One of the world’s largest manga piracy sites shut down as operator faces charges

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A massive online network that illegally distributed manga has been taken down, and the person who ran it will likely be prosecuted, according to investigators from multiple countries working together.

Japan’s Content Overseas Distribution Association reported that Chinese authorities searched a man’s home in the Guangxi region in November 2025, suspecting him of violating copyright laws.

The individual is accused of running Bato.to, a website that illegally distributed manga, as well as about 60 similar pirate sites. While currently released on bail, they have confessed to operating the sites and are likely to face formal charges soon.

Major pirate manga site closes down

Bato.to, which started in 2014, became a huge online source for illegally copied manga from Japan, Korea, and China, offering translations in over 50 languages. According to CODA, the person running the site was a key figure since at least 2018 and intentionally designed it to avoid being shut down by distributing its content across many different web addresses.

In May 2025, the 60 websites tracked by CODA received a total of 350 million visits. Over the previous three years, from October 2022 to October 2025, these sites collectively saw around 7.2 billion visits.

On November 19, 2025, the operator of “BATO.TO”, the world’s largest manga piracy website, was apprehended by authorities in China following a complaint from CODA. The individual confessed to running the entire network of sites, and all 60 sites were confirmed to be shut down by January 19th.

— コンテンツ海外流通促進機構（CODA） (@CODA_2002) January 29, 2026

Estimates suggest the manga generated an economic impact of about 770 billion yen, which is approximately $5.1 billion USD. The website running the manga reportedly made over $55,000 USD in advertising revenue during its most popular months.

Investigators have taken the suspect’s computers and are still reviewing server information and other records. The websites were temporarily kept online to save evidence, but CODA has confirmed all 60 associated websites were completely shut down by January 19, 2026.

Recently, it was revealed that Japan lost $38 billion due to anime piracy in 2025. In response, the government is investing $650,000 to create an AI system that can detect and track down illegally shared manga pages.

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2026-01-29 13:19