Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll is expanding across theatrical distribution, equity investment, and event programming, with a January 2027 theatrical run for Witch on the Holy Night and a 7.03% stake in Link-U Group among its most recent moves. Its acquisition of Makoto Shinkai's next film and a multi-title pipeline announced at Anime Expo 2026 continue into 2027.

Synthesized from 10 Yomimono stories · updated Sep 17

Crunchyroll's recent activity runs along three lines: theatrical releases, partnerships, and a widening slate of anime adaptations. In September 2026 it acquired the feature film Witch on the Holy Night for a coordinated worldwide rollout, with the United States and Canada opening on January 29, 2027 alongside the United Kingdom, Ireland, Finland, Poland, Sweden, and India, and earlier dates in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and several European and Latin American markets through February 5. The film is animated by ufotable and distributed by Crunchyroll with Sony Pictures Entertainment. Crunchyroll also holds most worldwide distribution rights to Makoto Shinkai's next feature, excluding almost all of Asia but including India, with Sony Pictures co-distributing.

On the corporate side, Link-U Group issued about 1.07 million shares to Crunchyroll at 856 yen each, raising 917 million yen and giving Crunchyroll a 7.03% stake as fourth-largest shareholder. The alliance covers overseas manga distribution, infrastructure, and discovery using an IP data foundation. Link-U also reported revenue of 4.8 billion yen for the fiscal year ending July 2026 with an operating loss of 483 million yen. Crunchyroll is among 15 companies receiving part of 11.5 billion yen in Japanese government subsidies for AI-driven translation, advertising, and international event participation.

The programming side includes the invitation-only Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum on October 7, 2026, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, with speakers from Shueisha, Toho, MAPPA, and Aniplex, plus Guillermo del Toro and James Gunn, and an opening by Sony Group CEO Hiroki Totoki. At Anime Expo 2026, Crunchyroll announced Solo Leveling: Beyond the System from A-1 Pictures, Ghost of Tsushima Legends, and a 2027 premiere for The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy At All with Nirvana's "Breed" as its opening theme. The Sekiro: No Defeat anime opens in Japanese theaters on September 4, 2026 for a three-week run and streams on Crunchyroll later in 2026, with the production committee stating no generative AI was used.

Key facts

Witch on the Holy Night US and Canada release date: January 29, 2027 ↗
Witch on the Holy Night animation studio: ufotable ↗
Stake in Link-U Group: 7.03%, fourth-largest shareholder ↗
Anime Future Forum date and venue: October 7, 2026, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York ↗
Solo Leveling film title and studio: Solo Leveling: Beyond the System, produced by A-1 Pictures ↗
Sekiro: No Defeat Japanese theatrical run: opened September 4, 2026 for three weeks ↗
Sekiro: No Defeat voice cast: Daisuke Namikawa as Wolf, Miyuki Satou as Kuro, Kenjiro Tsuda as Genichiro Ashina ↗
Shinkai film rights territories: most worldwide distribution rights excluding almost all of Asia but including India ↗
Japanese government AI translation subsidy: 11.5 billion yen to 15 entertainment companies, including Crunchyroll ↗

Timeline

Sep 14, 2026 Link-U Raises 917 Million Yen From Crunchyroll In Capital And Business Alliance
Sep 10, 2026 Crunchyroll Sets Witch on the Holy Night Theatrical Run for January 2027
Sep 1, 2026 Kenny Omega Enters AEW All In: London With All Might Tribute
Aug 29, 2026 Crunchyroll Reveals Speakers for Anime Future Forum in New York
Aug 12, 2026 Crunchyroll Acquires Global Rights to Makoto Shinkai's New Film
Jul 12, 2026 Sekiro: No Defeat Trailer Launches With Ticket Presales in Japan
Jul 6, 2026 Crunchyroll Reveals Solo Leveling Movie, Ghost of Tsushima Characters at Anime Expo 2026
Jun 28, 2026 Japan to Subsidize AI Translations for Anime and Manga Giants
May 16, 2026 Anime Studio Execs Debate Production Committee Model at Startup Event
May 16, 2026 Sekiro Anime Sets Three-Week September Theatrical Run in Japan

Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every fact links the story it came from.

Facts

Announced: 7.03% stake in Link-U as fourth-largest shareholder · 2026-09-14
Announced: acquired most worldwide distribution rights to Makoto Shinkai's new feature film, excluding almost all of Asia but including India · 2026-08-12
Noted: Crunchyroll is one of 15 entertainment companies receiving government subsidies for AI-driven translations and overseas expansion. · 2026-06-28

Connections

Produces: anime future forum, makoto shinkai s new film, sekiro no defeat, solo leveling, ghost of tsushima legends

Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/crunchyroll. CC BY 4.0.

Claim activity

When a claim about Crunchyroll was confirmed, debunked, or disputed against open-web sources. The record stays even after a claim drops off the facts list.

Confirmed acquired most worldwide distribution rights to Makoto Shinkai's new feature film, excluding almost all of Asia but including India Sep 6 · source
Confirmed Crunchyroll produces Makoto Shinkai's New Film Sep 6 · source
Confirmed crunchyroll produces sekiro no defeat May 28 · source

All coverage

Sep 14

Link-U Raises 917 Million Yen From Crunchyroll In Capital And Business Alliance

Link-U Group will issue about 1.07 million shares to Crunchyroll Co., Ltd. at 856 yen each, raising 917 million yen and giving Crunchyroll a 7.03% stake as fourth-largest shareholder. The business alliance covers overseas manga distribution, infrastructure, and discovery using an IP data foundation. Link-U also reported revenue of 4.8 billion yen for the fiscal year ending July 2026, with operating profit at a loss of 483 million yen.

Sep 10

Crunchyroll Sets Witch on the Holy Night Theatrical Run for January 2027

Crunchyroll has acquired the anime feature film Witch on the Holy Night and will release it in theaters in the United States and Canada on January 29, 2027. The film is animated by ufotable and distributed by Crunchyroll with Sony Pictures Entertainment. It adapts the 2012 visual novel written by Kinoko Nasu and developed by Type-Moon. The story follows Aoko Aozaki, a high school student who is an apprentice Magician, and her housemate Alice Kuonji. Screenings will be offered in Japanese with English subtitles and in an English dub. The international rollout opens earlier in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on January 21, then moves through Austria, Germany, and German-speaking Switzerland on January 26, France, Belgium, and French-speaking Switzerland on January 27, and a larger group of markets including Mexico, Brazil, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand on January 28. The United Kingdom, Ireland, Finland, Poland, Sweden, and India join the January 29 date, with Spain and Kazakhstan on February 5.

Sep 1

Kenny Omega Enters AEW All In: London With All Might Tribute

Kenny Omega entered his AEW World Championship match at All In: London in an All Might-inspired outfit, with entrance narration by My Hero Academia voice actor Kenta Miyake set to "You Say Run." Will Ospreay defeated Omega in the 35-minute main event. Omega thanked the series, Miyake, and Crunchyroll after the match.

Aug 29

Crunchyroll Reveals Speakers for Anime Future Forum in New York

Crunchyroll announced the first program details for the Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum, set for October 7, 2026, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. The invitation-only event expects more than 400 anime industry figures. Speakers include executives from Shueisha, Toho, MAPPA, and Aniplex, plus Guillermo del Toro, James Gunn, and the co-directors of Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. Sony Group CEO Hiroki Totoki opens the event.

Aug 12

Crunchyroll Acquires Global Rights to Makoto Shinkai's New Film

Crunchyroll announced it acquired most worldwide distribution rights to Makoto Shinkai's new feature film, excluding almost all of Asia but including India. Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures will co-distribute. No title or details were revealed. Shinkai said in November 2025 he was working on a new film with dependable companions.

Jul 12

Sekiro: No Defeat Trailer Launches With Ticket Presales in Japan

Kadokawa, Crunchyroll, Qzil.la, and ARCH released a new trailer for the Sekiro: No Defeat anime adaptation and began ticket presales in Japan. The series premieres in Japanese theaters on September 4 for a three-week run, with a worldwide Crunchyroll stream planned later in 2026.

Jul 6

Crunchyroll Reveals Solo Leveling Movie, Ghost of Tsushima Characters at Anime Expo 2026

Crunchyroll held its annual showcase at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles on July 6, announcing a theatrical film continuation for Solo Leveling and the first character designs for the Ghost of Tsushima Legends anime. The Solo Leveling film, titled Solo Leveling: Beyond the System, will pick up after Season 2 and is produced by A-1 Pictures with Aniplex, Netmarble, D&C Media, Kakao Piccoma, and Crunchyroll. Ghost of Tsushima Legends is directed by Takanobu Mizuno with HAYATE Inc. overseeing production, scripts by Satoshi Maejima and Gen Urobuchi, character designs by Takashi Okazaki, and animation by KAMIKAZE DOUGA. In a surprise segment, Dave Grohl appeared via video message to announce that Nirvana's "Breed" will be the opening theme for The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy At All, which premieres in early 2027. Other reveals included the Kagurabachi anime's first character design sheet for Chihiro Rokuhira, a trailer for the Here U Are manhwa adaptation, the sci-fi series Fate Rewinder for April 2027, The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 5 for next year, Aoashi Season 2 for October 2026, and several other new series including Dengeki Daisy, Gacha Girls Corps, Magical Buffs, The Vermilion Mask, and Overgeared.

Jun 28

Japan to Subsidize AI Translations for Anime and Manga Giants

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will provide 11.5 billion yen (~$71.1 million) in subsidies to 15 entertainment companies, including Crunchyroll, Bandai Namco, and Shueisha, to accelerate overseas expansion. The program covers half the cost of AI-driven translations, advertising, and international event participation. The government aims to counter piracy, which caused an estimated 5.7 trillion yen in losses in 2025, and grow the combined subscriber base of participating services from 100 million to 300 million.

May 16

Anime Studio Execs Debate Production Committee Model at Startup Event

At SusHi Tech Tokyo, executives from Production I.G, CoMix Wave Films, and MAPPA discussed alternatives to the production committee model. MAPPA's Manabu Otsuka, Production I.G's Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, and CoMix Wave Films' Noritaka Kawaguchi shared how their studios retain ownership. Studio Chizu's LLP model was also highlighted as a long-term alternative.

May 16

Sekiro Anime Sets Three-Week September Theatrical Run in Japan

The anime adaptation Sekiro: No Defeat will open in Japanese cinemas on September 4, 2026, for a limited three-week run. Kadokawa, Crunchyroll, Qzil.la, and ARCH announced the date alongside a new main visual. Crunchyroll confirmed the series will stream exclusively on its platform later in 2026. The production committee also released a statement that no generative AI is used in the adaptation, a response to audience concern after studio Qzil.la was chosen. Qzil.la is known for work involving AI technologies. Kenichi Kutsuna directs, with Takuya Satou writing the screenplay and Takahiro Kishida designing the characters. The voice cast includes Daisuke Namikawa as Wolf, Miyuki Satou as Kuro, and Kenjiro Tsuda as Genichiro Ashina. The story adapts FromSoftware's game, following the shinobi Sekiro and the Divine Heir during the warring Sengoku period as Ashina faces an internal threat.