Reaper Scans Shuts Down After Cease and Desist from Kakao Entertainment

In a major development for the online manga and webtoon community, Reaper Scans has officially announced its permanent shutdown following a cease and desist order from Kakao Entertainment. The scanlation group, known for translating and distributing unauthorized versions of East Asian comics, confirmed the closure in a heartfelt farewell message to its readers.

The group, which began operations six years ago, originally aimed to provide fan translations of series that were not officially available in English. At the time, many popular titles lacked English releases, and when they did arrive, it often took months or even years for them to catch up to their original versions. Reaper Scans filled that gap, becoming a key source for early access to trending manhwa and web novels.

However, the landscape of digital comics has evolved significantly. With the global surge in popularity of webtoons and webnovels, many official platforms now offer timely English translations—sometimes on the same day as the original release. This shift, the group acknowledged, has rendered their original mission less relevant.

“We’re incredibly proud and humbled by the amazing community that has formed around Reaper Scans,” the team wrote in their final message. “Your enthusiasm, comments, and continuous support meant the world to us.”

The closure marks another milestone in the ongoing crackdown on piracy by major content owners. Kakao Entertainment, a South Korean media giant, has been aggressively protecting its intellectual property as part of a broader industry-wide push to eliminate unlicensed content online.

For many fans, the news is bittersweet. While official releases are now more accessible than ever, the shutdown of Reaper Scans closes a chapter in fan-driven content distribution that helped shape the webtoon boom of the 2020s.