It has been a disastrous week for the anime world. The industry has been hit by one of its biggest leaks in anime history, with several episodes of Ranma ½, Terminator Zero, and Dandadan, being leaked online. Not only that, but full episodes of Arcane Season 2 have also made their way online, three months ahead of its November release. As this poses a big problem, with Crunchyroll facing the same issue with Re: Zero Season 3 Episode 1 appearing on social media and other platforms, Netflix has addressed the massive breach.
In a statement to The Wrap, a Netflix spokesperson revealed that one of their post-production partners has been compromised. This has resulted in footage of Ranma ½, Terminator Zero, Dandadan, and Arcane Season 2 leaking online.
“Our team is aggressively taking action to have it taken down,” the spokesman added.
Aside from the anime series, some scenes from Heartstopper Season 3, set to be released on October 3, have also leaked. The upcoming Japanese animated supernatural psychological horror film Mononoke the Movie: Phantom in the Rain has also started appearing on torrent sites, like Nyaa, after its release in Japan on July 26.
The leaks started on August 6, when piracy platforms like BitTorrent acquired anime episodes from 4chan. A leaker revealed they had illegally sourced numerous episodes of upcoming anime series on the imageboard website, resulting in being visited by a number of users in no time.
The leak started small, releasing only the opening and ending themes. However, it escalated quickly when entire seasons became available. The complete season of Terminator Zero has now leaked, while six episodes of Dandadan are now online, and the leakers are even threatening to release six more. Four episodes of Ranma ½ are also leaked.
Anime Voice Actor & Animator React to the Massive Anime Leak
With this massive anime leak, animators and creators can’t help but react. These people are behind some of the much-awaited anime series today, and this illegal act has put their hard work at risk, not to mention waste.
In a post on X, Kass Chapa from Studio MAPPA called the leaks “incredibly disrespectful and just straight-up annoying.” If the leakers think they’re helping the fandom by leaking the new episodes, Chapa stressed they’re doing the opposite. Chapa also revealed that studios were already doubting their integrity and honesty, hoping they would sue whoever did the leaks.
“This is our hard work,” Chapa wrote. “It is meant to be released on its due date, something we, as animators, really look forward to.”
Anime voice actor Stephanie Sheh (Sailor Moon, Bleach) asked fans not to watch the leaks, however tempting they may be. As Chapa said, she stressed that they worked so hard to bring these shows to the viewers as fast and well as possible while the studios suffered the blow of its repercussions.
“We’re often asked to jump thru expensive & inconvenient hoops,” she continued.
Truly, everyone behind these leaked series has put in a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to complete these shows and bring them to the audience. So, to respect these people, viewers should wait for their official releases and never support the leaks and illegal websites.
