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July is anime month, but that doesn't mean paying for streaming subscriptions is always in the budget, right? Some of you may have read the headline on this and thought your anime piracy wishes were about to come true. Sorry friends, this isn't the place where we'll point you to bootleg anime. What we can do, however, is highlight the streaming platforms that give you free content aside from Crunchyroll's free plan. In this case, FAST options are the way to go.
Classics like One Piece, Sailor Moon and Hunter x Hunter are on the menu, but there's plenty more to stream -- even newer titles -- if you head to the right spot. Anime movies, series and forgotten cult favorites are waiting to be found on the platforms we're sharing below, where you can stream live channels or watch on demand with just a few clicks.
Samsung TV Plus: 24/7 anime
New on the scene is the FAST channel It's Anime on Samsung TV Plus, which launched this month and streams anime around the clock. You'll find titles like My Deer Friend Nokotan, Your Forma and Umamusume: Cinderella Gray. You can also tune in for series such as Hunter x Hunter on the Anime All Day channel. The catch? Though it's free, you need a Samsung device to stream, and this option is available only to viewers in the US and Canada.
Pluto TV
We told you about Pluto TV's massive anime rollout in May, adding to its offering live channels like Anime All Day and a bank of on-demand titles. Get into nonstop anime by watching the free streaming service's new-ish channels: Anime x HiDive, Anime Comedy, Inuyasha (yes, a dedicated channel), Pluto TV Anime Movies and Kids Anime. There are 13 seasons of One Piece available on demand, but if you channel surf, you can check out Bleach, Naruto, Speed Racer, Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, Bakugan and so much more.
Viz Media on YouTube
You probably already know there are a lot of channels on YouTube that offer full anime episodes, but Viz Media is a giant in the game as a publisher and distributor. With that in mind, its YouTube channel should be a go-to for a treasure chest of content like episodes of Ranma 1/2, Vampire Knight, The World Next Door, Naruto and Mr. Osomatsu. There's even a curated playlist of anime movies. Hit Viz's playlist section to dive into series and anime films.
Tubi
If you haven't spent any time on Tubi yet, perhaps it's a good time to give it a try. There are 200 anime titles for you to choose from, with titles including City Hunter, Black Jack, Wicked City, Katekyo Hitman Reborn! and Paprika. For those of you who prefer dubbed anime, there's plenty to stream among Tubi's crop of retro and newer titles.
Stream free Crunchyroll, RetroCrush and HiDive live anime channels
It's fairly easily to slide over to a free or paid subscription streaming service to watch anime, but what if there's a specific live channel you'd like to peruse? We mentioned Anime x HiDive, an offshoot of the AMC-owned HiDive streaming service. It's an anime live TV streaming channel you can find on Plex, Sling Freestream and the aforementioned Pluto TV. But, there's more.
Pop over to the RetroCrush channel, which is part of a suite of free live channels available on Philo, Fubo, Vizio WatchFree Plus, Samsung TV Plus, TCL Plus and Sling Freestream. Here, you can watch stuff like Ninja Robots, City Hunter, Future Boy Conan and Lupin the Third.
Crunchyroll launched its FAST channel in 2023, and anime fans can tune in on Vizio's WatchFree Plus, Pluto TV, the Roku Channel, LG Channels or Sling Freestream to binge titles like Black Clover and Shadows House.
