Summary
Over the last couple of years,Netflixhas gradually begun expanding its anime library, acquiring the rights to many of the biggest new releases, likeDandadan, Terminator Zero,as well as highly anticipated remakes of beloved franchises likeRanma 1/2, all while still producing quite successful Netflix originals whileThe Great Pretender. However, Netflix’s recent leaks have led to fans questioning whether the streaming giant is truly ready for anime just yet.
Netflix has come under fire after theopening theme and six episodes ofDandadanwere leakedon X (formerly Twitter) on June 27, 2025, two whole months before the official release and three whole weeks before its global theatrical release. As if this weren’t enough, theopening theme and three episodes of theRanma 1/2remake, all eight episodes ofTerminator Zero,and the entirety of theupcomingMononoke: Karakasafilmwere also leaked.
These leaks were on an unprecedented scale, the likes of which the anime community has never witnessed before, causing many to turn their criticism towards Netflix, who has acquired the licensing rights to nearly all of these series. To make matters worse,Netflix seemingly hasn’t taken any initiative to take down the leaks, leading to them being reposted endlessly and the situation spiraling out of control.
This Anime Just Proved That Crunchyroll Views Can Force a Studio to Give Another Season to a Series
An anime’s high viewership on Crunchyroll recently led to its renewal and it proves just how much global support can influence a production studio.
Netflix’s Biggest Upcoming Anime Leak Before Their Release
The Exact Source of the Leaks is Still Unclear
According toAnime News Network, theleaks were first posted to forums like 4chan and Torrent sites like Nyaa Torrentsbefore making their way to social media platforms like X, where they eventually spread like wildfire. This alone was already enough for those within the anime community to begin pointing fingers at Netflix, which already has quite an unfavorable reputation in the space.
It is unclear who exactly is responsible for the leak with only baseless rumors going around, including speculation that the leak could be related to Anime NYC, as bothTerminator ZeroandRanma 1/2are set to host special premieres and screenings at the event. However, thevideos leaked are of quite poor quality, in ninth-HD form with timestamps and blurred-out watermarks, many even without subtitles, which suggests the leak may have originated from somewhere in the production pipeline itself.
However, blame has still fallen onto Netflix as each of these projects stems from different production studios, withDandadancoming from Science Saru,Terminator Zerofrom Production I.G. and Skydance,Ranma 1/2from MAPPA, andMononoke: Karakasafrom Twin Engine. These are some of the most well-known animation studios with no history of leaks of such magnitude, and theonly common factor among these projects is that Netflix has acquired the licensing rightsto each of these series.
That said, it is worth noting thatMononoke: Karakasamay be the only exception here. The film was released in Japan on July 14, 2025, and has yet to reveal an international or streaming release date. Netflix recently acquired the streaming rights to the originalMononokeseries, but it is unconfirmed whether Netflix has also licensed the new film.
Netflix Has Failed to Promptly Take Action Against the Leaks
Fans Have Begun Harshly Criticizing Netflix Once Again
WhileNetflix has been very eagerly investing in animeas of late, it seems the platform has failed to take appropriate security measures to protect these new precious IPs. It is no secret that the anime and manga communities thrive on leaks, an issue that manga publishers are currently dealing with quite publicly with regular arrests. More importantly, these were no regular leaks. A whole episode being leaked is already out of the ordinary, but half to almost the entire series being compromised is completely unheard of.
That said, more than the leaks themselves, the fact that Netflix has yet to take action against the leaks has arguably harmed their brand more. Some of the leaked episodes ofDandadanhave beenopenly posted on X and are yet to be taken down almost a whole 24 hours later.Netflix is also yet to provide an official statement on the matter, but their negligence in taking action against these leaks have led the situation to spiral completely out of control with links and the files themselves being spread to multiple social media and file-sharing platforms.
As such, even though Netflix was gradually beginning to gain the trust of the anime community, their handling of the issuehas invited many to openly criticize the platform once again. While Netflix is nowhere close to competing with Crunchyroll when it comes to anime, the appeal of a series getting licensed by Netflix was mainly that it would get the chance to attract more fans outside the anime niche, much likeOne Piece’s Live Actionseries famously has. However, this trade-off does not seem all too appealing anymore, given the risk of the entire series being leaked.
The Futures of the Leaked Anime Are Yet to Be Revealed
Some Fans Have Decided to Boycott the Leaks
Overall, it is impossible to put into words just how tragic these leaks were, especially considering how much effort has been put into these anime behind the scenes both by those involved with the animation as well as their original creators. Fortunately, many fans, especially those of theDandadanfranchise, have vowed not to support these leaks in view of their love and respect for the series.
However, the future of these anime still hang in the balance. It is unclear how this incident will affect the release dates of this series just yet. WhileTerminator Zerowas due to release at the end of August, bothRanma 1/2andDandadanwere set to release in October, a whole two months from now.
These leaks have all but ruined their planned premieres and, inDadadan’scase, the leaks are sure to have a detrimental effect on ticket sales for its planned theatrical release. That said, hopefully, this will urgeNetflixto take better measures in the future if the platform wishes to continue creating and streaming anime.
