Crunchyroll rarely experiences issues, but when it does, people notice. Its one of the only legal, widely-accessible anime streaming options on the market, and its merger with Funimation eliminated easily the biggest competition. With Funimation out, anime fans lean hard on Crunchyroll.
The minor monopoly Crunchyroll holds over the anime streaming industry presents problems when issues arise on the streamer, leaving a bulk of users without access to their favorite programs. When the streamer crashes, experiences downages, or even just hits a stumbling block, a huge number of users are affected. They’ll lose access to any number of the site’s features, from specific releases to the video player or even subtitles. Each of these issues has the potential to completely ruin a viewing experience, but thankfully there are a few workarounds for the latter.
Why aren’t Crunchyroll subtitles working?
Crunchyroll experienced widespread issues on March 19, starting in the early morning and stretching into the afternoon, and in the process left a number of its subscribers without access to their favorite anime. Some users completely lost access to the app, while others could access their favorite anime, but not the video player. These issues were likely behind complaints of unworking subtitles during the same timeframe, and many of the people facing broken subtitles have likely seen this issue resolved.
A few remaining users may still be hitting hurdles where subtitles are concerned, however, and they’re not completely out of luck. There are a few solutions to broken subtitles on the streamer, but they’ll only work so long as the app itself hasn’t crashed.
How to fix Crunchyroll subtitles
The first, and easiest, fix for broken subtitles on Crunchyroll is to exit the app or close the browser, depending on how you’re enjoying your content, and try a good old fashioned reboot. Restarting the app will, in many cases, rectify any issues you’re having, but its not a guaranteed fix.
An alternative is to check your computer or streaming device for any necessary updates. Sometimes ignoring an update for too long can affect your apps and programs, and something as simple as a 10-minute process can see everything running smoothly again. Its also worth checking to ensure that the Crunchyroll app itself doesn’t require an update, and ensure that no ad-blockers are stopping you from completing the process.
If neither of the above solutions work, your issue may go deeper than we can fix with a quick reboot or update. The streamer itself could be experiencing widespread issues, your anime of choice could have yet to release its English subtitles, or a full-blown crash may have temporarily caused snags. Regardless of what the culprit is, its likely being addressed by Crunchyroll, and it should be resolved soon.