AnimeHeaven Loses Thousands of Episodes After Crunchyroll DMCA Takedown

by

Summary

  • Crunchyroll slammed AnimeHeaven with a DMCA notice, leading to the loss of thousands of anime episodes.
  • Big media publications and animation studios like Crunchyroll and Netflix are actively targeting such piracy and illegal streaming sites.
  • Earlier this month, the MangaDex site also received a DMCA notice affecting over 700 titles.

One of the most popular piracy platforms, AnimeHeaven, used to offer numerous anime series free of charge, such as “One Piece”, “Jujutsu Kaisen”, and “Solo Leveling”. Lately, though, it encountered a DMCA takedown from Crunchyroll, leading to the removal of thousands of anime episodes.

For a while now, the Japanese animation sector, often referred to as the broader entertainment industry, has faced challenges with piracy. Despite platforms like Crunchyroll and Netflix expanding the reach of anime globally, illegal streaming sites persistently thrive and attract millions of views monthly. Major publishing companies and animation studios from Japan have been tirelessly working to shut down these sites; the latest focus in this ongoing effort is on AnimeHeaven.

AnimeHeaven Loses Its Server Following The DMCA Notice

The Error Message On The Site Confirms The Takedown

According to Anime Corner’s report, Crunchyroll sent a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) notice to AnimeHeaven through a third-party service. Although it’s plausible that multiple publications or media houses issued such notices, a moderator on Discord verified that Crunchyroll was specifically named as the rights holder. AnimeHeaven, which housed thousands of anime episodes, has had its server taken down due to this notice, making it impossible for viewers to watch any episode at the moment. When attempting to play an episode from any series, viewers are met with a message stating that the server is unavailable.

“Episode no longer available because DMCA trolls took down video server.”

Previously, AnimeHeaven attracted over 10 million views monthly, making the shutdown a hot topic among its regular users. They’re questioning if the servers will be active again, but given past experiences, it seems unlikely. Historically, these closures tend to be permanent, and similar sites seldom reopen post-takedown notice, usually not under their original title.

It’s not uncommon for large media companies to shut down major piracy websites. For example, last year, heavyweights like Netflix, Disney, Paramount, and Hulu banded together to close numerous piracy streaming platforms such as AnimeRave, Fmovies, and movies7. But the issue with piracy sites is that when one disappears, about ten more often emerge in its place.

This Is The Second DMCA Notice News We’ve Heard This Month So Far

Manga Dex Was Hit With A DMCA Notice Earlier This Month

Previously, MangaDex, a significant piracy platform specializing in manga distribution rather than anime, experienced a substantial setback after receiving a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) notice. As a result of this action, over 700 manga titles were removed from the site’s collection. The DMCA notices were issued by various companies such as Kakao, Naver, Square Enix, Kodansha, and Houbunsha, who used third-party anti-piracy service providers to enforce their copyrights.

Despite MangaDex losing hundreds of manga series, which undeniably represents a significant setback, the website continues to function. Yet, it’s probable that the legal action against the site under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act isn’t finished, as anti-piracy firms could continue to issue takedown notices, potentially removing even more manga titles from the platform.

Read More

2025-05-21 22:41