Ouch, This Anime Leak Has Hit Netflix Harder Than Most
Netflix’s extensive anime catalog, both original and licensed, is one of the platform’s biggest draws, but the wind was recently taken out of its sails. On August 7, a huge chunk of Netflix’s 2024 and 2025 anime slate was leaked online in a devastating blow to the streamer and the creatives behind the shows alike.
Crunchyroll, the world’s biggest streaming platform for anime content, was affected as well, though surprisingly, not to the same extent that Netflix was.
The leak was originally discovered when a few low-resolution clips were released online, which still included time stamps and watermarks. Some major anime shows, including Arcane season 2, Terminator Zero, Ranma ½, and Dandadan had full episodes leaked online—in Terminator Zero’s case, the entire first season was leaked after the breach. This debacle has been dubbed the “biggest leak in animation history,” and it’s now been confirmed by What’s On Netflix that other Netflix shows, including live-action productions like Heartstopper season 3, have been affected as well.
On August 9, Netflix responded to the leak, saying, “One of our post-production partners has been compromised and footage from several of our titles has unfortunately leaked online. Our team is aggressively taking action to have it taken down.” The source of the leak is still unknown.
Though some audiences may feel that leaks like this benefit them as they can get access to their favorite shows even sooner than anticipated, it’s actually detrimental for all involved (with the exception, perhaps, of the leakers themselves, who clearly feel they have something to gain from all this, be it monetary or something else). In reality, though, audiences who seek out leaks are often watching low-quality, unfinished productions, the hard work of the creatives is compromised and treated with disdain, and if too many viewers watch the leaks and then forego watching it on the streamer, a show’s chance of getting renewed is compromised as well.
All in all, there are no winners here. Leaks like this are disastrous for the industry, and let’s be honest—is it really worth watching something in 360p when you can watch the finished, high-def version just a few weeks or months later? Nah.
Thankfully, most of the internet seems to be pissed about these leaks, too. Who wants to see spoilers before a show is even released?!
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