Passthecontroller can unveil exciting new details for Crunchyroll’s third annual Ani-May. This will be a global celebration of a month that includes beloved anime, trading, partnerships and online experiences.
Ani May is full to you Things to get excited, and we’re breaking them all down, so you don’t miss things.
Cowboy Bebop, Demon Slayer: Kimet No Yaiba, Chainsaw Man leads a selection of free stream anime during Animation
Starting May 1, Crunchyroll will offer some of the most popular anime for free and free in ads for the whole month. From Cowboy Bebop to Demon Slayer: Kimet No Yaiba and more, this is a great opportunity to catch up with anime fans have missed, or revisit some of their favorite stories.
Here’s the complete list of free stream anime with ads available on Crunchyroll during Ani-May, all you need is a free account.
- Black Clover (Season 1-4)
- Chainsaw Man
- Cowboy Bebop
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (The Complete Series)
- Fruit basket (season 1-3)
- Haikyu!! (Seasons 1-4)
- Blessings of Heaven’s Officers (Seasons 1-2)
- Paradise of Hell
- Jujutsu Kaisen (Seasons 1-2)
- Junji This collection
- Kaiju No. 8
- My Hero Academia (Season 1-7)
- Overlord (Season 1-4)
- Shangri-La Frontier (Season 1-2)
- Solo Leveling (Season 1)
- Soul Eater
- Spy X Family (Season 1-2)
- Apothecary Diary (Season 1)
- Hanakon tied to the toilet (season 1-2)
- Tokyo Ghoul (Season 1-3)
Products, Partnerships, Food, Signs, and Solo Leveling, My Hero Academia and other partnerships based on your favorite anime
One of the best ways to celebrate love for anime is through products, and this anime will allow fans around the world to get new officially licensed items such as Solo Leveling, Kaiju No. 8, Bananya, Toilet-bound Hanakon, My Hero Academia, Overlord, Aposary Dearlies and more.
Crunchyroll Store celebrates Ani-May with the opportunity to get a Crunchyroll-Exclusive Ani-May Pin with new and exclusive product launches, deals, and qualifying purchases. Additionally, every week in May will focus on a wide variety of products, including collectors, action/adventure titles, Shonen shows, and fantasy fanfaves. Ah, and there’s also a way to celebrate the Anime of the Year nominee the day after the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards celebration takes place on May 25th.
Merch is great, but Ani-May features many other ways to celebrate anime in the real world, from retail and online stores to video games and cinemas.
Let’s take a look at what fans can expect directly from Crunchyroll.
- During May, Uniqlo Distribute Crunchyroll codes to customers through online purchases eligible for Crunchyroll UT purchases. Uniqlo has partnered with Manga artist Remi Yamamoto to create UTME! Collection designs available only at flagship locations in NYC – Uniqlo Soho and Uniqlo 5th Avenue. New York City-based fans are invited to stop by Uniqlo’s 5th Avenue flagship location on May 18th from 1pm to 5pm for a special revitalization with Remi.
- Specialist Retailers Hot topics Celebrate animee in US and Canada locations and celebrate online at hottopic.com. Activations and special promotions including exclusive anime products are available for all month.
- Electronic Retailer Best Buy Join Ani-May Festivities using selected products available both online and in-store. Spy X Family Pins included in eligible purchases at select stores.
- Planet Hollywood, a themed restaurant and resort chain, partners with Crunchyroll to offer exclusive experiences, cocktails, dishes and products inspired by Ani-May’s Select IPS.
- Celebrating something new JUJUTSU KAISEN x Funko Pop Collection, Funko Pop, will be holding an English audio cast and autograph session for Jujutsu Kaisen on May 3rd. Special Funko Hollywood event bundles are also available! Details of the event can be found at @OriginalFunko and @Funko_Funime on Instagram.
- Back to celebrate the anime, Bananya We’re partnering again Everyone in autumn A collection of skins available from May 1st to May 8th.
- Demon slayer Fans are ready for the long-awaited first film Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle Trilogy to be at a special theater this September Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train It will be re-released in theaters this May!
Crunchyroll Game Vault celebrates anime by adding a Valkyrie profile: Lenneth and more
Crunchyroll Vault is also taking part in the fun of Ani-May as it adds games like Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth as part of its weekly release planned from May to early June.
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth added to the Vault and started things on Wednesday, April 30th, Corpse Party, Grisaia Phantom Trigger Vol. 1, Shin Chang: White Day of Shiro and the town of coal, the showdown between the generals, and Anni May’s entire run.
Crunchyroll Game Vault was launched in November 2023 and has now won over 50 titles by Mega and Ultimate Fan Tiers Crunchyroll members from over 200 countries.
Own your favorites with the Ani-May Home Entertainment release
For those who want to own a physical copy of their favorite anime, Ani-May sees Crunchyroll Store releases Frieren’s limited edition Blu-ray Box: Steel book case for The Beyond Journey’s End Season 1 Part 2 (starting May 15th!) and Blu-Ray Paranoia Agent and Goblin Slayer Season 1 (April 30th).
Additionally, Crunchyroll has released a way to organize your steelbook at home using Steelnook. Steelnook is available for purchase on May 30th at the Crunchyroll store.
Ani-May is a global party and everyone is invited
Finally, Crunchyroll revealed that it will be a celebration of even more animated items around the world. This means fans around the world can enjoy the experience in a fun and exciting way based on their favorite anime.
As Crunchyroll details, the complete list of Ani-May global experiences is:
In Latin America, the following partners celebrate Ani-May:
- Liverpool Participate in a month’s celebration Mexico Along with special meet and greets with selected voice actors and products with fan favorite titles with signs in the store
- Suburbs in Mexico We also please fans with in-store signs and offers of 20,000 free trial subscriptions with purchases of eligible products*
- Ani-May’s celebration and revitalization continues CCXP Mexico!
EMEA’s next European retailer celebrates Ani-May.
- For the third year in a row, Funside/Games Academy in Italy and HMV in UK, Ireland and Belgium Join us for Ani-May’s fun France, culture I will update my second year experience. The three chains revitalize the entire store with signs, windows and exclusive product selections. Shoppers will be given the opportunity to experience Crunchyroll Lifestyle in full and win the “No Money Buy” award. A great weekend in Paris features VIP access to the crunch roll booth at the Japanese Expo*.
- in Spain, FNAC It will launch a national e-commerce campaign to create a special selection of Ani-May products and celebrate all of the anime. For purchases of Ani-May products over 20 euros, shoppers will have the opportunity to win a free Crunchyroll subscription*.
- scratch I’m back in my second year The Baltic States And brings the Animation Festival Nordic First time in 2025. In addition to massive exposure on social media, all stores will employ ANI-May branding approved by Crunchyroll. Shoppers will have the opportunity to earn a free Crunchyroll subscription for Ani-May purchases*.
- middle east Experience the first episode of Ani-May Fever little things. The distributor will bring activations to its own UAE locations, as well as the Virgin Megastore in Dubai and two Toy Sols locations in Dubai and Saudi Arabia.
- in Yatta, Poland Amazing anime fans with the Ani-May brand section and e-commerce acquisition. Shoppers will have the opportunity to bring home a free Crunchyroll subscription*.
- Three times in a row, Talia 200 stores celebrate Animation and showcase exciting exclusive merchandising and manga Germany and Austria.
- New to Ani-May Germany and Austria teeth Muller, It offers a wide range of manga, merchandising and home entertainment to anime fans in 150 stores in Germany and Austria.
Fans based in Australia and New Zealand look forward to their next retail activation.
- In Australia, JB hi-fi Celebrate with a dedicated Ani-May endcap in a store that covers anime home videos and collectibles, featuring unique in-store signs created by talented store staff. The May edition of Stack Magazine features an anime edited work, and can be used in all stores and online.
- EB Games & Zing Pop Culture – A house of pop culture and games I’ll be participating in the fun of anime! Customers signing up for EB World Plus will receive a 30-day Crunchyroll Premium Trial member*. EB games also celebrate with digital signage, ceiling banners and exclusive products that can be purchased across fan favorite shows. Jiu-Jitsu Kaizen, Spy X Family, Chainsaw Man, and My Hero Academia.
To end, we shared a message from Anna Songco Adamian, Crunchyroll’s Vice President of Global Consumer Products, and recommended that you check out our top 25 best anime of 2024 and our favorite anime.
“Anime is more than just entertainment medium, it’s a lifestyle. To celebrate the explosive growth of anime, we offer our fans a variety of ways to express the passion of anime, from anime, global activation, gaming collaborations and all-new products beyond new series. Anna Songco Adamian, Vice President of Global Consumer Products. “Whether you wear fandom on your sleeves or stream your favorite series, Crunchyroll will cover this animation for fans.”
Adam Bankhurst is an Passthecontroller author. You can follow him on X/Twitter @adambankhurst And on Tiktok.
