Funimation Delaying Dubbed Anime Episodes So Employees Can Work from Home

Game Rant

By Dalton Cooper

Published Mar 19, 2020

Funimation announces delays in its English simuldub release schedule due to the coronavirus, with popular show My Hero Academia impacted.

Funimation has announced that English simuldub releases of its popular anime series will be delayed due to the coronavirus. In a statement released by the compnay, Funimation stated that it is adjusting its dub-production schedule so that its employees can work from home. Simuldub production is being "paused" for the "remainder of the current and upcoming seasons," and it stated that it will let fans know if that will change.

A full list of the impacted Funimation shows can be found below, but arguably the highest profile delays will be for My Hero Academia and Black Clover. The My Hero Academia Episode 84 English dub for the episode "Deku vs. Gentle Criminal," originally set to air on Saturday, March 21, is being delayed. Black Clover's delay will start on March 24, impacting Episode 124. It should be noted that the My Hero Academia English simuldub release had already been delayed previously in the season, meaning that the English dub is now multiple weeks behind the Japanese version of the show.

It's unclear exactly how long these delays will last. It's possible that the English dub of My Hero Academia Episode 84 will come next Saturday instead and the show will only be pushed back by a week, but that's just speculation at this time. Fans will have a better idea of what to expect come next weekend.

On the bright side, those that watch anime with subtitles won't be impacted by any delays. It's been confirmed that new subtitled episodes will still arrive on time. So those who don't care for English dubs of anime series can still watch new episodes of their favorite shows as they air.

Funimation's anime schedule is far from the only thing that's been delayed in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic. Many other television programs have had to postpone production entirely, including season 2 of The Witcher and virtually every other live-action TV show that was filming prior to the coronavirus outbreak.

The video game industry has also been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. For example, Amazon has delayed some Animal Crossing: New Horizons pre-orders, and other physical releases are also expected to be in short supply. Many game development teams are working from home, and big events like E3 have been canceled. From video games to anime, the coronavirus is having a wide-ranging impact on the entertainment industry as a whole.

Here is a list of all the Funimation simuldub delays:

March 18, 2020