For decades, the anime industry has been plagued by pirates, and we’re not talking about the seafaring stars of One Piece. From film to television, just about every form of media has to worry about illegal sharing. The anime industry has been hit particularly hard as fans across the globe once relied on piracy before streaming services began licensing content officially. And as the industry pushes back on piracy, netizens were struck this week when one of the top piracy pages for adult anime shut down this week.
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Nhentai, a go-to site for NSFW anime, is no longer available online. Paperwork from California popped up this week that confirmed PCR Distributing is going after Nhentai legally. The complaint notes that PCR Distributing has sent takedown notices to Nhentai for several hentai IPs that it licenses, but those notices were ignored. The paperwork goes on to say this dispute has been going on for months behind the scenes, but its lack of progress prompted PCR Distributing to make the issue public in court.
With millions of visitors monthly, Nhentai marked one of the largest piracy pages for adult anime in the United States. It is far from the only site catering to the hentai fanodm, and that community is growing by the month. Everyone has a right to personal taste, so it isn’t surprising to see adult anime on the rise. The industry itself has been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic gave millions the opportunity to access new media like anime. Now, reports suggest the medium is the fastest-growing in entertainment with Gen Z and Gen Alpha. And for fans over the age of 18, well – sites like Nhentai were a haven to many.
The Lawsuit Behind the Takedown of Nhentai
However, it seems the site has been hit with a rather weighty lawsuit. After a lengthy legal battle, PCR Distribution is suing the piracy site for copyright infringement. “Nhentai is a widely visited platform for adult manga and doujinshi content, attracting over 79,000,000 visits per month,” the lawsuit explains.
“The website hosts a vast collection of hentai works, including commercially produced content, much of which, based on information and belief, is shared without proper authorization from the owners.”
The takedown of Nhentai is just one of several anime piracy sites that have closed recently. Not long ago, dozens of piracy sites were shuttered globally including some of North America’s most popular. These services catered to anime and more, giving licensors more fuel to file legal injunctions. The industry is cracking down on piracy like never before, but still, the issue persists. It seems whenever one site is taken down that three more take its place. The cycle never ends, and the closure of Nhentai has started a new round.
What do you think about this latest piracy takedown? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on X (Twitter) and Instagram.
