There’s never been a better time to get into anime. We have an unprecedented amount of new shows every season and because most people have seen them already, a lot of the classic anime are now free to watch.
Unfortunately, Kodi doesn’t have a Crunchyroll or Funimation addon anymore, so fans usually need to dig a little deeper. That’s where we come in: we’ve rounded up some of the best Kodi addons for streaming anime so that you don’t have to. Best of all, these all use official sources, so there are no legal or ethical issues to consider.
Warning: Kodi should only be used for content to which you have the legal right to access. Neither the Kodi Foundation nor Comparitech advocates the use of Kodi for piracy.
Always use a VPN with Kodi
A lot of service providers restrict their customers’ speeds when they detect streaming. Naturally, this can cause playback issues and result in a worse overall experience, and that’s without even mentioning the privacy concerns that come alongside constant monitoring.
Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) can protect you from throttling, web filtering, and general ISP snooping, but not every VPN is fast or secure enough to rely on every day.
That’s why we recommend NordVPN. It’s quick, privacy-conscious, and capable of securely accessing just about every streaming service we’ve tested. Plus, NordVPN has its own Firestick app and a 30-day money-back guarantee. This means you can try it completely risk-free and claim a full refund if you’re unsatisfied.
Best anime Kodi addons
Of the many anime Kodi addons available, the following are not only legal but also offer the best content, often in HD.
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is a must-have addon for any anime fan. It offers a solid mix of classic anime, currently-airing seasonal shows, and hits from the last few years. Best of all, this addon is completely free to use, with no login or payment info required.
Here are a few of the titles currently available on Adult Swim:
- Cowboy Bebop
- Ghost in the Shell
- Made in Abyss
- Attack on Titan
- FLCL
- The Promised Neverland
- Naruto: Shippuden
The Adult Swim addon can be found in the official Kodi repository.
Netflix
Netflix used to have a pretty bad reputation for licensing shows and taking a long time to release them, but it’s gotten much better lately. Every season, this service brings out a few of the most-anticipated titles, many of which are actually Netflix Originals. Note that you will have to sign in with a Netflix account to use this addon, but this is very quick, and you don’t have to do this every time.
Here are some of the best anime currently on Netflix:
- Komi Can’t Communicate
- Demon Slayer
- Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
- My Hero Academia
- Tokyo Ghoul
- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
- Neon Genesis Evangelion
You can download the Netflix addon for Kodi from the developer’s GitHub.
ConTV
ConTV doesn’t have as large a library as the two addons above, but it does include a few hard-to-find classic shows. These are all free to watch, with no login required, and quite a few titles aren’t actually available anywhere else. There’s even a 24/7 channel live streaming anime in case you’re not too fussy about what you watch.
Here’s a quick rundown of ConTV’s best anime at the time of writing:
- GTO : Great Teacher Onizuka
- Cromartie High School
- Bubblegum Crisis
- Fist of the North Star
- Boogiepop Phantom
- Gunslinger Girl
- Beelzebub
ConTV is included in the official Kodi repo.
Crackle
Crackle has the smallest selection of anime in this list, with a little under two dozen shows at the time of writing. All the same, it’s worth including because some of these are hard to find, even on paid services like Crunchyroll. It’s worth mentioning that the library does tend to skew to a slightly younger audience. Here are just a few noteworthy titles:
- Case Closed
- Yowamushi Pedal
- Lupin the 3rd
- Monster Rancher
- Brave 10
- Cardfight!! Vanguard
Crackle is free and available from the official Kodi repository.
Streaming anime on Kodi: FAQs
What are fansubs? Are they a bad thing?
If you grew up before anime streaming services were available, you probably relied pretty heavily on fansubs — unofficial translations of new anime episodes created by fans. Nowadays, these aren’t nearly as common and are only really used when a company licenses a hotly-anticipated show and refuses to broadcast it in a timely fashion (such as when Disney+ held onto Summertime Render for over a year).
While having access to fansubbed anime is convenient, they rely on illegally obtained video files. For this reason, we do not recommend fansubs and suggest that you endorse official channels such as those listed in this article for access to your favorite anime. By using official channels to view anime, you ensure that you are supporting the creators. This creates an environment where awesome anime episodes and series can be continually released.
Can I stream dubbed anime on Kodi?
Kodi doesn’t have very many legitimate addons left that offer anime. There used to be a FunimationNow addon that offered a huge library of dubbed titles, but this was taken down, and the Crunchyroll addon followed soon after. As such, it’s kind of a “you get what you get” situation.
On the plus side, Kodi does allow you to access anime addons on just about any device, including Roku, Apple TV, Android, or Amazon Fire TV.