Crunchyroll boasts one of the largest anime streaming libraries in the world, but a number of notable series have seemingly been removed from the service in recent days. Spotted by Twitter/X user MangaAlerts, Claymore, Death Parade, and 91 Days are no longer available to watch on Crunchyroll.
Claymore is probably the biggest name on the list. Produced by studio Madhouse in 2007 as an adaptation of Norihiro Yagi's dark fantasy manga, the series only ran for 26 episodes but is considered a classic among anime fans. The official synopsis of the now-removed anime series reads:
Man-eating monsters—the Yoma—stalk the land. The breed knows only one foe: Claymore. Human-Yoma hybrids of strength and cunning, these warrior women roam from fight to fight delivering salvation by the edge of a blade—for a fee. This is the tale of the Claymore called Clare. In a land where even predator is prey, her solitary path to vengeance unfolds.
The removal of Claymore is of particular interest, as it was announced earlier this year that a live-action TV series adaptation of the manga is now in the works. Not much has been revealed about the project, which involves CBS Studios and Propagate Content collaborating, with Masi Oka (Heroes) serving as executive producer alongside Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens, Rodney Ferrell, and Japanese publisher Shueisha.
Last we heard, they are still looking for a writer to pen the script with the hope of keeping the action and "complex moral dilemmas" of the source material intact. The original manga was published in Monthly Shonen Jump from 2001 to 2007 before moving to Jump Square from 2007 until its conclusion in 2014.
In addition to Claymore, Crunchyroll has also removed Death Parade and 91 Days. While maybe not as popular as Claymore, both of these series are highly regarded among critics and anime fans. As noted by MangaAlerts, it's still technically possible to watch all three of these via Crunchyroll's Amazon Video Channel/Roku Channel, although there's still a risk of being removed from those platforms as well.
Anime fans have long shown ingenuity in accessing their favorite series, even when this involves practices that are widely discouraged, such as illegal streaming or piracy. When a major streaming service removes a classic title that has been available for years, such behavior becomes more understandable.
The sudden removal, often with little or no notice, reinforces the idea that nothing is permanent on streaming platforms and that the only way to truly own a title is to purchase it physically. However, this is not always possible with anime, particularly for series that have not been localized for the United States.