This guide will discuss Crunchyroll and how to use and install it. This app can be installed on almost any device, e.g. Firestick, Fire Cube, Nvidia Shield, Android box, Chromecast, phones, tablets, and PCs (via an emulator such as Bluestacks or Nox). Crunchyroll can be installed from the most popular app stores; however, it can be sideloaded if unavailable.
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Table of Contents
What is Crunchyroll?
Crunchyroll is an official streaming service that offers over 1,000 anime shows, more than 200 East Asian dramas, and around 80 manga titles. Their website boasts that Crunchyroll is “The World’s Largest Anime Collection”.
Founded in 2006, Crunchyroll is one of the most recognisable names for streaming anime online. After its acquisition by Sony in 2022, the Funimation library was merged to make Crunchyroll a one-stop shop for dubbed content.
A limited portion of the entire content library is available to watch for free (with ads). Unlimited access to the entire Crunchyroll library requires a subscription plan (no ads). Three tiers are currently available, starting at £4.99/$7.99 per month. Each of the paid tiers comes with a 14-day free trial.
Crunchyroll Features and Content
The Crunchyroll app has a clean and straightforward-to-use interface, with the Home screen displaying suggestions of what to watch. Browse fun headings such as ‘Criminally Charming Characters’, ‘We Love The Boys’, and ‘Check out these donghua!’.
If you’re sticking to the free tier, a section bundles together ‘Free-to-Watch Anime’ so you don’t have to waste time hunting around the app to find the free content.
The content library includes many popular anime shows such as Chainsaw Man, Overlord, Black Summoner, One Piece, My Hero Academia, SPY x FAMILY, Attack on Titan, Black Clover and Assassination Classroom.
A menu allows you to Search, access your Watchlist, view your History, Browse genres and access Settings.
Is Crunchyroll Legal?
Yes. Crunchyroll is an official streaming service and, therefore, 100% legal. This service is available worldwide, although not all programming is available at every location due to licencing restrictions. However, you can use a VPN to bypass any location blocks to access the entire Crunchyroll library.
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Is Crunchyroll Free / Do I Need an Account?
A limited amount of content is free, but almost everything streams in excellent 1080p quality. On most devices, you don’t need to sign up for an account to watch for free. Just hit the Browse button to skip sign-up. However, some devices only allow you to browse by setting up an account first, which is free.
The free tier is, of course, supported by un-skippable ads, and Crunchyroll has a ton of them. During a 23-minute episode, 5 minutes of ads were shown over three ad breaks (plus ads before the video started).
Access to the entire content library and ad removal requires a 14-day free trial subscription. Currently, premium plans start at £4.99/$7.99 per month. Upgrading to a Premium account gives you the following:
- Ad-free access to entire Crunchyroll library.
- New episodes one hour after Japan.
- Access to digital manga (only available in English).
- Stream on four devices at a time (mega fan tier only).
- Offline viewing (mega fan tier only).
How to Install Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is available to stream almost everywhere. As an app on iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, XBOX ONE, and as a Windows app for your PC or laptop.
Go to your App Store and search for Crunchyroll. You can also stream content in your web browser by visiting the website.
But if you can’t get the app from your app store, you may be able to sideload it. To do so, your device must be capable of installing apps from unknown sources. Once your device is enabled for sideloading, you can install the app from my Downloads page.
Sideload Crunchyroll - Firesticks, Fire TV, Android & Android TV
Alternatively, screen mirroring the Crunchyroll app from an Android phone or tablet to Fire TV devices works very well.
- Firstly, ensure you have enabled sideloading on your device.
- Open the Downloader app, then select the Search box.
- Enter 28907, then select Go.
- Wait for my Download page to load fully, then press the Menu (or Options) button on your remote 2x to enter full-screen mode.
- Select the Anime category from the list at the top of the page. Or move down to view the Anime category.
- Find the Crunchyroll app in the list, then select it.
- On the next page, move down until you see the blue Download buttons.
- Select the Download – Fire TV or Download – Android TV button, then select Install.
- When the app has finished installing, select Delete 2x to remove the installation file, as it’s no longer required.
The app is installed; open it from your apps screen!
Sideload Crunchyroll - Android Phones and Tablets
- Firstly, ensure you have enabled sideloading on your device.
- Open a web browser and go to firetvsticks.com.
- Select Downloads from the menu.
- Select the Anime category from the list at the top of the page. Or move down to view the Anime category.
- Find the Crunchyroll app in the list, then select it.
- On the next page, move down until you see the blue Download buttons.
- Select the Download – Mobile button, then select Download.
- Swipe down from the top of the screen to view the downloaded APK file and tap on it.
- Then select Install.
The app is installed; open it from your apps screen!
How to Use Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is simple and easy to use. Browse the Home screen or select your Watchlist, History or Browse genres from the menu.
Once you’ve selected a series, you can look at Episodes, Details or view More Like This.
Many popular series are dubbed in multiple languages, e.g. English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French and Russian. However, dubbed episodes are usually only available if upgraded to premium.
Select an episode to start watching; videos stream excellent quality without buffering or lag.
Subtitles are available in multiple languages, including for episodes that are free to watch.
Wrapping Up
Crunchyroll is an excellent and popular app for anime fans, with many videos subbed and dubbed. However, only a limited amount of content is available to watch for free. If you’re looking for a more extensive library of free anime, consider an alternative such as Anime Fanz Tube.
