Funimation

Crunchyroll, LLC (formerly known as "Funimation Entertainment", "Funimation Productions" and "Funimation Global Group, LLC", but more commonly known at the time as "Funimation") is an anime dubbing, licensing, and distribution company based in Fort Worth, Texas that was founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga. It was acquired by Navarre Corporation, a computer products distribution and publishing company, on May 11, 2005 for $100.4 million. In April 2011, Navarre sold Funimation to a group of investors including Gen Fukunaga for $24 million. The company consolidated its divisions under the new holding company Group 1200 Media in May 2013. On October 27, 2017, 95% of the company was acquired by Sony Pictures Television, while Fukunaga retains 5% of the company. Notable anime dubbed by this company include the Dragon Ball series, Fullmetal Alchemist, and One Piece. It also previously released a handful of Nelvana and Alliance Atlantis series in the past.

The company went into controversy following the firing of voice actor Vic Mignogna in January 2019 from sexual harassment allegations, though Mignogna denied wrongdoing. Mignogna unsuccessfully pursued legal cases against Funimation and other industry professionals, in which were dismissed in late 2019, with him requiring to pay all of Marchi's legal fees and the defendants' attorney fees.

On December 9, 2020, Sony announced they had acquired rival anime streaming service Crunchyroll from WarnerMedia (now part of Warner Bros. Discovery). Two years later on March 1, Sony announced that Funimation Global Group, the service's parent company, was rebranded as Crunchyroll, LLC and a large majority of its catalog was moved to Crunchyroll altogether, though the Funimation streaming service remained active and continued to distribute titles that were originally licensed by the Funimation company before the merger. However, on February 7, 2024, it was announced that the Funimation app and website would be shut down completely on April 2, 2024, and that all Funimation subscribers could choose to migrate their account data to Crunchyroll until then, which effectively ended the Funimation name after nearly 30 years.

1st Logo (1994, September 9, 1995)

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Visuals: The screen fades in to a metal surface with still shines. Three shapes (a vertical blue rectangle, a red circle, and a white 5-pointed star), all with black outlines, swoop down from the top of the screen and settle in the center from the top left, top right, and center respectively. Visible shines can be seen on the rectangle and circle as they flip into position. As the star settles in-between the red/blue shapes, the black Helvetica text "Funimation Productions Inc." fades in below in a stacked format. The logo fades out.

Trivia: The logo is meant to homage the Lone Star, referencing the studio being based in Texas. However, the logo bears a distinct resemblance to a Dragon Ball (a mystic orb with a star engraved on it), which was one of Funimation's most iconic dubs.

Variant: On the final 1995 version of Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies, the logo fades out earlier and slower.

Technique: Computer animation.

Audio: A low synth note, then a 17-note twinkling jingle, and a whoosh.

Availability

Edit Table

Media Title	Date of Release	Additional Notes
Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies OSCA	1994 (test version) September 9, 1995 (final version)	Debut and only appearance.

2nd Logo (September 9-December 2, 1995)

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  Prototype variant
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  Standard logo
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  Alternate version of the standard logo

Visuals:

• Prototype: On a sand surface, the 3 shapes from before, albeit without any shading or outlines, grow one-by-one at the top of the screen: first the rectangle appears, then the circle, and then finally the star. Below the still-forming logo, black dust begins to gather and forms the text "FUNimation Productions Inc." below in a Tekton font, along with a copyright notice below. Compared to the previous logo, the circle is noticeably bigger and "FUN" in "Funimation" is fully capitalized.
• Standard Version: On a sand surface, the 3 shapes of the logo are seen coming in from the right as animated characters, which do the following actions as they wander to the left.
  • The rectangle hops across the screen like a spring, facing the side before turning towards the screen with its wide side.
  • The circle bounces like a rubber ball as a sphere before flattening into a 2D circle.
  • The star waddles across the ground on its "legs". As it stops on the left, it turns towards the screen and does a bowing motion to the camera before flying diagonally to the left to finish the logo.

  As the star flies into place, the screen flashes and reveals the "FUNimation Productions Inc." from before, now with a glossy look and a "™" symbol next to "FUNimation™". The logo has noticeable proportion differences, with the circle now centered along the right edge of the rectangle, which itself is now stretched vertically, and the star is also more pudgy in appearance.

Variant: On some episodes of Dragon Ball, the proportions are altered, with the star reduced approximately 50% in size and the text about 5% bigger and set off to the lower right a bit. It also lacks the glossy look and the background is more saturated.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: The previous logo's audio.

Availability

Edit Table

Media Title	Date of Release	Additional Notes
Dragon Ball (BLT dub) OSCA	1995	Debut and only appearance. The prototype variant is only seen on the North American world premiere of the dub

3rd Logo (September 13, 1996-2005)

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• 
  Standard logo
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  With URL
• 
  Print variant on a black background
• 
  Print variant on a white background

Visuals: The camera fades in to a beige surface with visible ridges and wrinkles, lit by a sole spotlight. The camera moves to the left at a slight upwards angle before making a sharp dip down, and the spotlight follows suit (it grows bigger once it settles). As all of this happens, the text "FUNimation Productions", in a thicker Tekton font with a unrefined appearance and both words the same size as each other, fades in over the surface, and a red circle surfs in and U-turns from the bottom left, while the white star and blue rectangle come in from the bottom right and center left respectively, forming the Funimation logo. Compared to before, the star has a more refined appearance and the rectangle is pushed inwards towards the circle.

Variants:

• On Funimation games, the print logo is shown on a black or white background.
• On some occasions, the URL "www.funimation.net" appears below.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A low whooshing sound (which is actually "Flanged Whoosh Short" from the album "The Premiere Edition Volume 1" by The Hollywood Edge) for when the star flies across, followed by a "ding" when the star sets atop the circle.

Audio Variants:

• On Dragon Ball, different versions of the sound effects are used.
• Sometimes, the only sound is a different ding.
• On some occasions, it's silent or the show's closing theme plays over.

Availability:

• Seen most often on old TV episodes of the original dub of Dragon Ball Z (followed straight after by the 1996 Saban "Twirly-Doo" logo).
• Also seen on the original dubs of the first episodes of Dragon Ball and the Dragon Ball GT series, as well as the first two sagas of Yu Yu Hakusho.
• It's also used as a de-facto home video logo on many releases such as the direct-to-video movie Chuck E. Cheese in the Galaxy 5000, home video releases of 4Kids Entertainment material from 2002-2005 like earlier Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Sonic X volumes, and the first DVD volume of Fruits Basket.
• It also appears on several early Nelvana releases. However, pre-school oriented releases would have the Our Time Family Entertainment logo instead.

4th Logo (late 2003-2005)

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Visuals: On a cloudy sky blue gradient background, bubbles containing the Funimation print logo start appearing in the center and fly outwards towards the edges of the screen, while the clouds shift slightly. The Funimation logo, now resembling the 1st logo's version but with a thinner star, tumbles in from the top left as "FUNimation Productions, LTD." in a glossy black Arial font, fades in to the right. "FUNimation" tumbles in from the center while "Productions, LTD." simple swings a bit before everything freezes in place. The logo then faintly shines from left to right, which is more noticeable on the logo itself.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: The 17-note jingle from the first logo is heard, but overlayed with a swoosh noise, gurgling water, and a male announcer that whispers the company name. The jingle culminates with the sound of a child laughing (the same stock "Diddy laugh" heard in the ImaginEngine and Double Hemm logos).

Availability: Seen on Dragon Ball GT, later seasons of Dragon Ball, the first half of Fullmetal Alchemist, Fruits Basket and Yu Yu Hakusho. Appears on a small amount of Nelvana releases as well.

5th Logo (6th logo placeholder) (2005-2006?)

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Visuals: On a black background, 2 silver rings quickly swirl around and intersect, creating lights and the new Funimation logo. The shapes are the same, but the rectangle is horizontal and crooked, with the circle to the left of it, and the star on the being on the lower-right corner of the logo. "FUNIMATION" is now seen is a jumbled, bold Microgramma font with blue "afterimages" on the circle. "ENTERTAINMENT" is in the same font, but not jumbled. Under it is "A NΛVΛRR三 CORPORATION COMPANY", with Navarre's corporate logo in place. The logo is dark at first, but brightens up and zooms in after the rings leave. After a bit, the logo gets engulfed by the 2 blue lights and disappears.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A shining sound is heard when the rings are seen, follow by a sound that sounds like a radar. A humming noise is then heard throughout the rest of the logo with an announcer saying "Funimation!".

Availability: Seen on various Sonic X DVDs, as well as the English dub of Panadalian. Used in tandem with the 4th logo.

6th Logo (2005-2010)

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  Standard logo
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  Video game logo
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  Video game logo with copyright information, seen on Noddy: Detective for a Day

Visuals: The screen fades in to see a transparent Funimation logo angled on its side. A glowing light appears from the far side, wiping over the logo and coloring it in as the logo faces frontward, a huge flash engulfing the screen. The flash dies down, revealing the fully colored logo from before, except in 3D. The logo zooms back a little bit, before suddenly erupting in a flash of light, briefly turning the screen white before going black.

Variants:

• On Fullmetal Alchemist, the logo is quite different. The screen flashes blue for a split second, followed by a split second clip of Alphonse Elric with markings on his armor and a red glow emanating from the bottom of the screen. Another blue flash follows, and this is followed by a split second clip of Edward Elric with a gun attached to his auto-mail arm, aimed towards the screen. One last flash, and this is followed by a slightly darker and more metallic Funimation logo, which stays on screen for half a second.
• On Nintendo DS games, the print version is used. An example is Noddy: Detective For A Day for the V.Smile.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A fizzling/sparking noise as the light colors the logo in, and a low "whoosh" as the logo flashes the first time. The "Funimation!" voice-over from the 5th logo is heard at the same time. This is followed by a low whistling noise that starts quietly, but after a few seconds suddenly gets louder and higher, followed by a loud whoosh as the logo erupts in light. The FMA variant starts with a loud whoosh with a sound that sounds similar to a laser gun being fired, followed by the "Funimation!" voice-over, the latter of which is played over a black screen.

Availability: The normal variant is seen on most Funimation DVDs made around and after this time such as Dragon Ball Z DVDs and U.S. DVDs of Make Way for Noddy, and is also shown at the end of televised showings of One Piece. The Fullmetal Alchemist variant is exclusive to Fullmetal Alchemist: The Transmutation of a Phenomenon, which is a bonus feature on the show's 13th (and final) DVD volume of the show.

7th Logo (2009-2011)

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• 
  Standard logo
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  Video game logo

Visuals: On a white background, the 2005-2011 Funimation logo is drawn in. From the left and right sides of the screen, red and blue paints enter and start filling in the logo. Once the logo is completely filled in, the letters in "FUNIMATION" pop out one-by-one and the whole logo flashes and shines, and the web address "www.funimation.com" appears below. The logo (which is from the FMA variant of the previous logo) stays on screen for a few seconds, then it disappears, and the text "YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING" takes its place, with the web address still on screen. About a second later, "YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING" and the web address zoom towards the screen.

Bylines:

• 2009-2011: "A NΛVΛRR三 CORPORATION COMPANY" (with "NΛVΛRR三" in its corporate font)
• 2011: Bylineless. This was used during the early years of the company being owned by a group of investors such as Gen Fukunaga.

Variants:

• There's a shorter version of the logo. The web address appears at the same time the paints appear, and disappears at the same time the FUNimation logo disappears; when "YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING" appears, it's the only thing on screen. The Funimation logo also stays on screen for a shorter period of time.
• There's another version of the logo. It's the same as the short version, except, rather than disappearing along with the Funimation logo, the web address shifts up, so that "YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING" and the web address are sandwiched together.
• A still logo appears on Dragon Ball Origins 2 for NDS.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Drawing sounds when the logo is being drawn in, a small "whoosh" when the paints appear, numerous people talking as the paints fill in the logo, several whooshes and then a loud "slam" when the logo flashes, two voices (a computerized female voice and a male voice) saying "Funimation Entertainment" after the web address appears, another small "whoosh" when the logo disappears, a whispering voice saying "You should be watching" when "YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING" appears, and a "click" when "YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING" and the web address zoom towards the screen. A peaceful synth note plays throughout. Composed by Jim Welch at Welch Compositions.

Audio Variant: The short versions of the logo have 2 different voices say only the company name, "Funimation." The peaceful tune is also shortened.

Availability: Can be seen on Funimation Entertainment releases from the time. The short versions can be seen before several anime on Funimation's official YouTube channel. It was last seen on Dragon Ball Z Kai and Dragon Ball GT on Nicktoons.

8th Logo (2011-2016)

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• 
  Standard logo
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  With URL

Visuals: The Funimation logo shifts through three backgrounds. The first is a ll¾⁴èmech-styled logo set in a background of space and stars, with the logo carrying mech engines and wings and gears. The second is a ninja/samurai-themed logo with ninja and samurai weaponry and stylized Japanese text, set against a wooden board. The third and i³s that have popped up; stars, hearts, cute emoticons, a cartoon-like maneki-neko (lucky cat figurine), more stylized Japanese text, blue bubble text that reads "100%", and more. Behind all of this is a hazy purple/pink/blue "cloud". Inside the word "FUNIMATION", colorful circles move about. This flashes out to reveal black shards that quickly form the standard Funimation logo, the word "FUNIMATION" in black letters on a grey-and-white background. This quickly cuts away to the words "YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING" and the web address, "www.funimation.com". The logo finally fades out to black.

Variants:

• There is a short version of this logo. The animation is the same, but sped up a bit. The "YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING" and the web address aren't featured at all.
• There is also a slightly longer version, where the animation from the full version is slightly slower-paced.

Technique: Computer animation by Kris Pierce.

Audio: A quick and fast-paced IDM theme. The music and sound design by Austin Black (this is the first FUNimation logo in a while without a voice-over). The short version has shortened music, which cuts out most of the last note.

Availability: Seen on Funimation's works at the time, such as Noragami, Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, Attack on Titan, Space Dandy, Future Diary, the first season of My Hero Academia, and many more, which can be found on FUNimation's official YouTube channel. The short version can be seen on Attack on Titan and Space Dandy on Adult Swim. It also plastered the fifth logo on Tenchi Muyo GXP and appears on newer prints of Serial Experiments Lain as well as Hulu prints of Akira. It's also available on Kris Pierce's Vimeo account, as well as his 2015 demo reel which includes this logo.

9th Logo (20th anniversary variant) (2014)

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Visuals: Two streaks colored red and blue are crashing into each other on a white background. This repeatedly happens multiple times in different spots, until those two streaks explode into the center, forming the number "20", with the "2" being blue in a stylized fashion with grooves on it, and the "0" being red, representing the "red circle w/ star" that was used in the former Funimation logo. Arms (a homage to Monkey D. Luffy's stretching arm powers from One Piece) come out of the "20", carrying the "F" and the "N" of "FUNIMATION" with them. They punch the letters on the ground, thus signaling the rest of the letters to appear. Pink blossoms appear under the "20", eventually being blown away by the wind, which carries the words, "YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING", the current slogan of Funimation. The blossoms, being blown away, reveal "YEARS" under the "20", and the red circle turns into a Dragon Ball, a symbolic homage to the show of the same name where the company had its first success. The "20" then briefly beams up in blue before burning up into an all blue color. After a brief pause, the "20" then disappears into a vortex, the rest of the logo is sliced up into pieces, and the company's web address appears.

Technique: 2D computer animation, which was also done by Kris Pierce.

Audio: Various sound effects corresponding with the action, all with a soothing tune (reminiscent of the one from the previous logo).

Availability: This logo was used during FUNimation's 20th anniversary. It can be found on a trailer for the North American release of the Japanese animated film Hal and a clip from Funimation's 20th Anniversary panel (both in which are on Funimation's YouTube channel). It's also available on Kris Pierce's Vimeo account, as well as his 2015 demo reel which includes this logo.

10th Logo (January 7, 2016-May 31, 2022)

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  Standard logo
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  Later variant
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  Funimation Now variant
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  Funimation Films variant

Visuals: A set of rings appear with different colors, backgrounds and animation: a red ring against a white background that displays Mt Fuji, smoke ppl,and ninja shruikens, a blue ring set against a yellow/pink background that displays an anime schoolgirl giving an idol peace sign alongside other cute symbols, and a white ring set against a black background that displays a mech alongside pulses and warning messages. Then, more messages and a triangle appear and rotate as pink and yellow rings then emerge from the center and swirl around. A CGI version of the new logo then appears in the center of the screen and rotates into place. Lines of light blue, pink, then purple again, with the latter becoming the background. The logo then moves to the left as the letters settle into place, forming "fUnImaTIOn" in a jumble of uppercase and lowercase in white. Various cubes, a blue kunai, a red heart, and a yellow plus shape also appear briefly before flying off into the background.

Trivia:

• The schoolgirl was made by Jonathan Castleman, nicknamed Funiko, loosely based on his OC, Seisei. The pictures can be shown on his Facebook, X and Instagram pages here and here. Upon the Funimation brand being retired as the Funimation app and website, he created an illustration to say goodbye to Funimation, which can be shown here.
• The logo pays tribute to the previous logo's shifting between different backgrounds (mech, ninja, kawaii).

Variants:

• A long version of the logo exists, which is shown at the start of DVDs and Blu-ray releases.
• A "short" version exists. On a purple background, the Funimation logo quickly flips in and lands on the background, moving to the right as it does. A pulse of white is created, followed by the letters drawing in with red, red, yellow, and white in that order. The shapes then come out as usual. This is used as a closing version. It is also used when the app is launched. However, when the app is first launched, it shows the logo, then the words "Anime. Anytime. Anywhere." appear along with the logo before the animation plays out. Both versions can be viewed in both portrait and landscape views in the app. It is also used in various Funimation-related promos and videos in the logo's first few years. It's animation is also used in a number of refreshes without any shapes. In the Summer 2020 refresh, unlike the normal "short" version, the logo's color is in white, just like the normal "short" version, but the outline of the logo is in the background. In the Fall 2020 refresh, it was in a transparent white square, with the logo's color is in black, then it zooms out after the logo forms. After that, it swipes to the left, showing the words, "ANIME'S ON. DIG IN.". In the Winter 2020 refresh, unlike the normal "short" version, the logo's is in white, but the background shows the outline of the logo in the background. In the Spring 2021 refresh, the logo's color is in purple, in a window called "F:\UNIMATION\Logo_2016.swf" after a bunch of windows with the formed logo in low quality before the animation is played outside of the window. It was in low quality before it went high quality when the logo is formed, in which it zooms out after the logo forms, just like the last refresh. After that, it is covered in multiple windows called "F:\UNIMATION\Launch_App.exe", which shows a three-dimensional globe and the words, "OUR WORLD IS YOURS".
• The "Now" variant is the same as the "short" version, except the logo stays in the center as a line appears and wipes in "NOW". The same animation mentioned before was also used when the app is first launched before the app was rebranded to just "Funimation". Just like the regular logo, it can be viewed in portrait and landscape views in the app.
• The "Films" variant has various circles and shapes of red, blue, white, and yellow appearing and rotating, with a lens flare in the corner. It then converges to the logo, which is the same as the "Now" variant, but with "FILMS" instead. The logo also shines when it hits the background.
• 4:3 and CinemaScope versions of all logos described above exist.

Technique: A mix of CGI and 2D computer animation.

Audio: The long version uses a soft 5-note bell tune with various sound effects in the background, which is also extended in the very long version, the "short" and "Now" variants use a 2-note theme, and the "Films" variant uses an extended version of the 2-note theme. A more extended version was used when the app is first launched. For Funimation-related promos and videos in the logo's first few years, as well as the seasonal refreshes, lo-fi music was used. In the Funimation + Bigscreen trailer, it is silent on the Funimation Films logo. However, that logo's music can audibly be heard after it.

Availability: Seen on most of Funimation's newer releases, such as Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, The Helpful Fox Senko-San, Endro!, and later seasons of My Hero Academia. Some releases however, might have the 7th logo despite this logo being shown on the box; like the DVD release of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. The "short" version is seen at the end of TV broadcasts, the "Now" variant is seen on Funimation Now before rebranding to just "Funimation", and the "Films" variant is seen on theatrical releases such as Shin Godzilla (the American prints and dubs include this logo), One Piece Film: Gold, and Your Name. Appears on the animated Dragon Ball films preceding the two final 20th Century Fox logos. This is also seen on older releases like Basilisk, Afro Samurai, Death Parade, The Future Diary, Psycho Pass, and Samurai Champloo on Sony Crackle. The logo made its final appearance on the Blu-ray releases of Kemono Jihen and Kageki Shojo!!. This does not appear on the 2018 steelbook Blu-ray release of Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, with the shortened Destination Films logo appearing instead as a de-facto home video logo.

Funimation

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