Short answer: for most dedicated anime fans, yes. Crunchyroll’s combination of anime-only focus, a deep seasonal library, and new originals keeps it hard to beat. But let’s unpack the numbers, the strategy, and the competition before we slap a crown on it.
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The scoreboard: subscribers, scale, momentum
Since Sony took over, Crunchyroll has exploded in size, topping 17 million paying users by March 2025. That is huge for an anime-only app. Sony now treats anime as a core business and keeps the loop tight: shows on the platform, fan events, and merch all feeding back into Crunchyroll.
Sony is still aiming high. The ambitious “25 by 25” goal of 25 million subscribers by the end of 2025 seems ambitious, but even if it falls short, Crunchyroll maintains its lead in the anime-only market with further growth from foreign countries.
The big swing: originals via Hayate Inc.
March 2025 was a tell. Crunchyroll and Aniplex formed Hayate Inc., a joint studio to make series for a global audience from day one. In plain terms, that means fewer licensing headaches and more shows you can only watch on Crunchyroll, the kind that keep fans subscribed.
Community clout: Anime Awards as a cultural barometer
Want a quick culture check? Look at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. The 2025 show in Tokyo turned into a victory lap for Solo Leveling, which grabbed Anime of the Year and a stack of trophies. The Awards keep fans voting, arguing, and then streaming the winners, a neat flywheel for the platform.
Why Crunchyroll still feels “best” for core fans
● Anime-only focus. You open the app and it’s wall-to-wall anime, simulcasts, dubs, classics, niche gems. No algorithm trying to shove you into reality TV.
● Seasonal depth. It consistently lands the lion’s share of each season’s buzzy titles, plus the long tail fans actually ask for.
● Global pipeline. Sony’s consolidation (Aniplex + Crunchyroll + music/merch/events) turns a hit series into a worldwide flywheel, streaming today, con panel next month, figure or game later.
● Originals on deck. Hayate Inc. signals more platform-first shows, the kind you can’t watch anywhere else.
But the competition isn’t asleep
Netflix has gone heavy on anime, flexing its marketing muscle and experimenting with live-action plays that loop viewers back to originals (its One Piece adaptation proved it can work). As anime becomes mainstream, generalist streamers can siphon casual fans with convenience and cross-genre bundles, a real challenge to any niche service.
That said, the market is exploding, not shrinking. International streaming revenue from anime is projected to more than triple by 2030, with Netflix and Crunchyroll together expected to command the majority of that pie. Growing demand leaves room for multiple winners, and Crunchyroll is positioned to remain one of them.
Where Crunchyroll clearly wins (and where it doesn’t)
Strengths
● Signal-to-noise: You’re not wading through non-anime filler to find tonight’s episode.
● Simulcasts + dubs: Fast pipelines keep hype intact for weekly drops.
● Fandom gravity: Awards, events, and merch deepen the connection beyond just pressing play.
● Upstream access: With Hayate Inc., Crunchyroll has more control earlier in the content chain.
Trade-offs
● Library gaps still happen. Rights are messy; a few big titles land elsewhere.
● Casual viewers may prefer bundles. If you only watch a couple of anime per year, Netflix/Prime/Disney+ might feel “good enough” inside a broader package.
● Targets vs. reality. Hitting aggressive sub goals is hard; growth is healthy, but not infinite.
The industry tailwind behind Crunchyroll
Anime isn’t a subculture anymore; it’s a global content engine. Sony’s own investor materials and independent reporting frame anime as a long-run growth pillar. This shows up in revenue, deal-making, and corporate focus, a rising tide that benefits a best-positioned distributor. More series are now financed with worldwide streaming in mind, with faster dub turnarounds, day-and-date windows, and theatrical “event” runs that loop viewers back to the platform. Conventions, merch, and game tie-ins keep engagement (and spend) rolling between seasons, and the audience is expanding across English and non-English markets alike. That ecosystem rewards a service that can take a title from production to premiere to fandom under one roof, exactly where Crunchyroll sits.
So… is Crunchyroll still the best?
For anime-first viewers, yes, it’s the one to beat. The catalog depth, community footprint, and the move into originals (Hayate) make Crunchyroll the default home screen for fans who track seasons, live on Discord, and care about awards chatter. If you’re anime-curious and already pay for a general streamer, you might be fine sampling there, but you’ll miss the breadth (and often the immediacy) that Crunchyroll delivers.