

Crunchyroll’s store is now paywalled for Mega/Ultimate subscribers and has dramatically reduced its physical lineup, removing most manga, light novels, manhwa, and danmei titles along with the vast majority of Blu-ray/DVD sets. What remains mostly consists of merchandise, with only a handful of Blu-rays from Sony-owned labels (Funimation), Crunchyroll, and Aniplex still listed. Fans blame Sony’s wider push away from disc-based media and acquisitions like The Right Stuf International for the shift, viewing it as part of a broader move toward subscriptions over physical purchases. It’s unclear whether this is temporary or permanent, and Crunchyroll hasn’t publicly explained the strategy beyond noting the paywalled shift. The online backlash has been swift and vocal.