In a sweeping enforcement effort, MangaDex, one of the largest manga scanlation platforms, has been hit with an unprecedented series of DMCA takedown notices, resulting in the removal of over 700 manga series in various languages. The notices were issued by a wide range of publishers and rights holders, including Kodansha, Shogakukan, Square Enix, Kakao, Naver, Lezhin, Suiseisha, Houbunsha, WEBTOON, and many others.
The takedowns didn’t stop at MangaDex alone—rights holders have also filed DMCA complaints with Google, aimed at reducing the visibility of scanlated content through search engines. This wave, which began just days ago, represents one of the largest copyright enforcement actions ever seen in the manga scanlation space.
Titles Impacted: From Global Hits to Hidden Gems
The list of impacted series includes some of the most recognizable names in manga:
- My Dress-Up Darling
- Oshi no Ko
- The Quintessential Quintuplets
- The Apothecary Diaries (both adaptations)
- Black Lagoon
- Bleach
- Blue Box
- Dragon Ball
- Golden Kamuy
- Heavenly Delusion
- Solo Leveling
- Tensura (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime)
- The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity
Many of these titles are already officially licensed and accessible in multiple languages, including English. However, community reports indicate that even unlicensed or hard-to-access titles were caught up in the removals.
MangaDex Moderation Responds
In response to widespread user confusion, a super moderator on MangaDex’s forum confirmed the scale of the action:
“This is the first time a takedown has happened on this scale. Before, it was just singular manga on direct request of the author, or Naver—because they’re scary.”
They also clarified that the takedowns are not related to a recent MangaDex policy change aimed at groups “excessively profiteering” from fan translations:
“We have received a DMCA request for those chapters. It is unrelated [to the policy update].”
To help users track what has been removed, the site plans to reintroduce chapter listings as part of its upcoming v3 update, which will show titles and chapters that are no longer accessible, but preserve chapter read markers for tracking.
Ripple Effects in the Scanlation Scene
The takedown surge comes just days after the shutdown of Reaper Scans, a major scanlation group, following a Cease & Desist notice from Kakao Entertainment. Reaper Scans attracted over 36 million visits in the last three months, according to Similarweb.
But the impact on MangaDex is expected to be even more significant. The site logged 68.8 million visits in April 2025 alone, and 188.5 million over the last three months. With such a large portion of its content now removed, the scanlation community is bracing for a major disruption.
Why This Matters
MangaDex has long occupied a gray space in the manga ecosystem. While the platform bans official translations, it allows community-uploaded fan translations from a global user base. This includes content in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese, often uploaded by third parties without permission.
The platform has faced criticism not just for infringing copyrights, but for allowing early leaks and monetized uploads via links to paywalled content.
This latest takedown effort appears to be a coordinated strike from multiple publishers and platforms, signaling a more aggressive stance from rights holders worldwide, especially as the global manga and webtoon market continues to expand.
What Comes Next?
- MangaDex users: Expect more takedowns, delays, and site updates over the coming weeks.
- Scanlation groups: Many are now reevaluating their operations or going private.
- Publishers: This could be a turning point as they push for broader legal distribution and clamp down on unauthorized content.
MangaDex has not issued an official public statement at the time of writing, but community posts suggest the moderation team is working to stabilize features and clarify what content remains available. As enforcement intensifies, the future of free fan-translated manga online remains uncertain.
