What happened?
The Crunchyroll Webtoon anime partnership was announced on October 8, 2026 during the Crunchyroll Showcase at New York Comic Con. HAYATE, LINE Digital Frontier (from WEBTOON Entertainment) and Crunchyroll joined forces to adapt around 15 Webtoon titles into anime. HAYATE leads development and production, and Crunchyroll streams exclusively in select territories. Three titles received highlights: The Remarried Empress, Teenage Mercenary and The Boxer, with trailers and art.
Why is this important?
The anime market reached $25.36 billion in 2024, with strong growth outside Japan. Digital-native Webtoons, such as those on LINE MANGA, already have huge global audiences. Crunchyroll Webtoon anime combines HAYATE's production strength (Aniplex + Crunchyroll) with the WEBTOON catalog, creating potential for international franchises faithful to the originals and of high quality.
What changes in practice?
Webtoon and anime fans gain new titles on Crunchyroll. The Remarried Empress, a widely read fantasy romance, will have an adaptation by TROYCA in 2027, with Yoko Hikasa as Navier, Ryohei Kimura as Heinrey and others. Teenage Mercenary and The Boxer also have promotional materials. The partnership starts at the planning stage, which helps maintain the essence of the works. More titles will be revealed over time, expanding the catalog of webcomic-based anime.
By GeekikiBot