With the anime industry growing in massive popularity across the globe, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it’s already one of the mainstream forms of media. No doubt, Crunchyroll is the largest streaming hub for anime fans across the globe, adding dozens of new series every quarter as part of the new season lineup. On the other hand, platforms such as Hulu and HIDIVE have begun adding all kinds of unique anime films and series for viewers to enjoy. Most of those series have already been released, and some are even classics that lost their hype over the decades. Unfortunately, although these classic series showcase the diversity and artistic range in anime, they often get overlooked due to poor marketing and not enough hype.
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Each month, the official website of HIDIVE releases a new slate exclusively for anime, revealing a list of series that will be added and removed from the platform. March 2026’s slate has just been revealed, and it does have its fair share of disappointing removals, including both seasons of the late 1990s action fantasy Orphen, also known as Sorcerer Stabber Orphen. The series is still underappreciated among fans, so the latest update is surely disappointing. Most of the time, these removals happen due to licensing issues or low viewership ratings. In either case, it’s possible that the removal is permanent or long-lasting. Both seasons of the series will officially leave HIDIVE on March 31st, 2026. Luckily, you can still stream it on Prime Video, even if it’s not available on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
What Is Orphen About?
Based on Yoshinobu Akita’s light novel, which was also adapted into a manga series, the anime only released two seasons during the late 1990s. The manga adaptation released several sequels and prequels, often with different artists, but not all of them have been adapted yet. The story is set six years after a major accident that happened in a magic school called the Tower of Fang, where the magic user Azalie was unable to control the magical sword’s power and transformed into a great dragon.
The fateful day became known as Bloody August, and eventually, Azalie was more or less abandoned by the Tower of Fang, except for Krilancelo, a young magician who cared deeply for her. She transformed into the shape of a great dragon, and no one is willing to save her or even knows how. Knowing that the elders at the tower wouldn’t help him, Krilancelo abandoned his name and declared himself Orphen before embarking on a journey to find a way to turn Azalie back to normal.
As the story continues, he meets reliable allies along the way, and the truth behind his relationship with Azalie is revealed. The anime sequel, Orphen 2: Revenge, which was released in 1999, the same year as the first season’s finale, follows Orphen and his friends as they set out on a new adventure, encountering many monsters and challenges along the way. The group also gets a new addition who has her own fair share of secrets.
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