As one of the most popular and highly regarded anime streaming services,Crunchyrollhas been providing anime fans with their favorite series for years now. Many fans can likely point to the service as a reason they got into anime in the first place. It has long held recognition in the community as a jumping-off point due to its accessibility and ease of use.
Though it’s perhaps not as widely known for its films,Crunchyrolloffers a varied selection of feature-length anime movies as well. From stone-cold classics to under-the-radar flicks, there is a lot to explore on the streaming service. Let’s look at thebest anime films on Crunchyroll.
The following movies are available in Crunchyroll’s North America lineup. The selection varies from region to region.
Updated Jun 22, 2025, By Mark Sammut:Galleries have been added for all ofCrunchyroll’s best anime movies. Wolf Children has been removed since it is no longer on the service, which is a shame.
Studio
Sunrise
Based on a fairly respected seinen manga that lasted for six volumes, theKing of Thornanime rushes through large chunks of the narrative as it tries to cram everything into less than two hours. Consequently, this adaptation is undoubtedly not the best way to experience this sci-fi story since it does not have enough time to properly explore its entire roster of characters. That said, the movie is still reasonably entertaining as a standalone production.
As a disease that turns people into stone spreads through the world, a group of people are chosen to be frozen for a century in a strange research facility, with the hopes that a cure will be available once they wake up. Naturally, something goes wrong, and they awaken to find themselves stuck in a hellish environment covered in thorns and filled with creatures.King of Thornsfollows these characters as they attempt to survive in this unforgiven world, all the while steadily uncovering a few secrets that turn the whole operation on its head.
White Fox
Criticisms aside,Goblin Slayeris generally a decent dark fantasy that features astrong roster of main characterswho have likable camaraderie.Goblin’s Crowntakes place between the two available seasons and covers an arc from the light novel, making it canon. Now, despite billing itself as just shy of 90 minutes, the movie starts with a long recap of the first season, and the new content does not get going until roughly 25 minutes in. As such,Goblin’s Crownwalks the line between a special and a movie, although its production value is closer to the latter than the former.
Anyone familiar with the show should know what to expect from the film. Basically, a party is decimated by goblins, with only one female character surviving. Naturally, Orcbolg, Priestess, and the rest of the heroes head on an expedition to track down the goblins, all the while trying to save any remaining members. Along with pretty good action,Goblin’s Crownfocuses quite a bit on survivor guilt and PTSD, more so than the core series.
City Hunteris a manga and anime classicthat was particularly popular during the late ’80s and early ’90s. While somewhat forgotten in this day and age, the anime holds up pretty well, all things considered. Crunchyroll has the full series, including every movie except the 2023 one; combined,City Huntershould be able to keep someone entertained for a few weeks.
Ryo Saeba is a private detective with an accurate shot and a tendency to fall for every girl he meets. The movies tell standalone stories, but they also expect the audience to be somewhat familiar with the main roster of characters. While nothing too amazing, theCity Huntermovies are enjoyable action comedies that are fun fluff to throw on during a Tuesday evening.
Sword Art Onlineneeds no introduction, and most people familiar with anime likely already have an opinion regarding the isekai franchise.Ordinal Scaleis not going to alter that perspective; the movie will impress fans but will have little impact on those who are not on board with Kirito’s high jinks. That said, the feature has one of the more fascinating storylines in the series.
Set after season 2, the world has become enamored by Augmented Reality, specifically a piece of hardware called Augma. Ordinal Scale is a game that uses this technology, and Asuna happens to be great at it. Meanwhile, Kirito has largely remained focused on VR. The film ties its story to the original SAO VR game through the introduction of Eiji, the film’s main antagonist, and it is quite interesting.
Sword Art Online the Movie: Progressive - Aria of a Starless Nightis also on Crunchyroll.
Bones
Due to the existence ofBrotherhood, 2003’sFullmetal Alchemisttends to be overlooked or simply ignored. While the later show is arguably the superior of the two, the original series is nevertheless a fascinating and frequently fantastic alternate take on Hiromu Arakawa’s manga.
The anime’s movie sequel,Conqueror of Shamballa, is also far superior toBrotherhood’sThe Sacred Star of Milos; if nothing else, the former completes its timeline’s narrative rather than serving as a side quest that can be readily skipped.Conqueror of Shamballaretains the show’s conclusive bittersweet tone, telling a story that allows the characters' newly discovered normal to be explored and challenged.
Studio Hibari
One day, Mio Chibana and Shun Hashimoto meet on a beach, and they have instant chemistry. While they are anxious around each other at first, they quickly find themselves striking a natural rapport that helps both of them grow as people. However, their meeting is short-lived, and it takes another three years for them to meet up.The Stranger by the Shoreprimarily focuses on their secondary meeting as both characters come to accept their genuine love for each other, a journey that requires them to face past trauma that left them lonely and insecure.
Clocking in at less than an hour, this 2020 movie accomplishes a lot in its short runtime without feeling rushed. Ultimately, this boys' love anime is a character study that thoroughly explores Mio and Shun as both individuals and partners. The film also has gorgeous animation and plenty of beautiful naturalistic environments.
Bungo Stray Dogshas been consistently great. Luckily for anime fans, Crunchyroll has the entire series in its library, including 2018’sDead Applemovie. Following the second season, the film finds the Armed Detective Agency facing a massive threat as a fog descends on Yokohama that causes abilities to take physical form. Naturally, this spreads chaos across the city, and things become even more complicated when Dazai seems to join forces with the people behind the act.
Dead Applehas splendid action and good animation, which is to be expected of a Bones production. However, the movie’s greatest strength is its character development, particularly concerning Atsushi. The story forces the latter to confront his past in a more direct way than ever before, and the ensuing growth greatly enhances his character.
APPP
A celebration of ’80s anime and its future,Robot Carnivalis an anthology OVA consisting of nine shorts, each directed by an up-and-coming voice. The segments are connected through the common theme of “robot,” but similarities start and end there as each story sets out to do its own thing. This goes beyond just the narratives sinceRobot Carnivalalso highlights different animation styles, most of which still look impressive all these decades later.
More importantly, pretty much all the shorts are memorable in their ways, be itDeprive’s thrilling action orChicken Man and Red Neck’s nightmare fuel. A technical showcase,Robot Carnivalis a gem and one of thebest anime movies on Crunchyroll.
If a shonen anime is popular enough, it will receive a couple of movies, most of which tend to be filler and do not impact the core narrative.Two Heroessomewhat bucks that trend by being canon withMy Hero Academia’s continuity, even though it tells an “event of the week” style story with limited relevance to Deku’s overall journey. Like so many battle shonen movies,Two Heroesessentially condenses a standardMHAarc into less than two hours, serving as something of a greatest-hits collection that benefits from a bumped-up budget. While far from amazing, this side story is pretty entertaining in its own right, particularly an early section that showcases ayoung All-Mightin the United States. The present-day plot is fairly forgettable, but it does have a unique island setting and moves at a fairly quick pace once the action gets going.
Released in 2019,Heroes Risingis another movie that, for the most part, feels like a secondary adventure that can easily be skipped. However, this film is superior toTwo Heroes, especially since the story gives more characters a chance to shine than its predecessor. The villains are nothing too special, which is somewhat of a standard issue with theMHAmovies, but they are inoffensive at the very least.
Production I.G
Written byMamoru Oshiiand directed by Hiroyuki Okiura,Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigadeis visually stunning, and it nowadays serves as a demonstration of cel-shaded animation’s timelessness. Narratively, the film takes place during the 1950s and envisions an alternate reality where Germany won World War 2 and is now occupying Japan. To keep the public in line, the regime utilizes a terrifying Panzer corps that largely follow instructions without question, regardless of how vile they are. However, one day, a soldier (Kazuki Fuse) defies a kill order.
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigademoves at a measured pace, prioritizing atmosphere and character moments over intense action. Consequently, the film can feel like a long sit at times, particularly during its second act. Nevertheless, there is still a lot to love and appreciate here.
