How to Change Crunchyroll Language on Roku

You successfully downloaded Crunchyroll onto your Roku. It’s time to sit back and relax with your favorite show, right?

Not so fast.

Before you can binge on an entire season of One Piece, you need to make sure that Crunchyroll displays the right language. After all, what good is having the picture if you don’t understand the action?

But changing the language on Crunchyroll isn’t as straightforward as other streaming platforms, as you’ll soon find out.

Changing Language for Streaming on Roku

When you first do the set-up for a Roku device, it takes you through some preferred language options. These options are the ones that show the display and UI language for the app. But it doesn’t necessarily affect the language used while streaming.

According to Roku:

“It is the responsibility of the channel publisher to translate their channel and some channels may not support your chosen language.”

Long story short, language translations come from platforms like Netflix and Crunchyroll. Roku doesn’t translate the shows for you, so changing the language settings only affects the Roku app. Not the streaming video.

Now, in Crunchyroll’s case, there are two things you need to remember.

The first thing is that all anime shows come from Japan, therefore, the default audio is nearly always in Japanese. There are a few exceptions where you may find dubbed videos, but the Japanese language rule is generally true for most of Crunchyroll’s library.

Another factor to keep in mind is that Crunchyroll is a U.S.-based company. That means that they’re always going to prioritize English subtitles above any other language. They do try to provide other language options for more recent shows, but older ones are only in English and Japanese.

So, this goes back to the original question:

Can you change the language options for Crunchyroll on Roku?

Yes, but only the soft subtitles.

The audio is in the show’s original language. Some older shows offer dubbed audio for episodes, but those audio files are in English.

In general, the international anime fan-base moved away from dubbed tracks over the years. They felt it took something away from the original and distribution companies follow the demand.

While you may find some dubbed shows in a country where that language is the primary one, it probably won’t be on Crunchyroll.

If you’re ready to roll with the subtitle, keep reading below to get on with the show.

Change Language Using a Browser (PC)

You can change your language settings in a couple of ways. The first way to do it is to go to Crunchyroll on your web-browser. Log into your account and click on Profile near the top of the screen. Scroll down and click on Settings from the dropdown menu.

On the next page, you’ll see a variety of settings in the left sidebar. Scroll down to Video Preferences and select it. It’s in the Account Settings section.

Under Video Preferences, open the drop-down menu and scroll to your preferred language. Click on it to set it for your account. A confirmation of your language preference changes will appear as a message banner near the top of the screen.

Change Language Using a Mobile App

If you like to do everything on your mobile device, or aren’t near your PC, you can still change the language settings for Crunchyroll.

First, grab your device and open the Crunchyroll app.

You’ll see a variety of options near the bottom of the screen. Tap on the icon with the outline of a person. The next screen is an abbreviated version of your Settings menu. If you want more options to tailor your experience, you’ll need to go to your account using a browser. But these settings are sufficient to change the language for your profile.

Tap on Subtitle Language or the language arrow in the General section to open the next menu. Scroll and select your preferred language. Tap on the Home button near the bottom of your device screen when you’re done.

One Last Word

You should see the new subtitle language when you stream with your Roku device. Some shows don’t offer options for all 11 languages, though. So, just because you choose a language option doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s available for display for the show you’re watching.

If you want to double-check, you can always check out the information page for the individual show. It lists the language options available underneath the synopsis.

Did you change your Crunchyroll streaming language for your Roku device? Tell us about it in the comments section below.