A new home for digital manga arrives
Crunchyroll is moving beyond anime streaming with the launch of a dedicated manga app, putting hundreds of Japanese comics in one place for paying members. The app debuts on October 9, 2025 in the United States and Canada on iOS and Android, with a web reader coming on October 15. It promises ad free reading, offline downloads, and an experience built with Link U, a Japanese company that powers digital manga platforms. The aim is to make legal manga easier to find and read on the devices fans already use.
Crunchyroll Manga arrives with support from several major publishers, including VIZ Media, Yen Press, Square Enix, AlphaPolis, and COMPASS. That means readers can browse hit shonen, seinen, shojo, and josei series side by side instead of hopping between publisher specific apps or websites. Early spotlight titles include One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, The Apothecary Diaries, Delicious in Dungeon, My Dress Up Darling, The Summer Hikaru Died, Daemons of the Shadow Realm, and Lycoris Recoil, with the library set to grow after launch.
Crunchyroll is positioning the app as a complement to its video streaming membership rather than a replacement. It uses the same account and profile system as the anime app, but reading happens in a separate interface designed for comics. This approach mirrors how many fans already split their time, reading chapters to get ahead of an anime arc or circling back to favorite scenes on the page after an episode airs. In a market that has long pushed readers to manage several logins and billing plans, a single sign in and one bill can reduce friction and curb the temptation to turn to pirate sites.
What Crunchyroll Manga includes at launch
At launch, Crunchyroll Manga focuses on breadth. The company says the library will feature hundreds of series across genres, from long running blockbusters to buzzy newcomers and digital first debuts. Exact lineups can shift as licenses are added or expire, but current launch communications and event demos highlight popular names that should help the app feel familiar on day one.
- One Piece
- Jujutsu Kaisen
- Delicious in Dungeon
- The Apothecary Diaries
- My Dress Up Darling
- The Summer Hikaru Died
- Daemons of the Shadow Realm
- Lycoris Recoil
- Sasaki and Miyano
- Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy
- Maiden of the Dragon: Falling for the Demons Lies
- Spy x Family
- Black Clover
- Bleach
- Naruto
- Dr. Stone
- Haikyu!!
- Kaiju No. 8
- Spice and Wolf
- The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten
- Bungo Stray Dogs
- Konosuba: Gods Blessing on This Wonderful World!
- Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai
- Re:Monster
- Sugar Apple Fairy Tale
Crunchyroll says the library will continue to expand after launch, and that titles will span a wide range of demographics and tastes. Many of the listed series already have anime adaptations on Crunchyroll, which makes it easier for fans to move between episodes and chapters inside the company’s ecosystem.
Features and reading experience
The app is built for long reading sessions and quick catch ups alike. Readers get unlimited, ad free access to included series, with the ability to download chapters for offline reading. A light mode and a dark mode are available, and pages can display as single panels or full two page spreads, which is essential for double page reveals and action scenes.
Readers can create personalized lists, follow series, and receive suggestions based on their tastes. Browsing supports genre filters and series tags, and series pages show available chapters and volumes at a glance. The interface borrows familiar design cues from Crunchyroll’s video app, while remaining focused on a smooth page reading experience.
Pricing and who gets what
Crunchyroll Manga is a premium add on to standard subscriptions. Ultimate Fan members, priced at $15.99 per month, get the manga app at no extra cost. Crunchyroll Fan members can bundle Fan plus Manga for $11.99 per month, which reflects a $4 manga add on on top of the Fan tier. Mega Fan members can get Mega Fan plus Manga for $15.49 per month, which reflects a $3.50 manga add on on top of the Mega Fan tier. All paid tiers that include the app get unlimited, ad free reading on mobile and tablet, and access on the web starting October 15.
The app launches in English in the United States and Canada. Crunchyroll has said additional languages are planned as the service grows. As with anime streaming, title availability can vary by region over time based on licensing.
Why this launch matters
Legal manga reading has long been fragmented. Many publishers run their own apps, which can lead to multiple subscriptions and a maze of different interfaces. That has pushed some readers to resort to illegal scan sites that strip money away from creators and rights holders. By bringing catalogs from several publishers into one subscription, Crunchyroll is betting that convenience and value will bring more readers into legal channels.
This launch matches how people already consume Japanese storytelling. Anime often adapts manga, so fans switch back and forth. Some read ahead to see what comes next in a favorite arc. Others discover a new series through an episode, then dig into the source to experience the story at the author’s pace and in full. A central app that sits next to a massive anime catalog reduces friction and makes discovery easier.
Crunchyroll is also returning to a space it knows. The company previously ran a manga app that closed in 2023. The new version is rebuilt, runs as a separate app, and arrives with a larger slate of publishing partners, modern features like offline reading, and a clearer pricing structure that ties into its tier system. The strategy also leans on Link U’s technology expertise in digital manga distribution.
Voices from Crunchyroll and the community
Asa Suehira, Crunchyroll’s chief content officer, said the mission is to simplify legal reading and broaden access across publishers and genres.
“With the launch of Crunchyroll Manga, our goal is to deliver a seamless, all-in-one reading experience for fans. Developed in collaboration with Link-U, a leader in the Japanese digital manga space, the app brings top titles from multiple major publishers together in one place. It offers an intuitive interface, offline reading, and a growing, curated library of manga to explore. This is another step toward making Japanese storytelling more accessible to fans everywhere.”
Crunchyroll president Rahul Purini described the app’s role in the company’s larger membership and entertainment plans during Sony’s CES 2025 press conference in Las Vegas.
“Crunchyroll Manga will be a premiere online manga app that carries catalogs from renowned publishers, offering fans unparalleled access to the visionary works that inspire the anime we love. As we strengthen partnerships in this exciting new venture, we aim to add even more value to the Crunchyroll membership, complementing our vast anime library, Crunchyroll Game Vault, and extensive selection of products in the Crunchyroll Store.”
Fans and community organizers see clear benefits too. Victoria L. Johnson, known as Sailor Victoria, is the founder of Moonies Club, which produces the Sailor Moon Fan Club podcast and organizes Magical Girls Festival, a large fan organized event in the United States. She said the app’s multi publisher library and pricing could move the needle for readers who have struggled to find legal access to certain categories.
“I’m super excited for Crunchyroll Manga, especially because they’re pulling in manga from so many publishers. I’m especially happy that people will get more access to discover more shojo and josei manga, which doesn’t always get printed in the U.S. I was at the VIZ Media booth at New York Comic Con, and they told me that the manga for the NANA x Vivienne Westwood collaboration sold out in 45 minutes. So the demand is clearly there.”
Johnson added that the price of a digital subscription could quickly make sense for readers who go through several volumes a month across different imprints.
“Being able to catch up on My Happy Marriage and The Apothecary Diaries from Square Enix, The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All from Yen Press, and Dr. Stone from VIZ Media in one place will be so convenient. I’m surprised at the price point, too. Most manga volumes are $10 to $15 each, so if you’re an avid manga reader who doesn’t mind reading digitally, it’s a pretty good deal right now.”
What comes next for the app
Crunchyroll says its manga library will grow after launch as new partners and titles are added. The company plans to expand language support beyond English and to continue refining the reading experience. The web reader opens on October 15, which gives desktop and laptop users a way to read without a phone or tablet.
International rollout beyond the United States and Canada has not been detailed, which is common for services built on complex licensing. Rights can vary title by title and region by region, and publishers often plan staggered availability. Crunchyroll’s current positioning, a separate manga app that ties into its long running anime service and membership tiers, gives it a clear path to scale when deals and logistics align.
Highlights
- Crunchyroll Manga launches October 9, 2025 on iOS and Android in the United States and Canada, with a web reader opening October 15
- The app offers ad free reading, offline downloads, light and dark modes, and two page spreads
- Launch partners include VIZ Media, Yen Press, Square Enix, AlphaPolis, and COMPASS, with more publishers expected to join
- Headline titles include One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, The Apothecary Diaries, Delicious in Dungeon, My Dress Up Darling, and The Summer Hikaru Died
- Ultimate Fan members get access at no extra cost, Fan plus Manga costs $11.99 per month, and Mega Fan plus Manga costs $15.49 per month
- The app is separate from the Crunchyroll video app but uses the same account and profile, making sign in and discovery simple
- Crunchyroll plans to expand the library and add languages after launch
- The move aims to reduce fragmentation for legal manga readers and curb the appeal of piracy by putting many publishers in one place
