Netflix has issued its first statement following the massive leak of anime titles earlier this week. Speaking to IGN, a Netflix spokesperson confirmed that one of the streamer's post-production partners had been compromised and that they are "aggressively taking action" to have the leaks taken down.
Earlier this week, various anime shows and movies set to premiere on Netflix were leaked online. Highly anticipated animes like Dandadan, Terminator Zero, Ranma ½, and Mononoke the Movie: Phantom in the Rain were uploaded and shared across social media platforms X/Twitter and 4Chan.
According to Anime News Network, Episodes 1,3, and 4 of Ranma ½, the first six episodes of Dandadan, and the entirety of Terminator Zero and Mononokee were leaked online. The third season of Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, which will stream on Crunchyroll, was also leaked. The footage was uploaded in low resolution with visible watermarks and timestamps.
“One of our post-production partners has been compromised and footage from several of our titles has unfortunately leaked online,” the Netflix spokesperson confirmed to IGN. “Our team is aggressively taking action to have it taken down.”
Anime streaming platform Crunchyroll has also issued a response to Anime News Network, stating: "We are aware of a content leak ahead of one of our fall series. We've opened an investigation to identify the source of this leak, and our team is taking action to have it taken down."
Many of the anime that leaked were scheduled to release in the coming months with exclusive premieres set for big events such as Anime NYC in late August. Other shows like Arcane Season 2, Heartstopper Season 3, Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld, and films like Plankton: The Movie and Spellbound have also leaked online, according to IGN.
Global entertainment technology and localization company Iyuno also released a statement to Anime News Network: "Iyuno is aware of a recent security issue, involving unauthorized access to confidential content. Protecting our clients' confidentiality and ensuring the security of their content is our highest priority. We are actively investigating this security breach to mitigate any potential risks and identify the responsible parties. When there are material changes or information we will make further statements."
While many of the threads and posts featuring these leaks have since been taken down, screenshotted hyperlinks to the leaks still exist. And, of course, there is now the potential for major spoilers to appear on social media.
Many of the shows are set to premiere in the coming weeks, but a vocal minority have called for Netflix to counteract the leaks by releasing the affected episodes early. Below are the official release dates for each show that has been affected by the leaks:
- Terminator Zero - August 29 (Netflix)
- Heartstopper Season 3 - October 3 (Netflix)
- Ranma ½ - October 5 (Netflix)
- Re: Zero Season 3 - October (Crunchyroll)
- Dandadan - October (Netflix & Crunchyroll)
- Re: Zero Season 3 - October (Crunchyroll)
- Spellbound - November 22 (Netflix)
- Arcane Season 2 - November (Netflix)
- Plankton: The Movie - 2025 (Netflix)