Vietnam Shuts Down HiAnime as Authorities Crack Down on Anime Piracy Ring

Vietnamese authorities have arrested seven people they say were connected to the long-running anime piracy site HiAnime. Investigators had support from U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Department of Justice, and the anti-piracy group Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE). HiAnime is now offline after going dark in March 2026 and being shut down in June. Prior to its collapse, the site reportedly pulled in more than 150 million visits each month, earning it a reputation as one of the most widely used illegal anime destinations on the internet.

Key takeaways

• Seven suspects were arrested in Vietnam over alleged involvement with HiAnime and related piracy operations.
• U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Department of Justice backed the Vietnamese investigation.
• ACE participated in the multi-year anti-piracy effort targeting the site.
• Authorities allege the group ran more than 100 piracy websites and uploaded over 26,000 pirated anime titles.
• HiAnime’s monthly traffic reportedly reached over 150 million visits before it was taken offline.

What the HiAnime crackdown involves

In the case brought forward by prosecutors, the seven defendants face charges tied to copyright infringement, violations of related rights, and money laundering. Four of the suspects have been detained, while the other three have reportedly been placed under house arrest. Reporting also claims the operation behind HiAnime generated roughly $12.85 million from illegal advertising between 2020 and April 2026.

HiAnime did not operate under just one name. It originally ran as Zoro.to, then switched to Aniwatch in July 2023. In March 2024, the service rebranded again as HiAnime (also written as H!Anime), using the HiAnime.to domain. After the site went dark in March, it joined a growing list of piracy platforms being removed as anti-piracy pressure increases. The shutdown also followed a broader tightening by copyright holders, anime production companies, and government agencies targeting illegal anime and manga websites.

In March, the platform published a closure notice on its homepage. Around 80 days later, the HiAnime Discord team responded to users and said the site would return, urging people not to trust unverified rumors. However, in June, the Discord moderators confirmed that HiAnime would not be coming back. They pointed to the fact that roughly 80 days had passed since the community-affiliated website was taken down and claimed the staff and administration board had attempted to reach the website team through available contact methods while considering the possibility of rebranding. The final message stated that the website would not return and had stopped operating permanently.

HiAnime drew major attention from anti-piracy groups due to its international reach. The platform was also added to the European Commission’s Counterfeit and Piracy Watch List and included on the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) Notorious Markets List. Before the June shutdown and the arrests that followed, it was described as one of the biggest illegal anime streaming sites globally. The service hosted both newly released titles and long-running older series, and it offered English-subtitled and English-dubbed content without a subscription requirement.

Its combination of a large catalog, a simple interface, and free access helped it become a top destination for anime viewers online. One report noted that HiAnime even surpassed several legitimate streaming services in web traffic, citing 364 million visits in the United States during late 2024.

Additional traffic figures underline how quickly the site grew before it disappeared. Using Similarweb numbers, reporting claimed HiAnime recorded 302 million visits in September 2024, then gained another 62 million in October—bringing its monthly total to 364 million. Those figures were said to place the site ahead of legal streaming platforms in the U.S. category. The same coverage reported 331.6 million visits in November 2024, which brought total visits across September, October, and November to nearly 1 billion.

These estimates show just how widespread the piracy platform had become, though the reporting also cautioned that the data reflects website traffic only. It does not include people who used the service through linked streaming apps.

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HiAnime joins other piracy sites taken offline

After the arrests, ACE publicly thanked Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS), including specific units within the agency, along with Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of Justice for their support. The ACE statement praised the MPS—particularly C03 (the Economic Crimes Investigation Department) and A05 (the Department of Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention)—for arresting and prosecuting seven operators believed to be behind HiAnime and related piracy services.

ACE also said it appreciated the continued backing from its partners during what it described as a multi-year investigation and action. The group indicated it plans to keep supporting MPS and related agencies and to coordinate more closely on future steps against piracy operations.

HiAnime wasn’t the only anime piracy platform to shut down recently. Another service, AnimeKai, reportedly went offline in May. One report said the site claimed it could no longer continue after its server infrastructure was completely wiped out due to a major data center fire. Many suspected the incident was tied to the Almere data center fire in the Netherlands. That same coverage noted the AnimeKai team posted a message telling users to “find a new home” for their anime viewing.

In its message, AnimeKai said that due to recent developments it was unable to continue running the project and urged fans to back up their lists and move on to a different place for their anime journey.

The platform’s shutdown was also reflected on its subreddit. Moderators said the developer chose not to continue the project because of the ongoing legal pressure and the recent issues—especially the data center fire—adding that it was time for everyone to move on.

At the same time, the AnimeKai moderators told fans the broader community was not shutting down. They said there were no plans to close the community and that they would keep building it even after the website closure, asking users to stay tuned for what they described as big plans for the community’s future.

More examples in the same wave include AnimePlay, which was permanently shut down in late March after enforcement actions by ACE, as reported previously. The fate of AnimePlay was described as shared by many other piracy sites, including Aniwave (formerly 9Anime), AnimeSuge, Anix, Zoroxtv, Fboxz, Cinezone, Flix2day, Animesuge, Theflixtor, and Mov2day.

With HiAnime’s alleged operators arrested, the overall takeaway presented in the reporting is that anime piracy is increasingly treated as a serious crime rather than a minor offense—one that can lead to real legal consequences.