Crunchyroll is the largest streaming platform for anime fans across the world, home to over a thousand series and movies. Each year, the platform adds a few dozen new releases to make them more accessible for fans. This also means that a large number of series and films can be found on Crunchyroll, including older classics and the latest hits. However, it’s not rare for the platform to quietly remove some beloved shows without any announcement. These removals mostly happen due to licensing issues. Even though certain anime are exclusive to the platform, Crunchyroll only buys rights to stream them for a certain period of time.
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Over time, the license expires, forcing the platform to remove such anime from its library. Additionally, while it’s possible for Crunchyroll to renew those licenses, it depends on the popularity of the anime. Regardless of critical acclaim, if an anime doesn’t have a good enough viewership, the platform would prefer to let them go. It hasn’t been long since these incredible anime were removed from Crunchyroll, and now fans in the U.S. can’t stream them anywhere.
7) Barakamon
Barakamon is easily one of the best slice-of-life anime of all time, which is all the more disappointing that the series never gained the recognition it deserved. Even without getting a sequel, the anime is nothing less than a masterpiece perfect for viewers to unwind from their hectic lives. This heartwarming story of redemption and self-discovery takes place on a quiet, small island. Sei Handa, a renowned calligrapher, has recently moved there after hitting an elderly curator of a calligraphy exhibition and making a mess in Tokyo.
His father had no choice but to send him to a remote island to help him clear his head and realize his mistake. Although he initially has a hard time adapting to the countryside lifestyle, he blends right in thanks to the friendly neighbors and the eccentric little girl named Naru Kotoishi. Beneath the absurd comedy, this gorgeous story focuses on themes of personal growth and self-discovery.
6) Black Lagoon
Black Lagoon‘s removal shocked fans in July, especially considering how many of them are still awaiting a sequel. Unfortunately, this update from Crunchyroll dashed any hope for the anime’s future. While the anime was forgotten over time, it still remains one of the most iconic action shows of all time. The anime premiered in 2006 and also released an OVA mini-series, titled Roberta’s Blood Trail, after the first season reached its conclusion. While the series never released a Season 2, it’s a masterpiece on its own.
The anime doesn’t shy away from the gore or the brutality that its setting lends to it. It’s also one of the rare anime series that doesn’t feel overly dark for the sake of being edgy. Madhouse did the manga’s exceptional art style justice with its striking animation. The series has an intriguing cast of characters entrenched in the city’s lifestyle, with warring factions and opposing sides constantly causing chaos. Not only that, but the protagonist, Revy, is one of the most iconic female characters of all time, known for impeccable marksmanship.
5) Blood Blockade Battlefront
This acclaimed action series premiered in 2015 and released a second season in 2017. It has a unique premise, often earning praise for its comedic, quirky storyline, captivating character roster, and unique animation style. It’s been nine years since the anime wrapped up its second season, which means the anime’s future looks grim, just like most series on the list. The manga is still ongoing and hasn’t shared any updates on its conclusion yet. It’s released in several parts, covering new arcs in each of them as the story continues.
The story is set in a world where a portal opened up, creating a link between the demon realm and the human world. The protagonist, Leonardo Watch, is a photographer who gains the All-Seeing Eyes that allow him to analyze, notice, and observe far more than the average person. Thanks to his unique supernatural ability, he was recruited into Libra, a vigilante group that tasks itself with protecting the city from the supernatural creatures plaguing the streets as a result of the merging worlds.
4) 91 Days
This dark, psychological thriller anime series is an original production by Studio Shuka, which Crunchyroll removed just last year without any announcement. Unlike all series on the list, 91 Days is the only one that doesn’t need a sequel season since it already wrapped up its exceptional story within the 12 TV episodes and the OVA. The story follows Angelo Lagusa, who once lived living in the town of Lawless. As a child, he witnessed the brutal murder of his parents and younger brother by the infamous Vanetti mafia family.
Shattered by the horrifying tragedy, he leaves behind his name and his hometown to start a new life. Now known as Avilio Bruno, he returns seven years later to take revenge on the Vanetti family after receiving an anonymous letter that’s tied to them. He befriends the Vanetti don’s son and walks the bloodstained path to vengeance, destroying everything in his wake, including himself.
3) Death Parade
Death Parade is another original series, but unlike 91 Days, this story from studio Madhouse left behind several questions without ever returning with a second season. The anime premiered in 2015 but doesn’t have any plans to answer the crucial questions. With no manga to follow up on the story, its popularity eventually died down despite being a massive hit at the time of its premiere.
The story takes place in a world where neither heaven nor hell awaits a person after their death, but all that’s left is a bar. However, only a chosen few enter a bar in pairs after they die together with no memories of the lives they led. They also don’t have any idea that they’ve died, which is crucial for the bartender to pass judgment upon them. They do so by forcing the visitors to participate in a series of life-threatening games and bringing out their true personality. However, things take a massive turn when a woman enters the bar all alone while already being after of the fact that she has died.
2) Claymore
Claymore was also removed last year, after which fans noticed that Death Parade and 91 Days also left the platform within the same week. With its mature themes, complex female leads, and detailed world-building, Claymore is one of the most underrated Shonen Jump classics of all time. Unfortunately, while the manga written and illustrated by Norihiro Yagi is a masterpiece, the anime couldn’t live up to the expectations even though it was produced by a renowned studio like Madhouse. The anime premiered in 2007 and made considerable changes from the manga without ever adapting the full story.
This exceptional story follows Clare, a being manufactured as half human and half youma, which are shapeshifting demons with a thirst for human flesh. She encounters Raki, whose family was massacred by youma before he was banished from his village. With nowhere left to go, the boy follows Clare on her journey as she embarks on a path to seek vengeance on a being who murdered someone precious to her.
1) Baccano!
Taking a page from the Elric Brothers from Fullmetal Alchemist, Baccano is also an anime that focuses on alchemy. However, it focuses on far more demons, and the story is set in wildly different timelines. The series has a non-linear puzzle box storytelling as it bounces between the years 1711, 1930, and 1931, leading to a chaotic set of events and an eccentric ensemble cast. The supernatural twist with the alchemy and elixir of life, while the story focuses on mafia crime syndicates, makes it all the more intriguing.
While it might not seem surprising that the lesser-known anime has been lost from Crunchyroll’s servers, the number of manga and light novel volumes and adaptations that have been created as a part of this franchise might surprise anime fans. With so much material that has yet to be adapted into an anime series, the anime’s future doesn’t look bright, as it’s been 19 years since its debut.
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