Crunchyroll Announces the Removal of Its Comment Section Across All Platforms To 'Reduce Harmful Content'

Crunchyroll announced it has disabled the comment section from its anime and news posts, saying it has axed the comment section for its anime episodes and news posts. 

In a recent post from its support page, titled “Protecting our community," Crunchyroll explained its decision to remove the streamer’s long-standing feature.

“At Crunchyroll, we prioritize creating a safe and respectful community environment. To maintain this standard, we are hiding all existing user-generated content, including comments and reviews, across all our platforms and experiences,” Crunchyroll wrote. 

Although the support post did not explain why the decision was made, a user’s Crunchyroll Support conversation—posted on the r/Crunchyroll subreddit—elaborated on the feature's removal. 

“This decision was made to ensure a safer, more respectful, and higher-quality environment for all users,” Crunchyroll support representative said. “This change helps us reduce harmful content, prevent misinformation, and improve overall user experience.

Lot of deeply pathetic people review-bombing the new BL anime “Twilight out of Focus,” claiming “this isn’t about homophobia” from their profiles with single-digit review counts.

They’re really going out of their way to claim crunchyroll is “shoving it in their face” pic.twitter.com/xqFup8ZwSZ— Geoff Thew (@G0ffThew) July 6, 2024

While the removal of Cruncyroll’s comment section seemingly came out of nowhere for users, anime YouTuber Geoff Thew theorizes the decision came in the aftermath of a homophobic review bombing of Twilight Out of Focus, which premiered on July 4 during Anime Expo weekend. IGN reached out to Crunchyroll for comment.

“Either way, this is too far,” Thew wrote in regards to Crunchyroll axing its comment section. “[Crunchyroll] should be moderating, not nuking it all. Killing off the community’s years of history isn’t a solution.” 

Thew isn’t the only one lamenting the loss of Crunchyroll’s comment section. In the same Reddit thread, users mourned the loss of the feature which provided a sense of community with the release of new seasonal anime as well as a reliable resource to decide whether a show was worth a watch.

"I've always enjoyed reading the comments and leaving some of my own," Taoutes, the original poster of the thread wrote. "I find it absolutely ridiculous that they won't just properly moderate it instead of axing it entirely.

“Damn, I always look forward to reading comments after each episode I watch and see people relating to what I feel while watching any anime,” Zasia wrote. “Kinda the only reason why I enjoy watching on it instead of other sites like Hidive.”

"Not gonna lie one of the main reasons I have even kept my Crunchyroll sub all these years is because I loved the comment section and being able to talk about and read the comments after watching something," XxSliphxX said. "Looks like it's finally time to unsub. I'm not paying for less features."

In the absence of its longstanding comment section, Crunchyroll assured fans that the site’s rating system will remain in place. It also encouraged users to maintain their connections with fans on its social media channels.

“We encourage fans to share comments and connect with other fans on our social media channels,” Crunchyroll wrote. “The user ratings system will, however, remain allowing you to express your opinions through star ratings.”

Isaiah Colbert is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow them on Twitter @ShinEyeZehUhh.