5 great free anime to watch online

When news of Funimation’s acquisition Crunchyroll was announced in the latter part 2021, it sent shockwaves through the anime community. Since then, a lot has changed — the two companies have been unified as Crunchyroll, LLC, and the landscape of anime streaming has altered dramatically.

There’s no reason to pay for a Funimation subscription anymore, what with the service discontinuing simulcast anime premieres (which will debut on Crunchyroll from now on), while the back catalog of older Funimation-licensed anime has slowly but surely begun to trickle over to Crunchyroll’s library. Emphasis on “slowly.”

While a majority of the service’s popular titles, such as Dragon Ball Z, Yu Yu HakushoPlease see the following: TrigunCrunchyroll now has over 500,000 anime and manga dubs, which was the result of the March merger announcement. Dr. Stone, Hunter x HunterPlease see the following: Kaguyasama – Love Is War, there’s still a handful of gems in the Funimation library that haven’t yet made the jump. Several of these anime can even be streamed for free with ads on the Funimation site, which means you can still enjoy them even if you don’t have a subscription.

If you’re looking for some older, excellent anime to watch, from Vision of EscaflowneTo Ping Pong is the AnimationThese are only a handful of the top anime that you can watch for free right now on Funimation.

Vision of Escaflowne

Image: Sunrise/Funimation

The brainchild of Macross co-creator Shōji Kawamori, Vision of EscaflowneFantasy romance Isekai is set in an alternate dimension, where feudal Kingdoms use mechanized armor suits and love has the ability to alter destiny. Hitomi (a Japanese high-school student) is transported into the magical realm of Gaea by Van Fanel. He is also the heir apparent and pilot of Guymelef the white dragon.

Don’t be deceived by the series’ emphasis on action in the first couple episodes; Escaflowne gradually morphs into an intensely involved romantic drama involving a love pentagon between Hitomi, Van, the gallant knight Allen Schezar, a headstrong princess, and Van’s childhood catgirl companion. Also, the main antagonist of the series is heavily implied to be an immortal Isaac Newton who uses something called the “Fate Alteration Machine” in order to meddle in Hitomi’s love life. If you enjoy large mechs, fierce battles, big emotions, Vision of EscaflowneIt is worth a look.

Lupin The Third: A Woman Called Fujiko Mine

Image: TMS/Po10tial/Funimation

To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the First Lupin The Third anime (and the manga’s 45th), Lupin The Third: A Woman Called Fujiko MineThis is the story of the legendary femme fatale, sultry and captivating. Sayo Yamamoto directed the film.Michiko & Hatchin, Yuri on Ice), the series follows Fujiko’s career as a seductress and thief as she encounters the likes of Lupin III, Daisuke Jigen, Goemon Ishikawa, and Inspector Zenigata for the first time, all while drawn into a sinister conspiracy orchestrated by an owl-obsessed mad scientist with supposed ties to her past.

Takeshi Koike created the character designs.RedlineYou can also enjoy a great jazzy soundtrack by Cowboy Bebop director Shinichirō Watanabe, Fujiko, the Woman Who Called Her MineThis is an enchanting, cerebral and beautifully animated crime drama that will delight the most spiritual of viewers. LupinBoth newcomers and fans will enjoy it.

Lodoss War: Record

Image: Madhouse/Funimation

Before Legend of Vox MachinaIs that you? Lodoss War: Record. Based on a series of light novels by author and game designer Ryo Mizuno, which themselves are based off of transcripts of a series of Dungeons & Dragons campaigns he took part in, both the 13-episode 1990 OVA (original video animation) and the 27-episode 1998 anime Chronicle of the Heroic KnightThese titles are well-respected for not only their seminal role in anime’s fantasy RPG genre but also because of the fact that they represent significant milestones in anime’s early success in the West.

Parn (a young warrior) and his group of friends, including a sorcerer thief, elf, dwarf, and a thief, travel through Lodoss as they battle each other as fate hangs in the balance. Although many fantasy anime have since been inspired by this series, they still maintain the same foundation. Lodoss War: RecordAnimation series and OVA are both entertaining and sure to please any fantasy lover.

Serial Experiments

Image by Triangle Staff/Funimation

Ryūtarō Nakamura and Chiaki J. Konaka’s 1998 Serial ExperimentsThis is a classic psychological drama about a young girl who comes of age in the age of information. Following the death of one of her classmates, Lain finds herself caught up in a cryptic conspiracy as she delves deeper into the world of online hacking and computers in search of answers not only to her classmate’s suicide, but to her own mysterious nature. It is known for its avant-garde animations and themes of consciousness and perception as well as identity and reality. Serial Experiments This anime is the most similar to Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s horror movie: it is cerebral, terrifying, and devastating in its predictions.

Ping Pong is the Animation

Image: Science Saru/Funimation

Based on Taiyo Matsumoto’s manga of the same name, Masaaki Yuasa’s 2014 anime Ping PongThis is an engaging sports drama featuring interesting characters, an emotional story about personal growth and defiance, and beautiful expressionist art that has a timeless appeal. Two childhood pals who become table tennis pros are challenged as they grow into strong players and emotionally mature young men. If you’re a fan of sports anime à la Haikyuu!! and are looking for something more stylistically eccentric and psychologically driven, you can’t go wrong with Ping Pong.