Piracy is not by any means a new issue, but its effects on the world of manga and anime are becoming more noticeable by the day. In 2024, out of all media categories, including movies, television, and other forms of written content,manga was the most pirated category,shedding light on the massive problem that the industry is currently battling.
One staggering statistic in a recent report byVariety, and entertainment news magazine, revealed thatbetween 2019 and 2024,illegal manga piracy went upby over 300%,which puts into perspective the magnitude of this dilemma. Although the anime and television industries are dealing with piracy-related struggles of their own, no media form is feeling the negative effects of the illegal practice quite like manga is right now.
Why People Are Pirating Manga Now More Than Ever
Some Manga Pirates Have Nefarious Intentions, but Others Are Simply Struggling to Access Manga Legally
Manga’s popularity has grown exponentially in the past few years, both within Japan and worldwide. More and more eager new readers are discovering the genre daily. Although it is fantastic that people are being exposed to the joys manga can bring, with this newfound acclaim comes people who access this medium in illicit ways. As the Variety report points out, sometimes people pirate manga with nefarious intentions, attempting to make a quick buck off the work of others. However, not every case is so ill-intentioned, andsometimes people read manga illegally because of other barriers.
“Piracy sites fill this gap, offering instant, multilingual translations of the latest chapters, often before official releases become available.” -Variety
Purchasing manga can get expensive, with many series spanning hundreds of thousands of volumes. Aside from monetary-related challenges that can keep readers away from manga, sometimes the series people are looking to read are very tricky to find. For those who do not speak Japanese, it can be difficult to find translations in other languages, andsometimes an official translation does not even exist yet in certain languages.When faced with these challenges, some readers unfortunately seek out alternative methods for reading manga, and in many circumstances, this often leads them to illegal manga piracy websites.
Publishers and Anti-piracy Groups Are Fighting Back Against Growing Piracy Rates
These Organizations Have Even Taken Legal Action Against Manga Piracy Where Necessary
Although the problems some fans encounter when searching for manga legally are no excuse to resort to illicit methods, these roadblocks do offer an explanation as to why manga piracy rates are continuing to skyrocket with no signs of slowing down. Japan is retaliating against these pirates though, and certainly does not take lightly to people accessing this content illegally. Manga is one of Japan’s most successful, lucrative industries,earning over $3 billion dollars in revenue in the fall of 2024 alone.Because manga is so crucial to their economy and entertainment industry, Japan has already taken steps to stop manga piracy.
“It’s Important that Manga Are Read”: Kodansha’s Editor Has a Surprising Opinion on Pirated Manga
While piracy presents an existential threat to the manga industry, however, one manga editor believes that the illicit practice has some benefits.
These attempts to prevent piracy have come from a number of different sources, including anti-piracy groups like CODA, the Content Overseas Distribution Association, and manga distributors themselves, like Shueisha and Viz Media. These organizations are very willing to take swiftlegal action against anyone caught spreading pirated manga, as can be seen ina recent case where an individual distributing piratedOne Piecemanga was convicted.Shueisha, the Shonen Jump publisher who publishesOne Piece,even filed a subpoena on individuals who have pirated that series and others, making it crystal clear that piracy will not be tolerated any longer.
Manga Piracy Has Heavy Consequences for Publishers and Creators
Manga Authors Have Lost Out on Income Due to Piracy, Not Receiving Deserved Credit for Their Work
It is getting increasingly difficult for manga pirates to be caught or stopped for good though. Thousands of illegal manga piracy websites are currently operating and when one is shut down, there is no guarantee that the creator will not just quickly register another under a different domain name. Seasoned manga pirates have become skilled at hiding their illicit behavior, and someparticularly savvy anime piracy websiteseven evaded suspicion by blocking their websites from Japanese IP addressesentirely, so it would take them much longer to be noticed by the publishers whose manga they were stealing.
Webtoon Cracks Down On Piracy With Massive Copyright Lawsuit, But Will It Help?
Webtoon officially starts going after pirating sites to protect its content creators.
Out of all the visits to pirated entertainment websites in 2024,70%, 55 billion, of these were to manga websites.There is no denying that manga piracy is more prevalent now than ever, and it is costing the industry. Although the manga industry still did well financially in 2024, creators and publishers do not receive profits from illegally pirated manga. Although some manga creators have stated that they are just grateful that people are reading their work by any means, others have voiced their displeasure with manga piracy, since it threatens their well-deserved income from their hard work.
As Anime and Manga Grow in Popularity, They Attract More Pirates
Although Organizations Are Continuing to Fight Back, Both Entertainment Forms’ Piracy Rates Are at a High
Anime piracy is nearly as widespread as manga piracy, with thousands of anime piracy websites currently available for people to access. Some major anime piracy websites, like rine.cloud, were shut down recently by groups like CODA, but just like with manga piracy websites, new platforms are continuing to pop up every day, just as soon as the old ones can be removed. Both entertainment mediums, anime and manga, are steadily growing in popularity,but as these genres become more sought after, new pirates are appearing to illegally distribute these series,which has created a cycle with no end in sight.
Believe It or Not, One of Anime’s Top Piracy Platforms Now Brings In More Visitors Than Disney+
The rise of illegal pirated content is a major problem that is getting out of control, and one popular anime piracy website proves it.
At this time, it is unclear how manga publishers, anime studios, and anti-piracy organizations plan to stop piracy from occurring. Because of recent legal battles, it is obvious that they are dedicated to solving the problem so it does not run rampant. Only time will tell whether manga piracy can truly be prevented, but, as the Variety report explained,preventing barriers to accessing manga could be the first step.If more affordable, accessible alternatives were offered to fans, like subscription services and more official translations, there is a chance that these solutions could make a sizable dent in the industry’s piracy problem.
