A new massive piracy shutdown has several of the world’s largest illegal anime streaming sites in its sights. AnimeHeavens (a mirror site of the former AnimeHeaven), 1xAnime, AnimeKai, Anoboy, 123animehub and over 200 other movie and TV streaming sites have been named in a targeted global domain sweep.
Torrent Monster reports that an Indian court has given film and television rights holders the power to force domain registrars around the world to suspend hundreds of pirate streaming sites and their mirrors. The goal is to “kill the hydra,” essentially preventing sites from reappearing elsewhere – a common tactic used when piracy sites are taken down in one location. This is a major blow to online piracy in general, but when it comes to anime, it means that illegal viewing sites will become even more difficult for fans to exploit in the near future. Popular anime streaming sites such as AnimeHeaven(s), 1xAnime, and Anoboy are big targets, and many of the 200+ sites listed have already been temporarily disabled or had their content removed.
What an Indian court’s new order means for anime piracy in 2025 and beyond
It remains to be seen whether the New Delhi court order will have a lasting impact on anime piracy as a whole. It is likely that traffic will drop quickly to the targeted sites, once domain registries suspend the websites or Internet service providers block access. This will mainly affect casual streamers and search-oriented visitors, who will not be able to find these sites as easily with a simple search.
As for websites like AnimeHeaven and other piracy websites, illegal content providers often rely on mirrors, bouncing across several different domains to make it harder to target them. Breaking the chains of this link may mean that visitors will see faulty content and limited availability until those responsible for the pirate sites find a solution. It is likely that these sites will continue to attempt to register new domains and create more mirror sites – a cat-and-mouse game that has plagued media rights holders for decades.
This new enforcement will likely have a big impact on casual anime piracy, particularly in India. For non-expert users looking to easily find and stream content, legal anime streaming platforms will likely become a much simpler alternative to sites promising free content, the latter of which often comes at the cost of malware or other tactics that have been proven to be used to target anime fans.
Meanwhile, legal anime streaming is becoming more accessible than ever. Outside of Asia, Crunchyroll remains the leader in availability in both subbed and dubbed formats, but other major streaming platforms are increasingly taking advantage of anime’s global popularity. Earlier this year, HBO Max struck a deal to significantly expand its anime content, and other providers, including Netflix and Hulu, have also seen their anime content grow in both quantity and popularity in recent years.
As legal availability increases, this brings a lot of convenience, especially when sites like Crunchyroll and Netflix often offer simulcasts. However, with older, more niche content struggling to find streaming homes, anime piracy often becomes fans’ main option for enjoying their favorite series – and this recent crackdown threatens to make things much more difficult in the future.