Crunchyroll EMEA
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Anime distribution |
| Predecessor | Viz Media Europe |
| Founded | January 15, 2007 |
| Founder | Viz Media |
| Headquarters | Paris , France |
Area served | Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA) |
Key people | Kazuyoshi Takeuchi (President of VME PLB SAS), Kazuyuki Masuda (Managing Director of VME PLB SAS) |
| Owner | Sony (via Crunchyroll, LLC) |
| Parent | Crunchyroll, LLC |
Crunchyroll EMEA, previously known as Viz Media Europe, is a European distributor specializing in anime, founded in 2007. Originally established as Viz Media's European affiliate, it collaborates with television broadcasters, DVD distributors, and manga publishers. The company was first based in Amsterdam before relocating its headquarters to Paris on January 15, 2007. This division includes Crunchyroll SAS (located in Paris) and Crunchyroll SA (based in Lausanne). Ownership lies with Sony via Crunchyroll, LLC—a joint venture between Sony Pictures Entertainment and Aniplex from Sony Music Entertainment Japan—while Shogakukan, Shueisha, and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions maintain complete control over the manga publishing and licensing operations formerly under Viz Media Europe within the region.
On January 27, 2020, the company transitioned from Viz Media Europe to Crunchyroll EMEA, unifying all previous Viz Media brands under the Crunchyroll banner by April 2020.
On July 16, 2025, HarperCollins announced its purchase of Crunchyroll's manga publishing activities in France and Germany, with the transaction anticipated to finalize by the end of the year.
Subsidiaries and brands
Since April 2020, Crunchyroll EMEA has been organized into a collection of brands and companies. It maintains an association with VME PLB SAS without holding any ownership shares. Although situated in Europe, Crunchyroll Moldova (formerly Ellation) functions independently from Crunchyroll EMEA.
Crunchyroll SAS
Formerly known as Viz Media Europe, Crunchyroll SAS is the French branch responsible for French-language operations, including Kazé France and Anime Digital Network.
Crunchyroll SA
Previously Viz Media Switzerland, Crunchyroll SA serves as the Swiss entity managing German-language activities such as Kazé Germany, Eye See Movies, Crunchyroll GmbH, and the now-defunct Anime on Demand.
Crunchyroll GmbH
Operating under Crunchyroll SA and formerly AV Visionen GmbH, Crunchyroll GmbH is the German subsidiary distributing anime, manga, and films within German-speaking territories through Kazé and Crunchyroll labels. It also manages German television and film distribution via Eye See Movies and represents Anime House, Nipponart, Hardball Films, Film Confect Anime, Polyband Anime, Aniplex’s Peppermint Anime label, along with independent manga publishers MangaCult and Manga Jam Session.
Anime Digital Network
Anime Digital Network was a French streaming platform offering anime content to French-speaking audiences. It was co-managed by Crunchyroll EMEA (through Kazé) alongside Citel, a subsidiary of Média-Participations. On July 27, 2022, Crunchyroll divested its interest to Média-Participations, which took full control.
Anime on Demand
Anime on Demand provided video-on-demand anime streaming services for German-speaking viewers before ceasing operations on December 8, 2021; its programming was subsequently merged into Crunchyroll.
Kazé
Kazé operated as a French division under Crunchyroll EMEA overseeing anime and manga distribution in France and other Francophone regions. Its reach extended into German markets through Crunchyroll SA and GmbH subsidiaries and into the United Kingdom via a collaboration with Manga Entertainment UK (now rebranded as Crunchyroll UK and Ireland). On June 1, 2022, it was announced that Kazé would be rebranded as Crunchyroll effective October 1, 2022.
VME PLB SAS
Formed in December 2019 after Crunchyroll acquired a majority stake in Viz Media Europe, VME PLB SAS is jointly owned by Shogakukan, Shueisha, and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions (ShoPro). The company is responsible for managing manga licensing throughout the EMEA region and Latin America. Kazuyoshi Takeuchi holds the position of President, while Kazuyuki Masuda acts as Managing Director.