Netflix Finally Reveals The Truth Behind The Leaks But It's Too Late to Stop the Damage (2024)

Netflix has finally revealed the truth behind the massive anime leaks that took the anime industry by storm earlier this week, but it seems like the damage has already been done. Nearly 48 hours after the leaks began surfacing, Netflix has finally revealed a statement on the situation, shedding light on the source of the issue, while employing much-needed damage control at last.

In a statement to The Wrap, a spokesperson from Netflix revealed that the leak stemmed from a post-production partner and claimed that they were aggressively taking action to have the leaks taken down. The exact statement reads:

One of our post-production partners has been compromised and footage from several of our titles has unfortunately leaked online. Our team is aggressively taking action to have it taken down.

This statement was released on August 8, 2024, almost two whole days after the leaks surfaced, by which time even more series like season 2 of Arcane, and the remaining episodes of MAPPA's Ranma 1/2 remake were also leaked. More importantly, these leaks have been reposted thousands of times already, which means, despite Netflix's efforts, the damage has already been done and may just be irreversible at this point.

Netflix Finally Breaks Silence on The Recent Anime Leaks

Netflix's Subtitling and Dubbing Partner Was Likely Responsible

Though Netflix does not specify who exactly the post-production partner responsible for the breach was, a recent statement suggests it could have been Iyuno, a company that has previously provided dubbing services for many of Netflix's titles in the past. Iyuno posted a statement to their website on August 9, 2024, addressing a recent security issue involving unauthorized access to confidential materials and claimed they were actively investigating the breach and the parties responsible. The entire statement reads:

Iyuno is aware of a recent security issue, involving unauthorized access to confidential content. Protecting our clients’ confidentiality and ensuring the security of their content is our highest priority. We are actively investigating this security breach to mitigate any potential risks and identify the responsible parties. When there are material changes or information we will make further statements.

The timing and description of Iyuno's statement seem to perfectly match Netflix's statement to The Wrap and given Iyuno's long-standing history of working with Netflix, it is likely that the two security issues are indeed one and the same. The source of the leak being a dubbing studio also makes sense given the sheer amount of content leaked, the lack of subtitles, and the low quality of the files. That said, Iyuno's statement implies the perpetrator still hasn't been caught, which means this nightmare is far from over.

Netflix May Not Be Able To Reverse The Damage Anymore

The Culprit Has Allegedly Threatened to Leak Even More Content

Though Netflix has finally begun copyright-striking reposts of the leaked content on X, it has become quite an impossible task to track down every single post as these leaks have already been widely circulated, reposted, and re-uploaded innumerable times over the last two days. Moreover, the original links on 4chan and torrent sites like Nyaa Torrents are yet to be taken down, without which the leaks will continue to be shared.

However, the biggest problem may be the original leaker themself, who is yet to be identified and apprehended, as per Iyuno's statement. According to a post on X by otaku_insider, the alleged leaker has revealed on 4chan that they have 87 thousand files in their possession and have no intention of ceasing the leaks, threatening to leak even more content from Paramount, Warner Bros., among many others, including the first three episodes of season 5 of Stranger Things.

Clearly, this has become a very serious threat that may be beyond Netflix's control anymore. The damage has been done, and it appears to be irreversible even if the leaker is caught in time and stopped. While the new information has proved that it was not inherently Netflix's fault, their brand has still been irreparably damaged, and it may be very difficult to recover from this incident.

Many Fans Are Still Unaware of The Damage Caused By Such Leaks

Nonetheless, it appears Netflix will have their hands full taking down the copyrighted content for quite some time. In an ideal world, fans of the series they love could have aided these efforts by boycotting and reporting the leaks, but unfortunately, the anime community is one that thrives on leaks, often unaware of the damage they inflict on the prospects of their favorite series.

At the end of the day, creating anime is all about profits, and these leaks directly impact how well these series will perform when they are eventually officially released. This could lead to these series being sacked entirely and even destroy their chances of being renewed for another season.

As such, hopefully, neither Netflix nor any other streaming platform will ever experience an issue of this sort ever again. These leaks will no doubt go down as one of the biggest security blunders in anime history and will surely encourage better security measures are taken every step of the way going forward.

Source: The Wrap, Iyuno, otaku_insider/X