The best anime streaming services for watching classic and original Japanese animated series

Crunchyroll is known for its commitment to anime and, compared to all other streaming services, has the largest collection of programs. The layout is straightforward and, thanks to Crunchyroll's free plan, it's the most accessible. 

Crunchyroll offers a mix of popular and new shows — from "One Piece" to "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations — with series available in full. Crunchyroll lets you access programs via a tab on its landing page meaning you can choose anime by popularity, look for new shows based on genres, and look at upcoming episodes. 

You can also tune into simulcasts of new anime, meaning you'll be able to watch an episode as it airs in Japan.

Crunchyroll users can customize their viewing experience with autoplay, subtitle, audio language, and video quality options all available on an episode's stream. You can also add episodes to your watch list, and add comments and rate episodes on each stream to engage with the anime community.

The streaming service lets users try its new Beta interface out for size, too. The interface lets you find recommendations, load up your watch list, filter the shows you want to watch, and explore curated sets of shows. The streaming service also has paid plans that start at $8 a month for ad-free streaming, manga (Japanese-style comic books), and more.

Netflix may not offer as much content as its anime-centric competitors, but the streaming service does have an advantage with its number of original programs.

Aside from classics like "Naruto" and "Death Note," Netflix is home to several exclusive new releases. These shows include the thriller "High-Rise Invasion," the death metal-driven "Aggretsuko," and samurai series "Yasuke" starring "Judas and the Black Messiah" actor LaKeith Stanfield.

The streaming service has a mixture of dubs and subs. Once subscribers land on Netflix's "anime" page, they can toggle through shows based on different collections. 

These collections include suspenseful anime, cyberpunk anime, new releases, and kids anime. You can also add shows to watch later with the "My List" option. Netflix subscriptions also give you access to the entire Netflix library of movies and shows, so you aren't limited to just anime.

Hulu doesn't boast the same level of original and exclusive anime as its competitor Netflix. But it does have hundreds of titles, especially classics such as "Dragon Ball" and "Sailor Moon.". 

Hulu will also let you start a watch party with your favorite anime, meaning you can simultaneously watch episodes with up to eight people who have Hulu. Hulu also sorts out anime by genre on its landing page so you can explore collections such as "Anime Classics," "Slice of Life," "Supernatural," and more.

While there has yet to be a Hulu original anime series, Hulu offers a number of other original shows outside of anime. For anime fans looking to diversify their streaming experiences, Hulu offers Oscar-winning movies like "Nomadland" along with originals such as "Letterkenny" and "The Handmaid's Tale."

Funimation is the go-to spot for all things dubs including new releases and iconic shows from the past.

Whether you're new to anime or a long-time watcher, Funimation shows come with both subs and dubs. Once you click on an episode, you'll have a number of ways to customize how you want to see captions including custom fonts, custom text backgrounds, and more. You can also choose between Japanese or English audio.

Episodes are generally available in high definition, and no account is required to start streaming. This means you have immediate access to Funimation's user-friendly "Discover" tab that lets you look for anime based on moods, guides, trending shows, and recommended shows.

One noteworthy feature of the service is its "Simuldub" shows, an addition to the streaming service's simulcast feature. The "Simuldub" shows are only available with a premium plan but will give you dubs of your favorite shows "within weeks" of their broadcast in Japan, according to Funimation. 

This means you'll be able to watch new seasons of the hit anime "My Hero Academia" and "Black Clover" in English in addition to their original Japanese broadcasts on Funimation. This can be an invaluable service to some fans and access to both "Simuldub" and simulcast shows starts at $6 a month.

After the Anime Network Online streaming service discontinued in 2017, its content went to Hidive.

The streaming service is the exclusive home to all shows from Section23 and Sentai. This means shows like "Akame ga Kill!," "Non Non Biyori," and more can only be found on Hidive.

In addition to a schedule on its landing page, Hidive offers tabs for users to discover its catalog of movies, series, dubs, and simulcasts from Japan. Hidive, like Funimation, also has its own "Dubcast" episodes for access to dubs of new releases. Hidive's titles also feature labels on its landing page such as "new release" and "tomorrow" for users to see their availability.

The platform encourages user engagement with the anime community, as well, as each episode allows you to give a score and add them to lists on the popular MyAnimeList site.

One downside with Hidive is it offers no free plan, something that differs from other popular anime-focused services. Despite this, the platform has one of the most affordable premium plans at $5 a month. 

The plan gives you access to Hidive's entire catalog and its annual plan will cut the cost down by $12 compared to if you paid monthly. Premium plans let you chat and have watch parties with friends who are also on Hidive, too.

Think of VRV as a combination of streaming services. 

 The platform offers the full catalogs of Crunchyroll and Hidive, as well as other collections from services like Cartoon Hangover, Rooster Teeth, and Mondo. There's also a "VRV Select" collection featuring content like the improv series "HarmonQuest," brother-focused podcast "My Brother, My Brother And Me," the travel parody "Hidden America!" and more.

VRV is a mixed bag, thanks to its combination of comedy, anime, and cartoons. Yet one advantage it has over other streaming services is its combination of the Crunchyroll and Hidive shows for a cost less than those platform's plans.

While VRV offers Crunchyroll shows and films for free, it stops short of offering Hidive episodes for free. VRV's monthly plan will give you access to the Hidive catalog, a collection featuring exclusive programs like "Domestic Girlfriend," and "Legend of the Galactic Heroes."

The plan costs $10 a month and offers ad-free streaming, too, and will save you $3 a month versus if you individually paid for plans from Crunchyroll and HIDIVE. A VRV plan will also give you offline downloads and first dibs on new episodes when they come out in Japan. Crunchyroll offers ad-free streaming and offline downloads as well in its $10 a month plan, so VRV will give you the same but with access to HIDIVE shows, too.

Anime may not be Prime Video's focus, but it does come packed with a number of popular titles. 

The streaming service's catalog includes series such as "Grimoire of Zero," "Elfen Lied," and more. There are also a few original and exclusive titles, such as "Crayon Shin-chan Spin-off" and "Blade of the Immortal." 

Aside from shows, Prime Video has a number of movies available for purchase and rent. For instance, you can buy "The Last – Naruto The Movie" for $8 through your Prime Video account. 

You can also experience anime with friends and family using Prime Video's beta watch party feature. The feature lets you watch movies and shows on Prime Video with up to 100 people, over 11 times more than the amount of people Hulu's watch parties allow.

Subscribers who are bored with anime can also check out plenty of other titles available on Prime Video. These include the Oscar-winning movie "Sound of Metal," the superhero series "Invincible," and more. Plans start at just $9 a month, however, you can also get Prime Video as part of Amazon Prime for $13 a month.