Tubi is adding some serious heavy-hitters in the animation world to its platform.
Today, Tubi announced a partnership with Toei Animation, bringing the platform nearly 500 episodes, as well as six TV specials and six “special installments” of their anime collection.
Tubi subscribers will soon have access to One Piece, Toriko, and, for the first time ever, an English subbed version of the legendary Dr. Slump, created by Dragon Ball artist Akira Toriyama. The service will also add renowned series like Saint Seiya: Saintia Sho, Saint Seiya: Hades, Ge-Ge-Ge No Kitaro, and Slam Dunk.
“Our new partnership with Toei Animation super serves fans with some of the most iconic anime ever created,” said Adam Lewinson, Chief Content Officer at Tubi. “With One Piece, Akira Toriyama’s Dr. Slump, Slam Dunk and more, Tubi viewers will soon have instant access to nearly 500 episodes of some of the world’s best anime, further expanding our powerful collection of animated content.”
One Piece is the best-selling manga of all time and, while the anime is wildly popular as well, its first American dub was less-than-stellar. The Tubi deal should give the show a new lease on life in the United States.
The addition of Dr. Slump is interesting as it’s anime legend Akira Toriyama’s first series. Could this move open the door for a potential Dragon Ball series deal in the future? Could we also see the rest of Saint Seiya appear on the platform? Perhaps, but it’s a great success to have access to previously-inaccessible content like TV specials and special features without having to jump through hoops to watch them.
“We’re thrilled to bring this collection of six TV specials and nearly 500 series episodes from Toei Animation’s library to Tubi viewers for the first time,” said Masayuki Endo, President and CEO of Toei Animation Inc. “From the One Piece specials and series episodes to Saint Seiya and Dr Slump to Ge-Ge-Ge No Kitaro and Slam Dunk, there is something for every anime fan on Tubi to enjoy.”
Anime has been a big driver of viewership on streaming services. Hulu has been investing in building out their anime library, while HBO Max has included content from Crunchyroll. AT&T sold Crunchyroll to Sony for $1.175 Billion in December 2020.