Sony-owned Crunchyroll is changing how fans access its merchandise shop. According to the company’s announcement, shoppers will now need to subscribe to either the Mega Fan or Ultimate Fan tiers in order to make purchases through the store.
The move effectively places Crunchyroll’s online merchandise business behind a higher-level subscription requirement. Instead of leaving retail access open more broadly, the anime platform is tying shopping privileges to paid membership levels above its basic offering.
That decision could reshape how fans view the service’s subscription bundles. For some users, the added store access may be positioned as another premium perk. For others, it may feel like an extra barrier, especially for people who only want to buy anime-related products without upgrading their account.
The change also highlights Crunchyroll’s broader effort to connect streaming, fandom and retail under one platform. By limiting store access to Mega and Ultimate Fan subscribers, Sony is making premium membership a bigger part of the company’s anime merchandise strategy.
