Zoro.to stopped operating under its original name and domain in July 2023. The service appears to have continued through a rebrand to AniWatch.to and then another rebrand to HiAnime in March 2024. HiAnime later displayed a goodbye message in March 2026 and was widely treated as discontinued.
Zoro.to did not simply disappear overnight
Zoro.to stopped operating under its original name and domain in July 2023. However, the user-facing service appears to have continued through a succession of rebrands: first to AniWatch.to, and then to HiAnime in March 2024.
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That is why two apparently conflicting descriptions exist. The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) described Zoro.to as one of the piracy services shut down during enforcement activity in Vietnam. At roughly the same time, reports and messages shown to users described a transition or alleged acquisition that moved the service to AniWatch.to. The most accurate summary is therefore:
The original Zoro.to domain and brand ended, but the broader service appears to have continued under AniWatch and later HiAnime.
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This was not a transparent, conventional corporate rebrand. Public evidence consists of enforcement statements, domain redirects, site announcements, specialist reporting, and community messages. There is no clear public corporate ownership trail proving who operated every stage of the sequence.
What happened in July 2023?
Before its shutdown or transition, Zoro.to was one of the largest unauthorized anime-streaming sites on the internet. ACE said the site averaged more than 200 million global visits per month from January through June 2023. Separate reporting based on SimilarWeb estimates put its monthly traffic at more than 205 million visits in July 2023. Those numbers were estimates, not audited figures released by the site’s operators.
On or around July 4, 2023, visitors to Zoro.to were redirected to AniWatch.to. Contemporary reporting said the transition was presented as an acquisition by a new team. Existing users also appeared to be able to use their previous logins, while the familiar interface and account features remained in place under a different visual identity.
Community announcements described the change as a rebrand, said that AniWatch.to would become the new domain, and claimed that existing staff would continue supporting the service. Those messages help establish what users were told, but they do not independently prove the identity of the operators or the legal ownership of the website.
Was Zoro.to shut down or rebranded?
Both descriptions capture part of what happened, but they refer to different things.
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- Shut down: ACE treated Zoro.to as a piracy service shut down during a Vietnam-based enforcement operation. The original domain and Zoro branding ceased functioning in their previous form.
- Rebranded or transferred: Users were redirected to AniWatch.to, and the service appeared to retain enough of its interface, accounts, and functionality to look like a continuation.
- Uncertain ownership: The public record does not establish a fully documented sale, corporate acquisition, or continuous operator identity.
In practical terms, the Zoro.to website as users knew it ended, while some combination of its traffic, infrastructure, accounts, community, or service design continued elsewhere. A domain shutdown does not necessarily mean every related technical or user-facing component disappears at the same moment.
When did AniWatch become HiAnime?
AniWatch later changed its name to HiAnime. On March 1, 2024, visitors to the former AniWatch domain were reportedly redirected to the new HiAnime domain. Specialist reporting described the sequence as:
Zoro.to → AniWatch.to → HiAnime
The operators did not provide a detailed public explanation for the second rebrand. The U.S. Trade Representative’s 2025 Notorious Markets review also described HiAnime as the successor to AniWatch and AniWatch as a rebrand of Zoro.to, while placing the sites in the unauthorized anime- and video-streaming ecosystem.
That official description supports the broad lineage, but it should not be read as proof that every site using the AniWatch or HiAnime name was operated by the same people. Copycat domains and impersonators can use an established name without having any connection to the original service.
What happened to HiAnime in 2026?
On March 13, 2026, messages displayed on HiAnime’s official domains reportedly said, It’s time to say goodbye.
The message was widely interpreted as a shutdown notice, although reporting at the time noted that parts of the community were unsure whether the farewell was permanent or whether another rebrand might follow.
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Later community-admin reporting in May 2026 said that affiliated communities could no longer contact the website team, while major networks and accounts had been removed. Moderators concluded that the website would not return. This is the strongest available public assessment of a permanent shutdown, but it is community evidence rather than a definitive, independently verified statement from the operators.
Accordingly, it is safest to say that HiAnime appeared to be discontinued in 2026 and was widely treated as permanently offline, while acknowledging that the site’s history of rebrands made absolute predictions difficult.
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The public sources do not provide a complete explanation. Several factors may help explain the pattern, but they should not be presented as proven motives:
- Enforcement pressure: Unauthorized streaming services can lose domains, hosting arrangements, payment access, social accounts, or other infrastructure after enforcement action.
- Brand separation: A new name can distance a successor from a domain that has been targeted or publicly identified.
- Domain disruption: Moving users to a new domain can preserve access if the previous domain is seized, blocked, suspended, or abandoned.
- Impersonation risk: Once a popular name disappears, unrelated operators may adopt similar names to attract former users.
None of these possibilities establishes who owned Zoro.to, AniWatch, or HiAnime. The available evidence supports the sequence of public-facing names, not a definitive ownership chart.
Are websites claiming to be the new Zoro, AniWatch, or HiAnime official?
No—not automatically. A familiar logo, copied interface, old account prompt, or similar domain name is not proof that a site is an official successor. Community notices associated with the former HiAnime ecosystem warned users about unofficial and potentially fraudulent domains.
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Be especially cautious if a supposed successor:
- asks you to install an unknown browser extension, desktop application, or video player;
- requests payment or cryptocurrency to unlock ordinary viewing;
- asks for an old password, email password, recovery code, or two-factor authentication code;
- uses aggressive pop-ups, fake virus warnings, or forced notification permissions;
- claims to be official without a verifiable announcement from a recognized channel; or
- offers downloads that do not match the expected file type or publisher.
Do not enter former Zoro, AniWatch, or HiAnime credentials into an unfamiliar domain. If you reused one of those passwords on another service, change it there and enable two-factor authentication where available. This is precautionary account-security advice; the available research does not establish a confirmed credential breach involving these services.
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The former sites were identified by ACE and the U.S. Trade Representative as unauthorized streaming services. A safer replacement is a licensed provider whose catalog and device support are clearly documented. For readers looking for licensed anime streaming, Crunchyroll’s official documentation lists support for web browsers, mobile devices, smart TVs, game consoles, Fire TV, Roku, Chromecast, and other platforms. Availability, catalog, pricing, and supported devices can vary by country and can change over time, so check the current terms for your location.
If you want access that does not depend on an unofficial domain, consider official anime Blu-ray releases, including authorized Blu-rays, DVDs, SteelBooks, and box sets. Physical editions can provide durable offline access, although availability differs by title and region and some releases may eventually go out of print.
Neither licensed streaming services nor official physical releases is affiliated with Zoro.to, AniWatch, or HiAnime. They are alternatives to unauthorized streaming—not evidence about the ownership or fate of those former sites.
The timeline at a glance
| Date | Development | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|
| January–June 2023 | Zoro.to records very high estimated global traffic. | ACE reported more than 200 million monthly visits on average; SimilarWeb-based reporting offered a similar estimate. |
| Around July 4, 2023 | Zoro.to redirects visitors to AniWatch.to. | The transition was presented to users as a rebrand or alleged acquisition. |
| July 2023 | ACE describes Zoro.to as among piracy services shut down during Vietnam enforcement activity. | The original Zoro.to identity and domain ended, even though a successor service appeared. |
| March 1, 2024 | AniWatch redirects to HiAnime. | The public-facing sequence becomes Zoro → AniWatch → HiAnime. |
| March 13, 2026 | HiAnime domains display a goodbye message. | The message appears to announce a shutdown, although its permanence was initially uncertain. |
| May 2026 | Community moderators report that the service will not return. | This is the best available public assessment of a permanent discontinuation, not a fully verified operator statement. |
Bottom line
Zoro.to was shut down in its original form in July 2023, but it appears to have continued through a publicly presented transition to AniWatch.to. AniWatch then rebranded as HiAnime in March 2024. HiAnime displayed a goodbye message in March 2026 and was later widely regarded by its community as permanently discontinued.
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The names and redirects support a service lineage, not a fully documented corporate ownership history. Treat any current site claiming to be an official successor with skepticism, and use licensed anime streaming or authorized physical releases rather than unverified replacement domains.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Zoro.to shut down?
Zoro.to was shut down in its original form in July 2023, but the service appeared to continue after redirecting users to AniWatch.to.
What did Zoro.to become?
AniWatch rebranded to HiAnime in March 2024. The former AniWatch domain reportedly redirected visitors to the new HiAnime domain.
Is HiAnime permanently shut down?
HiAnime displayed a goodbye message on March 13, 2026. Later community reports treated the service as permanently discontinued, although there was no clearly verified operator statement establishing every detail.
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Are new Zoro, AniWatch, or HiAnime domains official?
No. A similar name, logo, interface, or login page does not prove that a domain is an official successor. Avoid entering old credentials or installing software from unverified sites.
The Bottom Line
Zoro.to ended under its original brand in July 2023, but the service appears to have continued as AniWatch and then HiAnime. HiAnime announced a goodbye in March 2026 and was later widely treated as permanently offline. Because ownership was never transparently documented, current sites using those names should not automatically be trusted as official successors.
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