Operators of World's Biggest Anime Piracy Site Arrested

Vietnamese authorities have arrested and are prosecuting seven people believed to be behind HiAnime, the anime streaming platform that was until this year the largest piracy site of its kind in the world. The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), the anti-piracy coalition backed by the Motion Picture Association, confirmed the action on July 2, 2026.

According to ACE, the operation was carried out by Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security, specifically C03, the Economic Crimes Investigation Department, and A05, the Department of Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention. ACE credited US Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Justice for their support in what it described as a multi-year investigation.

Vietnamese state-linked outlet Bao Ha Tinh reports that the group operated a network of more than 100 websites between 2020 and April 2026, uploading over 26,000 films without authorization and earning approximately $12.85 million in advertising revenue. Four of the seven suspects are in custody. The remaining three have been barred from leaving their place of residence while the investigation continues. The suspects have not been publicly named in the material reviewed, and formal charges have not been detailed.

A giant with three names

HiAnime did not start as HiAnime. The platform launched as Zoro[.]to, which was already being described as the world's largest pirate site by 2023. It rebranded to Aniwatch in July 2023 and again to HiAnime in March 2024, a common tactic among piracy operations trying to shake off legal pressure.

The rebrands did nothing to slow its growth. After rival platform AniWave closed in August 2024, HiAnime absorbed much of its audience and recorded 364 million monthly visits in October 2024, briefly outdrawing Disney+ in the United States, according to traffic data reported at the time.

The site went dark on March 13, 2026, leaving a short farewell message, days after the US Trade Representative added it to the annual list of notorious piracy markets. The operators confirmed a permanent shutdown on June 1. Until this week, the reason for the closure was never officially explained.