If you’re a fan of crime drama or gang stories, you may want to watch the Ikebukuro West Gate Park anime series online.
Luckily, several online services have IWGP. For many people, it’s simply a matter of figuring out which option to choose. This article can help.
We can also show you how a good VPN can help you watch more anime, no matter where you are.
Ikebukuro West Gate Park Basics
As the name implies, the series takes place in Ikebukuro. The neighborhood is one of the major hubs on Tokyo’s Yamanote loop line, to the north of both Shinjuku and Shibuya.
However, IWGP does not feature Ikebukuro’s clean and friendly face. Instead, it focuses on the dark and gritty underbelly, home to the G-Boys gang.
In the anime, each episode presents streetwise good guy Makoto with some problem he must deal with. These are typically solved with a mixture of hardboiled detective work, confronting troublemakers, and vigilante justice.
Ikebukuro West Gate Park Release Dates
Ira Ishida started the IWGP novel series in 1998. He has written 15 volumes so far.
A live-action drama series ran for 12 episodes in 2000. The first seinen manga series ran from 2001 to 2004. The second manga, a shonen adaptation, appeared in Weekly Shonen Magazine in 2003. Young Champion published a new seinen manga in 2008.
The anime series aired in 2020. There were 12 episodes in the first season. The creators have not announced a season 2.
List of Places to Watch Ikebukuro West Gate Park Online
- Netflix
- Crunchyroll
- Apple TV
- Amazon Prime Video (U.S.)
- Funimation
Note: All of the places mentioned are legal, licensed websites. You will find no pirate sites here.
Where to Watch Ikebukuro West Gate Park Online
1. Netflix
Netflix has two different versions of Ikebukuro West Gate Park. They’re not the same, but they share similar plots.
If you want the more recent anime series, you will need Netflix Korea, which has the series in Japanese with Korean subtitles. You can find the IWGP anime listing here.
In some countries, you can get the live-action drama of the series. Click here if you want to watch that version.
As with many series on Netflix, people in the United States have a lot of language options. However, some countries have far fewer options. If you’re in Japan, you can use a good VPN, such as NordVPN, to get English subtitles. Here’s how:
How to Watch Ikebukuro West Gate Park on Netflix Anywhere in the World
This method works on both desktop PCs and mobile phones or tablets.
- Purchase (or start a free trial) of a VPN. I can confirm that NordVPN works for this purpose.
- In the settings, choose United States as your location.
- Fire up the VPN and wait for it to do its magic
- Once you’re connected, navigate to Netflix (browser or app)
- Search “Ikebukuro West Gate Park” in the Netflix search bar and you should see the series pop up.
Enjoy! Please note that if your Netflix library doesn’t update to reflect the country you selected in your VPN, you may have to clear the Netflix cache first and try again.
To do this on mobile, go to settings -> apps -> Netflix -> clear cache. To do this on PC, you have to clear the cache in your web browser.
I’ve had no trouble using this method and I still use NordVPN to watch anime from various Netflix country libraries daily.
Pros
- A lot of good anime and non-anime content
- Live-action version (in some places)
Cons
- No English subtitles on the anime
Price: Basic with ads, $6.99/ month. Basic: $9.99/ month. Standard: $15.49/ month. Premium: $19.99.
Language options: Anime (in Korea) – Japanese with Korean subtitles. Live-action (in U.S.) – Japanese with subtitles in English, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, European Spanish, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Malay, Polish, Romanian, Thai, Turkish, and Vietnamese.
Watch Ikebukuro West Gate Park online on Netflix.
2. Crunchyroll
Anime streaming service Crunchyroll offers the anime series in many regions. In the U.S., the show comes with a variety of languages, although not as many as some shows.
Not all of its content is available in all countries. Check out this helpful article if you are having issues with Crunchyroll.
Pros
- A lot of current and classic anime shows
- Several language options
Cons
- Service may be geo-locked in some areas
Price: Free, limited viewing allowed for some shows (but not IWGP). $7.99 for “fan” level; $9.99 for “mega fan”; and $14.99 for “ultimate fan.”
Language options: Audio in Japanese or English. Subtitles in English, German, Latin American Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese, and Arabic.
Watch Ikebukuro West Gate Park at Crunchyroll.
3. Apple TV
You can buy Ikebukuro West Gate Park episodes at Apple TV. Like with Crunchyroll, there may be restrictions in some countries.
Keep in mind that you are buying episodes or a full season, rather than renting episodes. Depending upon how much you buy, buying can cost more than a monthly subscription. Also, purchased episodes are either subtitled or dubbed, but not both.
Pros
- A decent selection of anime
Cons
- Buying, rather than renting or subscribing
Price: $2.99 per episode; or $24.99 for a whole season.
Language options: Japanese with English subtitles; or English dubbed.
Watch Ikebukuro West Gate Park at Apple TV.
4. Amazon Prime Video (U.S.)
Amazon Prime Video in the U.S. has the series. The situation is similar to Apple TV, except that you can buy standard definition (SD) or high definition versions. SD is cheaper, but the quality will be lower.
If you want the Original Japanese Version with English subtitles, that version has its own webpage, available here.
Pros
- A decent selection of anime and non-anime content
Cons
- Buying, rather than subscribing
Price: $1.99 for SD episodes. $18.99 for SD season. $2.99 for HD episodes. $23.99 for HD season.
Language options: Japanese with English subtitles, or English dubbed
Watch Ikebukuro West Gate Park at Amazon Prime Video.
5. Funimation
Although Funimation and Crunchyroll have merged, you can still watch some anime shows at Funimation.
You will need a Funimation subscription, which is separate from a Crunchyroll account.
Funimation is only available in the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and Brazil.
Pros
- A good selection of anime
Cons
- Limited availability
Price: Free account (does not include IWGP). Two-week free trial. Premium: $7.99/ month. Premium Plus: $9.99/ month.
Language options: Japanese with English, Latin American Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles, or English dubbed
Watch Ikebukuro West Gate Park at Funimation.
Hopefully, this article can be your map to Ikebukuro from anywhere on Earth.
