World’s Biggest Manga Piracy Website Shuts Down After Joint China And Japan Operation

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Manga, or Japanese comics, is a multi-billion dollar industry in Japan and one of the country’s most successful. It’s seen huge growth recently, boosted by the increasing global popularity of both manga and anime. While manga is incredibly popular, a significant amount of its international reach is due to unauthorized online copies. Before manga became widely available outside of Japan, piracy was often the only way fans could access it.

Today, manga is readily available through official sources, and its increasing popularity has prompted Japan to crack down on illegal websites. Just recently, Bato.to, one of the largest manga platforms globally, was shut down and its operator arrested, a result of cooperation between Japan and China. The closure of Bato.to likely signals a wave of similar shutdowns for other China-based manga websites. This could represent a significant turning point for the manga industry.

Bato.to Was The World’s Largest Manga Piracy Website

Image by Manga Plus

  • Hosted Millions of Works, Including Hard to Find Titles

While many fans now legally buy manga through physical copies or apps like Manga Plus and Viz Media, it was actually illegal websites that first made manga popular internationally. These sites provided easy access to manga at a time when official translations and digital platforms weren’t available.

Millions of websites offer pirated manga, but Bato.to was the largest. Based in China, it hosted millions of series in many different languages. While it featured popular titles, Bato.to was especially known for hard-to-find manga – series that were difficult to purchase, no longer being published, or never officially released outside of their country of origin. Although manga was its primary focus, the site also offered Korean webcomics, known as Manhwa. After a long period of operation, Bato.to is now defunct.

Bato.to Has Been Taken Down With A Joint Effort By Japan and China

  • Bato.to and other offspring websites have been completely shut down
  • As Requested by Japanese Giants Kadokawa, Kodansha, Shueisha, Shogakukan, and Square Enix

Bato.to was the world’s largest manga website, but it has now been officially closed down. Last week, Japan and China worked together to shut it down, which came as a surprise to many fans. Despite China historically allowing numerous illegal manga sites to operate without consequence, this collaborative effort signals a change in approach.

Major Japanese publishers – including Kadokawa, Kodansha, Shueisha, Shogakukan, and Square Enix – were the driving force behind a collaborative effort with China to shut down Bato.to and similar websites. The person running Bato.to has been arrested in China and is currently on trial, with an uncertain future. He, along with two others who benefited from the site, could face serious legal consequences.

Manga Piracy Might Be Coming To An End with Bato.to’s End

For many years, manga fans have turned to unofficial websites because it wasn’t always easy or affordable to read manga legally, especially outside of Japan. Before platforms like Manga Plus and Viz Media Online launched, fans had no legal options for keeping up with their favorite series. They often had to wait months for Japanese volumes to be released, then additional time for translations and international distribution – sometimes up to two years for English versions. Thankfully, reading manga legally is now much simpler. Popular action manga, or ‘Shonen’ series, are now available weekly through official apps, making it easier for fans worldwide to follow their stories.

However, online reading access isn’t available for every manga series, particularly those that aren’t mainstream ‘Shonen’ titles. Many series also haven’t been officially released in other countries, and with the closure of sites like Bato.to, it’s becoming harder for fans to find less popular content. Some well-known, long-running manga, like ‘Kingdom,’ have never been officially translated or exported, and likely won’t be. These changes, combined with China’s increased efforts to stop online piracy, could mark a new phase for manga availability.

Following the closure of Bato.to, some Japanese publishers have reported higher profits. This success might encourage them to aggressively pursue legal action against manga piracy. As a result, we could see more pirating websites being shut down in the coming months. However, it’s likely this will be a continuous battle. Even with Bato.to gone, another similar site will probably emerge, because completely stopping piracy is a very difficult task.

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2026-01-31 01:37