In this article, I’ll show how you can install Funimation on FireStick. This article is valid for all the recent models of Fire TV, like Fire TV Cube, FireStick Lite, FireStick 4K, FireStick 4K Max, FireStick 3rd Gen, and more.
Who doesn’t like anime? In recent times, anime has taken the world by storm. Referring mainly to Japanese animation, anime is now the center of attention for many streaming services and TV show fanatics. Great storylines, action-packed scenes, killer thrills, and unforgettable characters are just some of the reasons people love anime.
So, for all our die-hard anime fans and those just getting entering the anime scene: I have something special for you. In this article, I’ll introduce you to the English world of anime, Funimation.
I’ll cover everything, from an introduction to the service to how you can subscribe and install the app on your FireStick. So without further ado, let’s get started. Or shall I say, hajimemashou.
Attention, FireStick Users!
Governments and ISPs constantly monitor your online activity, and accessing copyrighted content on your Fire TV Stick could lead to serious trouble. Currently, your IP is visible to everyone. I strongly recommend getting the best FireStick VPN to mask your IP address and securely stream your favorites.
I personally use ExpressVPN, the fastest and most secure VPN available. Not only is it easy to install on any device, it comes with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee. Plus, if you're not 100% satisfied, you can always get a refund. ExpressVPN is currently also offering a whopping 3 extra months free on their annual plan!
Read: How to Install and Use Best VPN for FireStick
What Is Funimation?
Founded back on May 9, 1994, Funimation is an American entertainment company that specializes in dubbing and distributing anime and East Asian media. On Funimation, you get to enjoy over 10,000 anime episodes and movies. From big hits to fan favorites and all-time classics, you’ll find everything on Funimation.
New episodes appear on Funimation just two weeks of their original airing. In addition, the service allows you to download your favorite shows, like Demon Slayer, Death Parade, Bleach, One Piece, Fruits Basket, Black Cover, Attack on Titan, and more. Funimation doesn’t just provide subtitles either; it has English-dubbed audio for all the content in its library.
With Funimation, you get to experience an ad-free anime watching experience anywhere and anytime. The Funimation app is available on iPhone, Android, Xbox, Play Station, Roku, Amazon FireStick of course, and more.
If you are looking forward to starting or continuing your anime-watching journey, no other service comes close to Funimation (well, except Crunchyroll, which now contains the entire Funimation library and more—but at a steeper cost).
Using a VPN with Funimation
Before moving forward, I would like to address one concern. In different forums, I have seen anime fanatics asking about using a VPN with Funimation. So, allow me to settle the debate for you.
There’s no doubt that Funimation is a one-of-a-kind service. There’s no other legal English-based platform that allows you to stream a full catalog of anime and East Asian media.
However, Funimation isn’t available globally. The service is currently available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, and New Zealand.
You can’t access Funimation in other regions unless you are using a VPN service. So, if that’s the case for you, you’ll first have to use a VPN service like ExpressVPN to connect to one of the supported regions like the US. Only then will you be able to use Funimation.
Note: All of the regions supported by Funimation have different libraries, just like Netflix. So, don’t panic if you are unable to find a show in one region, as it’s probably available in others. The ability to change your location at will is another advantage of using a VPN on FireStick.
If you need to change your location with ExpressVPN, follow these steps to install it on FireStick:
Step 1: Subscribe to ExpressVPN HERE. It comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Meaning, you can use it free for the first 30-days and if you are not satisfied with the performance (which is highly unlikely), you can ask for a full refund.
Step 2: Power ON your Fire TV Stick and go to Find followed by Search option.
Step 3: Now type “Expressvpn” (without quotes) in the search bar and select ExpressVPN when it shows up in the search results.
Step 4: Click Download to install the ExpressVPN app on Fire TV / Stick.
Step 5: Open the app and enter the login credentials that you created while buying the ExpressVPN subscription. Click Sign in.
Step 6: Click the Power icon to connect to a VPN server. That’s all. Your connection is now secure with the fastest and best VPN for FireStick.
You can also read more detailed info on using ExpressVPN with Fire TV / Stick.
How Much Do Funimation Plans Cost?
The cost of a Funimation plan depends on your location.
At the time of writing, people who are living in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and Brazil can only subscribe to the Premium Plus plan for £4.99, AU$7.95, NZ$7.95, €5.99, R$25, or MX$99 per month.
On the split side, people who live in the US and Canada have access to three plans: Premium for $5.99/month or $59.99/year, Premium Plus for $7.99/month or $79.99/year, and Premium Plus Ultra for $99.99/year.
Also, there’s a free plan that’s supported by ads and gives users access to a limited library of anime. Similarly, you can get a 14-day free trial on every plan. But note that the free trial is only available for new customers.
How to Subscribe to Funimation
Now, I’ll show how you can subscribe to Funimation:
1. Open your web browser on your computer or smartphone and go to the official website of Funimation, funimation.com.
2. Wait for the website to load. Then, click on the yellow TRY PREMIUM PLUS button located on the top right side of your screen.
3. You’ll land on the subscription page for Funimation. You’ll see the featured Premium Plus plan and its details. Scroll down.
4. You’ll see all the Funimation plans along with their details: Premium, Premium Plus, and Premium Plus Ultra.
Now, select a plan that attracts you the most and click the START MY FREE TRIAL button.
Note: I’m selecting the Premium plan. Keep in mind that clicking START MY FREE TRIAL sets you up to pay for the monthly plan at the end of the trial.
5. Next, you’ll be asked to create your Funimation account. Enter your email address and a password that fits the password requirements. After that, click on the red CONTINUE button at the bottom of your screen.
6. Once again, click on the CONTINUE button to confirm your entered information.
7. Wait for Funimation to process your information and create your new account.
8. You’ll land on the Payment Information screen. First, click on the red ACCEPT button at the bottom to confirm the Terms of Use. At the top, you’ll see information about your plan, including its price. Here is where you can enter a promo code or redeem a gift card if you have one.
9. Next, scroll down and select a payment method, Credit Card or PayPal. Then, enter the required payment information.
10. After that, confirm your entered information, check the plan information, and click on the green START SUBSCRIPTION button. Lastly, follow the final on-screen instructions to finish setting up your Funimation account.
How to Install Funimation on FireStick — Three Methods
Now, I’ll show you three methods to install Funimation on your FireStick: using the Amazon App Store, using the Downloader app, and using Kodi.
I have divided each method into its own section so you can easily follow along. So, let’s jump in.
Method 1: Install Funimation on FireStick (Official App)
This method shows how you can install the official Funimation app available on the Amazon App Store.
I recommend this method for all users who are living in Funimation’s supported regions, like the US, the UK, and Canada.
So, here’s how the installation process breaks down:
1. On your Fire TV home screen, click on the Find button on the left, next to the Home button.
2. Then, scroll down and select the orange Search tile.
3. Next, you’ll land on the search screen. Enter Funimation with the keyboard and select the first suggestion from the list.
4. After a few seconds, the search results will appear. Select the Funimation tile.
5. You’ll land on a store screen for the Funimation app. Here, you’ll find the app description, similar apps, and more. Click on the Get or Download button to start the downloading process.
6. Wait for the app to download and install on your Amazon FireStick.
7. Once the app has been installed, you’ll see that the button changes to Open.
Congratulations! You have installed the official Funimation app on your Amazon Fire TV.
Method 2: Sideload Funimation on FireStick (via Downloader)
The second method is installing Funimation on FireStick via sideloading. If you are unable to find the Funimation app when you search for it on the Amazon App Store, this method is for you.
This method deals with downloading and installing the APK file for Funimation on your FireStick. An APK file is an Android app installation file, which works for the FireStick since its operating system is based on Android.
I have divided this method into two parts so you can easily follow the instructions to sideload the Funimation APK on your FireStick.
Part 1: Prepare Your FireStick to Download Funimation
Firstly, download the Downloader app on your FireStick from the Amazon App Store. This app will help you download and install the APK file for Funimation.
Once the Downloader app is available on your Fire TV, you have to enable it to sideload APK files. To do that, go to your FireStick Settings > My Fire TV > Developer Options > turn on Apps from Unknown Sources. If you see the setting Install Unknown Apps instead, select it and then turn it on for Downloader.
If you need more help, see our detailed guide on how to sideload apps on FireStick with Downloader.
Part 2: Install Funimation on Your FireStick
Done preparing your FireStick to download the Funimation APK? Here’s what you need to do next:
1. Long-press the home button on your Fire TV remote until the menu appears. Then, click on the Apps tile.
2. You should see the Downloader app. Click on it to launch it.
Note: If you can’t find the Downloader app, select the App Library tile to see every app installed on your device. There, you’re sure to find Downloader.
3. If you are launching Downloader for the first time, you’ll come across two pop-ups. Select Allow for the first one so the app can access your files and folders, and click OK on the next. After that, you’ll land on the home screen of the Downloader app.
4. On the home screen, click on the input box under Enter a URL or Search Term.
5. An input box with a keyboard will appear. Enter https://bit.ly/3M0FOdr and click on the GO button.
Note: I have shortened the URL of the website that hosts the APK file for Funimation. FireStickTricks.com doesn’t own or host any links, nor are we affiliated with these files.
6. Wait for the page to load. Then, scroll down.
7. Click on the green Download APK button you see under the Funimation app description.
8. An ad will appear. Click on the X button at the top right to close it.
9. After a few seconds, the latest APK file for Funimation will start downloading on your device.
10. Wait for the download to complete. Once it’s done, your FireStick will automatically stage the app so you can install it next. Click on the INSTALL button to load it on your device.
11. Once you are done, a pop-up will appear regarding the Funimation APK file. An APK file only serves to install an app—after that, it’s useless. So click on the Delete button to free up some space on your device.
12. Click on the Delete button once again to confirm your action.
Voila! You have sideloaded Funimation on your FireStick.
Method 3: Install Funimation on Kodi
Funimation Kodi addon is currently unavailable. Please explore and try other working addons from our list of best addons for Kodi.Last and certainly not least, you can also install the official Funimation addon on Kodi on your FireStick or other smart device.
The Funimation addon is available in the official repository of Kodi 18 Leia. However, the addon isn’t available on Kodi 19 Matrix. If an update arrives, I’ll let you know by updating this article.
So, here’s how you can install Funimation on Firestick if you have Kodi 18 Leia. If you don’t have Kodi, first refer to this article to install Kodi 18.9 Leia on FireStick.
1. Long-press the home button on your FireStick remote until the menu appears. Then, click Apps.
2. Open the Kodi app.
Note: If you don’t see the Kodi app, select App Library and you’ll find it there.
3. Wait for the Kodi app to open. Then, click on the settings gear icon in the top-left corner.
4. On the next screen, click Add-ons in the top row.
5. On the next screen, scroll down and select Install from repository.
Note: If you don’t have any other third-party repositories added to your Kodi app, you won’t see the screen shown below. Go ahead and skip to step 8.
6. Next, scroll down and select Kodi Add-on repository.
7. After that, scroll down and select Video add-ons.
8. You’ll land on an alphabetical list of all the official addons available for Kodi 18 Leia. Scroll down to find and select FunimationNOW.
9. The FunimationNOW dashboard will appear. Click on the Install button in the bottom-right corner of your screen.
10. Next, the FunimationNOW addon will require some additional dependencies to be installed as well. Click on the OK button to confirm.
11. Wait for Kodi to download and install the addon.
12. Once it’s done, you’ll receive a notification in the top-right corner of your screen stating FunimationNOW Add-on installed.
How to Use Funimation
In this section, I’ll walk you through using Funimation. First, let’s open the Funimation app.
If you installed Funimation on Kodi, go to the home screen of your Kodi app, scroll to the Add-ons tab, and select Funimation. Follow the on-screen instructions to log in with your account.
If you installed the Funimation app on FireStick, long-press the home button on your Fire TV remote and wait for the menu to appear. Then, click Apps.
On the next screen, select Funimation.
Wait for the app to load.
After a few seconds, you’ll land on the home screen of Funimation. Click on the red SIGN IN button.
An account information pop-up will appear. Select the Email Address input box.
An input menu with a keyboard will appear. Enter the email address for your Funimation account and click on the Next button.
Next, enter the password for your Funimation account and click on the Next button.
Then, click on the red LOG IN button.
After a few seconds, you’ll be logged into your Funimation account.
Finally, you’ll land on the Home tab, where you’ll see the banners of the latest and most popular content among anime lovers. Explore the home tab by scrolling down.
First, you’ll see a row of the latest anime episodes that were just released on the platform. Let’s keep scrolling.
In the next row, you’ll see anime featuring powerful women. Let’s scroll some more.
After that, there’s a separate row for shows that have just been added to Funimation.
You can keep scrolling down to explore more content on the home tab. Select any title you’d like to start watching. I’m selecting Attack on Titan.
It’ll automatically redirect you to the dashboard for Attack on Titan. Here, I can start streaming by clicking on the Start Watching Episode 1 button.
Or, I can scroll down and select any episode from the list to play it. To change the season, click on the drop-down tab that says Season 1.
Select any season you’d like and you’ll see its list of episodes.
You can also change the default English audio to other available languages. To do that, click on the drop-down tab that says English.
A Select Language menu will appear, and you’ll see all the available languages you can choose.
Now, go to the My Queue tab. Here, you’ll find all the shows and movies that you’ve added to your queue. It’s blank for me because I haven’t added any content to my queue yet.
Next, check out My Library. If you purchase a DVD or Blu-ray that contains a Digital Copy code, you can add the code to your Funimation account, and My Library is where that content will appear.
In the Shows tab, you’ll find all the latest shows available on Funimation.
Next, in the Genres tab, you’ll find 13 different genres, including Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy, Drama, Live-Action. Feel free to open and explore any of the categories.
Next, there’s a SimulDub section. Here, all the latest episodes dubbed in English will be released just 2 weeks after their original release date.
In the Settings tab, you’ll find the options Default Language, Video Quality, Auto-play, Captions, Feature Content, About, FAQs, and Privacy Policy. Feel free to explore the settings to personalize your Funimation app experience.
Lastly, there’s a Search feature in the Funimation app. With it, you can search for any title you like. Once on the Search tab, click on the Search input box to get started.
Enter your search term and click Next.
After that, you’ll see all the results matching your search term.
Are There Any Alternatives of Funimation?
Yes! Although you won’t find an official FireStick app/service as good as Funimation, here are a few alternatives to the service.
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is an American entertainment streaming service that focuses on anime, manga, and dorama.
This service offers a free plan that provides limited anime with ads. Also, there’s a premium plan that lets you access the entire library of up to 1,000 anime for just $7.99 per month.
Crunchyroll’s official app is available on FireStick.
How to Install Crunchyroll on FireStick
HIDIVE
HIDIVE offers affordable and ad-free anime streaming on FireStick.
From popular hits like Made in Abyss and Haikyu to hidden gems like Legend of the Galactic Heroes and NANA, you’ll find a bunch of anime on HIDIVE.
HIDIVE provides exclusive content, dubs, uncensored content, and more for just $4.99 per month.
Official site: https://www.hidive.com/
Netflix
Netflix, one of the best subscription streaming services in the world, is home to around 200 anime TV shows and movies. Most of the content is available in English dubbed audio, but some is available only in Japanese audio with subtitles in English and other languages.
Netflix has an official app on FireStick. And as the service is available almost worldwide, you’ll be able to stream your favorite anime and Asian East content from the US without any problems and for as low as $9.99/month.
However, don’t expect Netflix to roll out popular anime content the way Funimation does.
How to Install Netflix on FireStick
Hulu
Majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, Hulu is one of the best alternatives for Funimation. This platform comes with over 300 anime series along with classic titles and movies.
Just like Netflix, some anime content on Hulu is available in English dubbed audio, whereas other content is available in Japanese with subtitles in English and other languages. You can download the Hulu app on your FireStick and subscribe to the service for as low as $6.99/month.
Hulu beats Netflix by a fair margin in terms of anime.
How to Install Hulu on FireStick
FAQs
Is Funimation free?
Kind of. You can sign up for Funimation for free and enjoy watching a few TV shows and movies with an ad-free experience. However, watching the whole library of Funimation comes at a cost.
Are there any ads on Funimation?
On the free version of Funimation, you’ll encounter some ads. You won’t see any ads on the paid plans.
Is Funimation an official service?
Yes! Funimation is an official English-based service that provides access to anime and East-Asian media content in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, and New Zealand.
Why isn’t Funimation available on Kodi 19 Matrix?
Currently, the Funimation add-on is only available on Kodi 18 Leia because Kodi 19 Matrix is relatively new. However, a compatible addon for Kodi 19 is in the making.
How can I fix login errors?
Can’t log in to your Funimation account? Chances are you are either entering the wrong information or you are accessing the service outside of the supported regions.
In the latter case, you can use a VPN service like ExpressVPN, connect it to any of the eligible regions like the US, and then log in to your account.
Wrapping Up
This article explained how to install Funimation on FireStick and Kodi. If you want to watch anime seamlessly, there’s no service that comes close to Funimation. Well, except Crunchyroll, as I mentioned earlier.
So, which anime are you watching? Share your favorites in the comment section. If you have any questions regarding Funimation, feel free to ask them as well.
I’ll see you next time around with another helpful guide. Till then, happy cord-cutting.
Related:
- FREE Anime Streaming Sites to Watch Anime Online
- Best Anime Apps for FireStick
- How to Install Crunchyroll on FireStick
- How to Install FANime Kodi Addon
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