On Twitter, the website kissanime trended–and for a devastating reason. According to Twitter users, kissanime has been taken down. Many people who have watched on the website for years are devastated at the loss of their go-to service for watching anime. Kissmanga was also reportedly affected.

Will Kissanime Come Back

What happened to KissAnime? Usually, websites/services like kissanime get banned due to copyright infringement. It typically means that you can’t upload copyrighted content (paid) for free on the internet publically which everyone can download or watch. Furthermore talking about this website. It got banned on the same basis.

a thread of kissanime alternatives since the site is closing down permanently (adding as I go) pic.twitter.com/hBKEoXoV3K

1. Kissanime.ru was one of the most visited and well-known anime sites over the past few years. The website originated in Japan in 2012 and became an instant favorite among anime lovers across the world. Prior to its shutdown, Kissanime.ru received millions of daily visitors and was one of the most used anime sites on the Internet.
2. KissAnime was created to serve as an alternative to two of the mainstays in the anime import scene, Crunchyroll, and Funimation. Kissanime took a more raw approach in uploading and hosting content.

— ًsae ? HINATA PAIRINGS (@ushibff) August 15, 2020

'2020 couldn't possibly get any worse'

KissAnime: pic.twitter.com/QwgKAgG1WT

— Eva Jean Andao ♔ (@ItsmeforEVAAA) August 15, 2020

kissanime and kissmanga will surely be missed ? pic.twitter.com/QwjBuompMb

— sei ᵕ̈ (@nishinoyqyu) August 15, 2020

Many avid watchers of the site are mourning this loss by posting memes as a way to cope. Some are truly heartbroken because it was their way to access anime in places that didn’t have it for free. Others relied on it because the anime on the website wasn’t available at all in their countries.

Upon looking up other kissanime sites, kissanime.nz seems to be working but it’s not confirmed if it’s run by the same team. The one that people went to most was kissanime.ru and, upon checking, it truly is down and out, saying that the site will be closed forever. Ouch.

It is truly a loss for the anime and manga community. We mourn your loss, fellow geeks. We hope you all feel better.

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It seems as if the pirate sites that have existed for years in the forms of Kiss Anime and Kiss Manga respectively have been permanently shut down, potentially pointing toward a campaign that could result in similar cancellations for countless other similar sites currently residing on the internet. The sites, which were linked to one another and offered free, albeit illegal, anime and manga series presumably began in 2012 and have since been thought of as the premiere sites for piracy in the two respective mediums. With the sites being shut down earlier today, it's clear that there might be some big changes in the works when it comes to anime and manga piracy.

The news came earlier today when the discord servers for Kiss Anime revealed that the sites were taken down as a result of 'Japan's stricter copyright laws', targeting sites that were illegally posting entire anime and manga series for users to access at their leisure. With the likes of Crunchyroll, Netflix, Funimation, and several other streaming services giving fans the opportunity to access scores of anime series, as well as the likes of Viz Media offering cheap plans to access their library of manga series, there are definitely legal channels to access countless franchises.

Anime Outlet AniRadio+ shared the Discover Server posts from those currently running the two sites, letting the world know that both KissAnime and KissManga are most likely shutting down their servers permanently in the face of Japan's stricter piracy initiatives:

Japan's stricter copyright law has just begun. FULL STORY: 'KissAnime' and 'KissManga' were taken down forever, Japan's...

The quotes read as such: 'Our beta server have been taken down, this could lead to the closure of the website. We will make more announcement after we have the decision. All files are taken down by copyright owners. KissManga and KissAnime will be closed forever. Thank you for your supports... Thank you to those years.'

What Happened To Kissanime August 15 2020

What Happened To Kissanime

Most likely, this might act as the opening salvo for a number of other anime and manga pirate sites to be taken down, with Japan having gone on record about how piracy sites have negatively impact manga sales for quite some time. Though the 'stricter piracy laws' were set to be enacted in 2021, it's clear that the ball is currently rolling when it comes to the illegal outlets.

What Happened To Kissanime

What do you think of the closing of Kiss Anime and Kiss Manga? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime!