Crunchyroll Store Removes Tons of Physical Products After Being Locked Behind Subscription

The Sony-owned anime platform rolls out big changes to its store

It's been a turbulent time for Sony-owned anime streaming giant Crunchyroll, at least when it comes to its store. After limiting store access only to Mega and Ultimate Fan tier subscribers in July, Crunchyroll seems to have now removed the majority of physical media from the platform, according to angry users who took to social media to vent their frustration.

As of Aug. 19, the Crunchyroll Store no longer lists manga, light novels, manhwa, or danmei for sale. The store still has some DVD and Blu-rays listed under the "Home Entertainment" section, for a total of 387 items, a drastic reduction compared to the previous catalog. The store is now focused on merchandise and exclusive drops, following the line detailed in the statement that accompanied the changes rolled out in July: "The new store captures the excitement of convention-exclusive merchandise: collectibles, curated drops, and limited-release products inspired by the anime series you love."

The policy changes have not proven popular among fans, who are comparing them with Sony's controversial decision to end production of physical versions of video games. Crunchyroll was acquired by Sony in 2021 and later merged with Funimation, which Sony acquired in 2017. In 2022, Crunchyroll acquired anime e-commerce retailer Right Stuf, which was merged with the Crunchyroll Store in 2023.

Physical media still play a big role among the anime fandom, despite the rise of digital services. Comic books in particular, be it manga or manwha, are still popular. Digital manga are spread across different services owned by publishers, such as Shueisha's Manga Plus or Kodansha's K-Manga. These services require subscriptions or in-app purchases to access the full catalog, meaning that many fans still believe that physical books are the best way to read and collect their favorite series.

Some angry fans believe that, over the past three years, Crunchyroll has progressively dismantled Right Stuf's business model, making it harder to purchase physical products, ostensibly to push customers towards digital media and streaming. The Crunchyroll Store still lists exclusive Home Entertainment releases, such as The Apothecary Diaries Season 1 Blu-ray SteelBook edition. The company has not put out any official statement regarding the most recent changes to its store. It's still possible that these are transitional and manga, manhwa, light novels, and danmei will become available again in the future.