Anime fans from all over the world enjoy access to their favorite shows via Nyaa and have for years. It hosts a large pool of shows that users can download to their devices and watch. On top of having the latest in anime series and movies, it also boasts a decent collection of obscure and older anime classics for die-hard fans.
Nyaa’s Troubled History
Just like most famous torrenting websites, Nyaa has had its own fair share of troubles and controversy. 2017 saw most of its domains blocked from public access. Fans from all over were disappointed and thought that was the end of Nyaa. To the fans’ delight, in 2020, they saw a much-welcome resurgence. The site might not be impervious to copyright claims, but it has proven itself as an anime lover’s best friend.
Nyaa in a Nutshell
Nyaa boasts of being the most well-known site for torrenting anime. Fans have access to dubbed and subbed Japanese films at no cost. Additionally, the platform also has a selection of content subbed or dubbed in various languages. Aside from anime, Nyaa’s library includes manga, live-action, movies, and music videos. The site also has content from Korea and China. Software and video games are also available for download from the website.
Content on Nyaa is user-generated, meaning loyal fans from all over upload all the media found on the site. It is important to note that all the files on Nyaa are safe for work. You will not find any pornography or NSFW content on it. If you cannot find what you are looking for on Nyaa, check out its sister site: Sukebei Nyaa.
What Happened to Nyaa
In 2017, when Nyaa went down, there was no official statement from moderators on the issue. Later on, it came to light that the owners themselves took it down along with Nyaa proxy sites. There was speculation that they chose to do so due to the copyright problems they faced during that period. But they were just that, speculations.
A few months down the line, nyaa.eu surfaced, and it seemed like business was running as usual. However, the original team was not responsible for its re-entry. When the .eu URL returned to the registry, another entity purchased it. There was some skepticism over the re-emergence as scammers sometimes buy popular domains as a method to spread malware.
Even after the resurgence, Nyaa was not out of the woods yet. 2018 saw Cloudflare drop it for misuse of copyright infrastructure. (Cloudflare, as a content delivery network (CDN), hosts 10% of the globe’s internet traffic, including some government sites and other torrenting solutions.)
More trouble sparked in 2020 when the Motion Picture Association (MPA) gave Nyaa cease-and-desist orders. Members of the association justified the injunctions by claiming they had not granted Nyaa the right to distribute their bodies of work. True to its resilient nature, Nyaa continued operations to the delight of its loyal fanbase.
Access Nyaa Securely
Currently, you can navigate to the site via nyaa.si. However, make sure your connection is secure before watching your favorite anime shows by using a proxy or VPN. Essentially, you want to shield your identity from ISPs and other third parties. Another reason to use a VPN or proxy with Nyaa is geo-restriction. Simply establish your connection through an IP where access is not restricted and enjoy free content. Also, ensure your device’s antivirus is up to date before navigating the website.
Once you have the proper precautions in place, the site should be safe and easy to use. The user interface is simple and has a short learning curve. It is important to remember that all the content is user-generated, so you must be incredibly careful about the files you download.
Conclusion
Plenty of people can learn from Nyaa’s resilience. Despite all the problems the site faced through the years, it persevered and still serves its loyal fans to this date. Nyaa’s dedication to its fans is quite admirable, and most people should borrow a leaf from the platform. Will Nyaa face more troubles down the road? Only time will tell. For now, anime lovers still have a haven to enjoy their favorite shows without much fuss.