TOKYO — HiAnime, the most trafficked unauthorized anime streaming platform in the world, has officially ceased operations. The platform, which became a global hub for millions of viewers following the rebranding of its predecessors Zoro.to and Aniwatch, left a succinct farewell message on its homepage:
“It’s time to say goodbye. And thank you for a wonderful journey with great moments.”
In the wake of the shutdown users on Reddit and other social media already compiling a massive list of HiAnime Alternatives to fill the void.
As the closure marks a definitive win for the Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA) and the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), which have spent years tracking the site’s decentralized server network. This shutdown is part of a broader, aggressive offensive by the Japanese government to mitigate staggering financial losses.
A January 2026 survey by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) estimated that digital piracy losses for Japanese content surged to ¥5.7 trillion ($38 billion) in 2025, nearly tripling in just three years.
Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Interpol, have shifted strategies from simple domain blocking to targeted criminal prosecutions. Under Project I-SOP (INTERPOL Stop Online Piracy), authorities have conducted multiple raids throughout 2025 and early 2026 across Southeast Asia and Brazil, leading to the arrest of several high-level site administrators.
On March 13, 2026, ACE confirmed a significant victory in the U.S. District Court, securing an $18.75 million judgment against a piracy operator—a ruling that legal experts say signaled the end for sites like HiAnime.
Before its collapse, HiAnime was a juggernaut in the streaming space, consistently outperforming legitimate platforms in raw engagement. According to February 2026 traffic data, the site recorded 153.5 million visits in a single month, surpassing major legal competitors like Crunchyroll (145.8M visits).
The list of fallen giants in the anime piracy space continues to grow as international police seize physical hardware and financial assets. Within the last 18 months, the following major platforms have been permanently dismantled or seized:
- AniWave (9anime) and AnimeSuge: Shuttered during a coordinated global sweep in late 2024.
- AnimeFlix: Seized by European authorities following an ACE referral.
- Anoboy: A major Southeast Asian hub closed following criminal arrests in Vietnam.
- 1xAnime & AnimeKai: Domains seized by the FBI under the “Operation 404” initiative.
Karyn Temple, Senior Executive Vice President and Global General Counsel for the Motion Picture Association, stated in a recent briefing that the current enforcement actions are intended to deliver a final blow to illegal streaming networks:
“This ruling sends a clear message to digital piracy operators: your actions have consequences.”
With Japan’s “Cool Japan” initiative aiming to reach ¥20 trillion in content exports by 2033, the era of turning a blind eye to unauthorized distribution appears to have reached its conclusion.
United States Trade Representative lists HiAnime.to
While the goodbye message on the HiAnime homepage is short and cryptic, the context suggests this might be more than just a routine server migration. At OtakuKart, we’ve been tracking the increasing heat on the platform for months.
The legal temperature reached a boiling point earlier this month when the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) officially added HiAnime.to to its annual list of “notorious piracy markets.” Being named in a federal USTR report is often the “kiss of death” for unauthorized platforms, triggering intense international scrutiny.
Historically, we’ve seen these sites vanish only to reappear under a new name—just as Zoro.to became AniWatch, which then became HiAnime. But with authorities now seizing physical hardware and pursuing criminal prosecutions, this time feels different.
UPDATE: Statement from HiAnime Admins
HiAnime Admins on Anime Server Discord have officially posted the following update:
WEBSITE STATUS UPDATE
“We are currently aware of the situation and are actively reviewing the matter. We are monitoring the situation and attempting to obtain further clarification as of the moment. Further developments or confirmed updates will be communicated accordingly. We appreciate your patience and do rest assured, the matter is being handled with due attention.”
Stay tuned for further updates. We have reached out to the HiAnime team for an official statement on this developing story!
i’m jane
Good luck with that, you’ll fail. If history has proven one thing it is that if people want something bad enough they’ll find a way to get it one way or the other. Look how prohibition turned out in the US? They outlawed alcohol and look how it ended? With prohibition ended and now alcohol is damn near everywhere. Wanna stop this problem? Try making your products like anime, manga, light novels and such more available to us especially in the states and more accessible. And also try not letting streaming sites of your products remove shows and stuff like what tends to happen with Hidive, Crunchyroll, list goes on. Actual good anime like Toradora, Run With the Wind and others have been removed from those sites because licenses or whatever expired or not renewed or whatever bullshit excuse they give or they only have sub version and not english dub versions available. Lowering prices on your products would go a long way in helping too along with having them actually available in english or another language too because ya know not all of us speak Japanese. You don’t make it accessible then people will find a way one way or the other and all ya are doing is dumping gasoline on a fire by this.