Crunchyroll Manga Launches October 9

8 Comments | Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Manga, manga | By Peter Paltridge | September 30, 2025 | 2 minutes of reading

Back in January Crunchyroll announced they were planning to launch a manga app sometime this year. Looks like the time is fast approaching…as of now, all has been revealed about Crunchyroll Manga, the launch date, what titles will be available, where you can access it and how much it will cost.

Before Sony owned it, Crunchyroll once experimented with a manga app, but they weren’t able to get much content for it. Things are different now: Crunchyroll Manga will launch with a lineup that boasts the likes of One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, Daemons of the Shadow Realm, My Dress-Up Darling, The Summer Hikaru Died, Lycoris Recoil, Delicious in Dungeon, Sasaki and Miyano, Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy, Maiden of the Dragon: Falling for the Demon’s Lies and many more. The list of publishers includes AlphaPolis, COMPASS, Square Enix, VIZ Media, and Yen Press, with additional partners like Shueisha, J-Novel Club, ThirdlineNEXT, highstone and others. Some of the titles will never have been published digitally before.

“Anime and manga have always been two sides of the same coin, and Crunchyroll is uniquely positioned to bring them together for fans everywhere,” said Asa Suehira, Chief Content Officer at Crunchyroll. “With this launch, we’re not just creating another reading app, we’re expanding the ultimate anime lifestyle experience, uniting stories on the screen with those on the page.”

The bit of news we were least looking forward to was the price. Our fear was that Crunchyroll Manga would be involuntarily added to every Crunchyroll subscription and all the prices would be raised. Thankfully, it’s separate…yet whole at the same time. Crunchyroll Manga is an optional add-on that raises the prices of every tier by $3.50 to $4 depending on the tier. They also say you’ll be able to get the app separately, but have not mentioned what the price would be.

Crunchyroll Fan subscription + Manga – $11.99 USD / $15.49 CAD per month (includes Manga add-on at $4.00 USD / $5.50 CAD)
Crunchyroll Mega Fan subscription + Manga – $15.49 USD / $17.49 CAD per month (includes Manga add-on at $3.50 USD / $5.00 CAD)
Crunchyroll Ultimate Fan subscription — $15.99 USD (no extra cost; it’s automatically part of it)

For just fifty more cents, going with Mega Fan instead of Ultimate Fan no longer makes any sense…if you want the manga, that is.

Crunchyroll Manga will be shown off at New York Comic Con this October; look for the Crunchyroll booth (#1643) for hands-on demos and panels, and the chance to try out the app for yourself. It launches on iOS and Android October 9; followed by a Web version October 15.

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8 replies

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Angie4214go

Member

352 messages 11 likes

#1 Sep 30, 2025

This pricing structure is confusing and seems designed to push people toward the higher tier. The fact that the Ultimate Fan tier gets the service automatically, and for only a $0.50 difference with the Mega Fan plus Manga add-on, makes the Mega Fan tier less attractive for someone who wants everything. That is clearly a financial strategy to maximize revenue by making the most expensive option seem like the best value. I wish they had simply offered a flat, separate price for the manga app for non-subscribers, as they hinted they might. While the library of titles is strong, the primary issue here is the lack of transparency on the standalone app price and the way the add-on is structured. I need to see the cost for the manga app by itself before I can make a decision.

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anime-icon

Resident of Bandora's Palace

937 messages 127 likes

#2 Sep 30, 2025

I like the lineup but I am worried about the add-on model. $3.50 to $4 on top of the regular subscription does not sound like much, but it adds up when you already have multiple services. For people outside the US, exchange rates and taxes can make it harder to justify. I hope Crunchyroll eventually offers discounts for annual plans or bundles with merch. Otherwise, I might just stick to physical manga since I already collect volumes.

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Kurapikachu

Member

422 messages 5 likes

#3 Sep 30, 2025

I do not really care about new apps, but I like that Crunchyroll is finally addressing manga seriously. I remember the old app and it was weak, with little to no variety. Now I see Daemons of the Shadow Realm and The Summer Hikaru Died on the list, and that is interesting. For me, the success will depend on translation speed. If chapters arrive late compared to Japan, people will just look elsewhere.

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Delivery_Witch

New Member

63 messages 11 likes

#4 Sep 30, 2025

The pricing is a tactical failure. While the Ultimate Fan inclusion is a clear perk, the $3.50 to $4 add-on fee for the lower tiers is not a large enough incentive to upgrade to the highest tier for just fifty cents more. They should have made the price difference larger to truly motivate the jump from Mega to Ultimate. As it stands, people who are happy on Mega Fan will simply pay the extra $3.50, and the company misses an opportunity to gain more revenue from the full Ultimate Fan price. I see a lost revenue opportunity because the price steps are too close together.

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wishywashy

Househusband

43,716 messages 858 likes

#5 Sep 30, 2025

Honestly, I do not think I will use it. I already subscribe to too many platforms. For manga, I prefer owning volumes. I like the feel of paper and seeing the artwork in print. A digital library is convenient but it never gives me the same satisfaction. Still, for younger fans who grew up on phones and tablets, I can see why this would be popular.

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Garcia

New Member

39 messages 3 likes

#6 Sep 30, 2025

I feel positive about this move overall. Crunchyroll has grown so much since the early days, and the idea of anime and manga under one roof is appealing. The demo at Comic Con should give people a clear idea of how the app works, and I hope feedback is taken seriously before the official launch. If they handle this well, it could become the standard way international fans read manga. If they do not, it will just be another missed chance.

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kazkia

Member

1,961 messages 54 likes

#7 Sep 30, 2025

I am mostly relieved that they made it an optional add-on and did not raise the price of every single Crunchyroll subscription for people who only want the anime. That was my biggest worry when the initial announcement was made back in January. The fact that I can choose to pay the extra four dollars for the Fan tier is a good outcome. The lineup of titles is strong, and having VIZ Media content alongside the others is a huge win. They clearly learned from their previous failed attempt and came back with significant publisher support. This is a very positive development for the community.

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WindmillsOfTheGods7

New Member

1,323 messages 29 likes

#8 Sep 30, 2025

Digital manga platforms need smooth page turning, good resolution, and reliable offline reading. The article mentions the features, but seeing them in action is necessary. A large library is useless if the app is slow or difficult to use. I will be looking for reviews and impressions from people who attend the convention and try the demo, especially regarding the full two-page spread viewing option.

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