Crunchyroll Just Got Its Biggest Anime Streaming Rival (And It's Free)
Since the Funimation merger, Crunchyroll has had a pretty comfortable run as the biggest dedicated anime streaming service, especially when it comes to simulcasts and English dubs. That dominance is suddenly looking a lot more vulnerable now as Bilibili, China’s massive video platform, is pushing its international streaming service into more major markets, putting it in direct competition with Crunchyroll. The biggest hook for anime fans? Bilibili is coming in swinging with a price tag that completely undercuts the competition.
The timing could hardly be better for Bilibili. Crunchyroll recently removed its long-running ad-supported free tier and raised the price of its cheapest plan to $9.99 a month, giving frustrated viewers another reason to look elsewhere. Bilibili is swooping in to take advantage of that exact frustration. A huge chunk of its anime and donghua library is completely free to watch, while subscribers get access to even more content for less than Crunchyroll’s cheapest plan.
For viewers already annoyed by Crunchyroll’s price hikes and the loss of its free tier, that is a pretty easy reason to at least give Bilibili a shot. By offering standard Japanese audio, solid English dubs, and zero forced paywalls, Bilibili's massive international move is delivering a brutal gut punch to a platform already sweating over Netflix's growing anime library.
Bilibili Enters The Global Market With An Aggressive Android App Rollout
Bilibili’s global push is already getting attention, and the new international app is making it much easier for anime fans outside China to access the platform. The rollout began with Android, with an iOS version also on the way, giving international viewers a simpler way to get into Bilibili’s huge mix of anime, donghua, and user-made content. There are still some rough edges with the early localization, but that is hardly surprising for a service making such a big push outside its home market.
Crunchyroll · Anime Knowledge Edition
The Official Crunchyroll
Anime Quiz
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01
Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) became one of the most-watched anime on Crunchyroll. The story takes place in a world where humanity lives behind massive walls to protect themselves from giant humanoid creatures. What are these creatures called?
✓ Correct! The giant humanoid creatures are called Titans. In the original Japanese, they’re referred to as “Kyojin” (giants). Eren Yeager’s quest to destroy all Titans after they breach Wall Maria became one of the most gripping storylines in anime history.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Titans. Kaiju are giant monsters from Japanese cinema like Godzilla, Hollows are the enemy creatures in Bleach, and Demons appear in series like Demon Slayer. In Attack on Titan, these towering humanoid creatures are specifically called Titans.
02
Studio MAPPA has become one of the most prominent anime studios in recent years, producing several massive hit series. Which of these popular anime was NOT produced by MAPPA?
✓ Correct! Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) is produced by ufotable, not MAPPA. Ufotable’s stunning animation quality — especially the breathtaking fight sequences — became a hallmark of the Demon Slayer franchise. MAPPA produced Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan: The Final Season, and Chainsaw Man.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Demon Slayer. Demon Slayer is animated by studio ufotable, renowned for its gorgeous visual effects. MAPPA has produced Jujutsu Kaisen, took over Attack on Titan: The Final Season from WIT Studio, and animated Chainsaw Man.
03
Solo Leveling became a massive hit anime in 2024 after being one of the most popular manhwa (Korean comics) in the world. The story follows a weak hunter who gains the unique ability to level up. What is the protagonist’s name?
✓ Correct! Sung Jin-Woo is the protagonist of Solo Leveling. Originally the weakest E-Rank hunter, he gains the power of the mysterious System, allowing him to level up infinitely. His transformation from the “World’s Weakest Hunter” to the most powerful Shadow Monarch captivated millions of readers and viewers.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Sung Jin-Woo. Jin-Woo Sung reverses the name order (Korean names place the surname first). Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk are protagonists from Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, another popular Korean series. Sung Jin-Woo is the iconic Shadow Monarch of Solo Leveling.
04
The Crunchyroll Anime Awards celebrate the best in anime each year. Which anime won Anime of the Year at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards?
✓ Correct! Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End won Anime of the Year at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards. This beautifully contemplative series about an elven mage reflecting on mortality and the passage of time after her hero party’s quest ends charmed audiences and critics alike with its unique, introspective storytelling.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. While Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, Oshi no Ko, and Vinland Saga Season 2 were all critically acclaimed, it was Frieren’s meditative exploration of time, memory, and connection that captured the top prize at the 2024 ceremony.
05
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is consistently rated as one of the greatest anime of all time. The story follows two brothers who attempted a forbidden alchemical technique. What taboo did Edward and Alphonse Elric commit?
✓ Correct! Edward and Alphonse attempted human transmutation to bring their deceased mother back to life. The attempt failed catastrophically — Edward lost his left leg and then sacrificed his right arm to bind Alphonse’s soul to a suit of armor. This event drives the entire series as they search for the Philosopher’s Stone to restore their bodies.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is human transmutation — specifically, attempting to resurrect their dead mother. In the world of FMA, human transmutation is the ultimate taboo in alchemy. The brothers’ failed attempt cost Edward his limbs and Alphonse his entire body, setting the stage for their epic journey.
06
Spy x Family became a worldwide phenomenon with its wholesome yet action-packed story of a found family. The father, Loid Forger, is secretly a spy. What is his spy codename?
✓ Correct! Loid Forger’s spy codename is Twilight, and he’s considered the top agent of Westalis’s intelligence service, WISE. His mission, Operation Strix, requires him to build a fake family — leading him to adopt the telepathic Anya and marry the assassin Yor, creating one of anime’s most beloved found families.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Twilight. Agent Dusk and Shadow are fictional names, while Nightfall is actually the codename of another WISE agent, Fiona Frost, who has a crush on Loid. Twilight is Westalis’s greatest spy and the heart of Spy x Family’s charming story.
07
Crunchyroll merged with another major anime streaming service to become the dominant platform for anime. Which streaming service was absorbed into Crunchyroll?
✓ Correct! Funimation was merged into Crunchyroll after Sony’s acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T in 2021. The merger consolidated the anime streaming market, bringing Funimation’s massive library of dubbed anime together with Crunchyroll’s simulcast catalog, making Crunchyroll the world’s largest dedicated anime platform.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Funimation. Netflix Anime is part of Netflix and operates independently, HIDIVE is Sentai Filmworks’ streaming service, and AnimeLab was a smaller Australian service. Funimation — once Crunchyroll’s biggest rival — was fully absorbed into the Crunchyroll platform.
08
Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are legendary in the anime world. Miyazaki’s final film was released in 2023 and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. What is the title of this film?
✓ Correct! The Boy and the Heron (Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka) was released in 2023 and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2024. The deeply personal, surrealist fantasy film was widely considered Miyazaki’s farewell masterpiece, exploring themes of grief, imagination, and the passage between worlds.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is The Boy and the Heron. Spirited Away 2 and Ponyo Returns don’t exist. The Wind Rises was Miyazaki’s previous “final” film from 2013. The Boy and the Heron marked his true farewell, winning the Oscar and cementing his legacy as anime’s greatest storyteller.
Binge Complete Your Anime Watch Level
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Are you an anime sensei — or still on episode one?
What makes Bilibili especially interesting is that it is not trying to be another Crunchyroll clone. The platform has always worked more like a mix of YouTube and an anime streaming service, with users uploading everything from gaming videos and fan edits to vlogs and other original content. At the same time, Bilibili has built a serious licensed library that includes anime and Chinese donghua, giving fans plenty to watch beyond the usual user-generated stuff.
The official catalog is absolutely loaded with anime like Solo Leveling, Jujutsu Kaisen, Re:Zero, Hunter x Hunter, Black Clover, and more. While some specific anime might still be tied up in regional licensing blocks depending on the user’s region, viewers can easily bypass those temporary hurdles by simply using a VPN to access the main site.
Bilibili Arrives Just In Time To Capitalize On Crunchyroll's Vulnerable Market Position
Bilibili itself is also no small player, with more than 115 million daily active users and over 376 million monthly active users reported for the first quarter of 2026. That is where the Crunchyroll comparison gets interesting. Bilibili already has the audience and the content ecosystem to make its international push worth paying attention to.
Its catalog can vary by region because of licensing, but the platform’s appeal is obvious: instead of paying for another dedicated anime service just to watch seasonal shows, fans are getting an entire video platform that also happens to have a serious anime library. If Bilibili can keep expanding that library and smooth out the early international rollout, Crunchyroll may finally have a competitor that is actually capable of taking a bite out of its audience. With Crunchyroll already losing its anime viewership to Netflix over the past few years, this major push by Bilibili would certainly affect it.