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How to Watch FOD in the US: VPN Guide 2026
If you follow Japanese dramas or anime, sooner or later you will run into FOD (Fuji TV On Demand). It is the streaming service from Fuji TV, home to the famous getsu-ku Monday-night dramas, variety shows, movies, and anime from the Noitamina block. The catch is simple: FOD is sold only in Japan, so opening it from the US gets you a geoblock instead of a catalog. There is a free, ad-supported catch-up layer plus a paid FOD Premium plan with a library of over 80,000 titles.
A VPN assigns you a Japanese IP address, so the service behaves as if you were sitting in Tokyo. A VPN is not a subscription, though: you pay for FOD Premium yourself, and outside Japan you will most likely need a Japanese payment method. Below you will find a step-by-step setup, the yen pricing, and an honest warning about where this usually gets tricky.
80,000+
Total titles
1
Country
1080p
Max quality
4 of 7
VPNs work
4+ min
Ready in
Quick answer
Can I watch FOD in the US?
Not directly. FOD (Fuji TV On Demand) (Fuji TV On Demand) officially runs only in Japan, so it loads only after you connect to a Japanese server with a VPN such as ExpressVPN. A VPN just changes your location, though: you still pay for FOD yourself, and from the US you will most likely need a Japanese payment method, typically a Japanese Apple ID funded with yen, or Amazon Pay on a Japanese account.
VPN Compatibility
Best VPN for FOD
FOD actively blocks VPNs. Only certain providers reliably bypass the detection.
Tested on August 24, 2026 · 7 VPNs, 4 working · residential IP from Japan · FOD updates detection continuously, results may change.
⚠️
Streaming service blocking your VPN? Just disconnect and hop onto a different server in the same country. Stick to the ones labeled “streaming” or “optimized” because they’re literally built for this.
How-to
How to Unblock FOD with a VPN
Takes about 2 minutes. Works on your phone, tablet, TV, PC, or laptop.
1
Pick a reliable VPN
Choose a paid VPN with fast servers in Japan, such as ExpressVPN. Free VPNs tend to be slow, overcrowded, and are often detected by Japanese streaming services anyway.
Look for a provider that explicitly lists servers in Tokyo or Osaka.
2
Connect to a Japanese server
After installing, sign in and select a server in Japan. That gives you a Japanese IP and clears the geoblock on the service.
If playback stutters, switch to another Japanese server; the first one may be busy.
3
Sort out Japanese payment
You create and pay for the FOD account yourself. US cards often fail Japan’s 3D Secure check, so a Japanese Apple ID funded with yen is the dependable route.
Top up a Japanese Apple ID with yen credit bought from an online gift-code seller.
4
Open the app and start watching
Launch the FOD (Fuji TV On Demand) app or website, sign in, and play dramas or anime. The free layer runs with ads; Premium is ad-free.
Keep the VPN on the whole time you watch, or the geoblock will lock you out again.
Ready to watch FOD without borders?
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This overall 1-10 score combines value, reliability, and VPN compatibility into one editorial verdict. Higher = better overall experience.
6.0
Value
This 1-10 score rates the value for money: content and features vs. price. Higher = better deal. 10 = outstanding offer. 5 = market average.
9.0
Reliability
This 1-10 score rates the reliability of streams, apps, and the service overall: higher = fewer technical issues. 10 = no outages. 5 = occasional minor glitches.
5.0
Works with VPN
This 1-10 score shows how easily the platform unblocks with a VPN: higher is better. 10 = works with any service. 5 = you’ll need a premium VPN from the table above.
Availability
Which countries is FOD available in?
FOD is only available in Japan. To access it from anywhere else, use a premium VPN.
FOD is blocked in the United States, in the United Kingdom, in Australia, in Canada and in New Zealand, plus in 188 more countries. To access it, use a premium VPN like ExpressVPN.
Available
Blocked / unavailable
Last tested: July 17, 2026
⚠️
Steer clear of free VPNs. Most of them actually collect and sell your data, lack proper security audits, and can even expose you to malware. They’re also useless for streaming. Platforms block them instantly, leaving you with more headaches than solutions. Stick to paid VPNs with verified audits, like ExpressVPN, if you want something that actually works.
FOD (Fuji TV On Demand) is the streaming platform of Japan’s Fuji Television Network, running since 2005. A single app bundles the Fuji TV live feeds, catch-up for reality and variety shows and, perhaps most importantly, the prestigious Monday-night Getsu9 (月9) drama slot, which is a cultural institution in Japan. The paid FOD Premium tier adds an extended archive, exclusive programming and digital editions of selected magazines. Access is tied to Japanese IP addresses.
The FOD (Fuji TV On Demand) home layout with featured titles and menus.
Company and history
Major changes
Fuji Television launched Fuji TV On Demand, the predecessor of today's FOD (Fuji TV On Demand), as a paid video library tied to the channel's shows and its flagship drama slots.
The service branched into digital comics, adding tens of thousands of manga works to FOD and turning a pure video platform into a broader entertainment hub for Fuji TV.
Paid FOD Premium subscribers crossed the one-million mark for the first time, confirming the strength of the home-grown brand in Japan's crowded streaming market.
The FOD Premium subscriber base grew past 1.5 million, meaning the service added another half-million paying viewers in under two years.
Fuji TV introduced FOD SHORT, a standalone app for vertical short-form dramas, testing on a Japanese audience a format that quickly topped download charts.
FOD Premium revised its pricing, lifting the standard monthly tier from the previous 976 yen to 1,320 yen including tax, in step with its expanded content slate.
Per Sensor Tower data, the FOD SHORT app ranked number one in Japan among domestic short-drama publishers in both revenue and downloads.
FOD SHORT launched in the US and Canada as the very first overseas expansion of a Fuji TV platform, opening with 39 original titles carrying English subtitles.
Content & Catalog
What to watch on FOD?
80,000+
Total titles
~500
New titles/month
25
Max offline downloads
Content TypesMovies · Series · Live TV · Live Sport · Anime · Documentaries · Kids · News · Originals · Offline
SubtitlesJapanese
DubbingJapanese
Payment methodsCredit card · Apple Pay · Google Pay · Carrier billing · Amazon Pay
Offline downloadsUp to 1080p offline · Download expires after 48 days
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Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
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Bleach
★ 8.42004
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Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-
★ 8.12016
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ジョジョの奇妙な冒険
★ 8.62012
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Years ago, the fearsome Pirate King, Gol D. Roger was executed leaving a huge pile of treasure and the famous "One Piece" behind. Whoever claims the "One Piece" will be named the new King of the Pirates.
Monkey D. Luffy, a boy who consumed a "Devil Fruit," decides to follow in the footsteps of his idol, the pirate Shanks, and find the One Piece. It helps, of course, that his body has the properties of rubber and that he’s surrounded by a bevy of skilled fighters and thieves to help him along the way.
Luffy will do anything to get the One Piece and become King of the Pirates!
One Piece
★ 8.81999
#6TV
Deep down in the Pacific Ocean in the subterranean city of Bikini Bottom lives a square yellow sponge named SpongeBob SquarePants. SpongeBob lives in a pineapple with his pet snail, Gary, loves his job as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab, and has a knack for getting into all kinds of trouble without really trying. When he’s not getting on the nerves of his cranky next door neighbor Squidward, SpongeBob can usually be found smack in the middle of all sorts of strange situations with his best buddy, the simple yet lovable starfish, Patrick, or his thrill-seeking surfer-girl squirrel pal, Sandy Cheeks.
SpongeBob SquarePants
★ 7.71999
#7TV
Once the Demon King, now a shut-in NEET, Ryusei Narukami’s second life is anything but peaceful! When Meteor Hanaori, the Hero who once defeated him, suddenly returns as a normal high school girl, his world is thrown into chaos. Determined to change, Ryusei reenters society as a teacher and ends up teaching at her school! Their explosive reunion reignites the past, and sparks an unexpected love!
Hanaori-san Still Wants to Fight in the Next Life
★ 7.42026
#8TV
Just as His Highness’s favored butterfly Reirin is beloved by the prince, jealous “court sewer rat” Keigetsu uses magic to swap their bodies, and their destinies. With a looming execution, Reirin embraces her new, healthy body, while Keigetsu learns Reirin’s life isn’t what it seems as she’s pulled into an inner-court conspiracy.
Though I Am an Inept Villainess
★ 8.52026
#9TV
The war is over, and hero Dias is finally rewarded with land of his own, only to discover it’s a barren frontier with no people, no villages, and no sign of civilization. With nothing but endless grassland ahead of him, Dias sets out to build a domain from the ground up. But after meeting Alna, a mysterious girl with a blue horn, his lonely frontier is about to spring to life.
The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects
★ 6.72026
#10TV
Sasaki is an overworked salaryman drifting through the corporate grind, sustained by cigarettes and the cheerful service and smile of Yamada, the clerk at his favorite supermarket. But one night after a grueling shift, he arrives late to find Yamada nowhere to be seen. With nowhere left to smoke, his spirits sink, until a pierced young woman calls out to him: “You can smoke here.”
Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You
★ 8.92026
#11TV
After a mysterious hand drags her beneath a puddle, modern Japanese teenager Yuri awakens in the Hittite Empire of the 14th century BCE. Thrust into a deadly struggle for the throne, she joins Prince Kail to battle assassins, outwit royal conspiracies, and survive a world at war. As her exploits earn her renown as the goddess Ishtar, Yuri must choose between her old life and an uncertain future.
Red River
★ 7.62026
#12TV
Luck, an S-rank mage in the hero’s party, makes a last stand against the Demon King to save his companions. When he finally returns victorious, ten years have passed, and the world praises him as a legendary hero who died in battle. Unable to reclaim his former life, Luck conceals his identity and begins again as "Lock," an F-rank adventurer forging a future in a world that moved on without him.
I Became a Legend After My 10 Year-Long Last Stand
5 tips from our FOD testing team · Updated July 17, 2026
1
FOD only streams to Japanese IP addresses, so to watch from abroad connect ExpressVPN to a server in Japan first.
2
The Standard Course at ¥1,320/month unlocks 80,000+ titles plus unlimited reading of 200+ magazines, while the cheaper Light Course runs with ads.
3
Claim your monthly points manually: the 300 points on the 1st arrive automatically, but the bonus points on dates ending in 8 expire unless you tap to collect them.
4
The Standard Course carries no ads and lets you download episodes to your phone for offline viewing, while the cheaper Light Course runs with ads and skips downloads, so weigh the gap based on whether you watch at home or on the move.
5
From the 2026 season Formula 1 streams straight through FOD: the service is the first Japanese platform with an F1 TV integration, so it unlocks F1 TV Pro too, with onboard cameras, team radio and the archive. Access still needs a Japanese IP, meaning ExpressVPN connected to Japan.
Alternatives
Other services you can watch
Not the right fit? Here are services in the same category you can compare.
When Netflix US drops a new series, she knows before the algorithm does. Tracks libraries on Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, BBC iPlayer, and regional platforms like Hulu and Peacock, logs geo-differences, and tests where a VPN actually unlocks access and where the promised unblock falls flat.
Streaming librariesGeo-unblock testingNetflix catalogsRegional platformsBBC iPlayer and HuluBroadcasting rights
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know before subscribing to FOD.
Because FOD (Fuji TV On Demand) holds its licenses for Japan only. It streams strictly inside Japan, and outside that territory the service blocks you by IP address. A viewer in the US gets in only by connecting to a Japanese server over a VPN to obtain a Japanese IP. The service then reads your location as Japan and unlocks the catalog, but you always pay for the subscription yourself.
The paid FOD Premium plan costs ≈ $8.32/mo per month and unlocks the full library of over 80,000 titles: dramas, anime, variety shows, and movies, plus reading access to several hundred magazines. The price is set in yen, so it converts at the current exchange rate. Alongside Premium there is a free, ad-supported catch-up layer, but it is far more limited in what it offers.
This is usually the sticking point. Japan’s 3D Secure verification rejects many foreign cards, so a US card often fails at FOD checkout. The dependable route is a Japanese Apple ID funded with yen credit, or Amazon Pay tied to a Japanese Amazon.co.jp account. Without a Japanese payment method you typically cannot reach Premium, even with the VPN switched on.
No. You need a VPN with fast, working servers in Japan; otherwise you either fail to get a Japanese IP or the video stutters. Free VPNs are also routinely detected and blocked by Japanese streaming services, so a paid option like ExpressVPN pays off. The key is a provider that genuinely operates servers in Japan and can handle high-quality streaming.
Yes. Noitamina is Fuji TV’s celebrated anime slot, and its titles appear in the FOD Premium catalog alongside other new and older series. Beyond anime, the service leans heavily on Japanese dramas, including the Monday-night getsu-ku slot, plus variety shows and movies. That mix of drama and anime is exactly why fans outside Japan go looking for the service.
Yes, part of the content runs in a free, ad-supported catch-up layer where you can replay selected recently aired episodes. It is only a slice of the catalog and it plays with ads. Full, ad-free access to the complete library of over 80,000 titles comes only with the paid FOD Premium plan, which you subscribe to on a monthly basis.
It works in a web player and in mobile apps for iOS and Android, plus supported smart TVs. From abroad, though, the real puzzle is downloading the app: Japanese apps usually live in the Japanese store, so on an iPhone a Japanese Apple ID helps. Whatever you watch on, a VPN connected to a Japanese server must stay on the entire time.
The account is tied to a single subscription and concurrent streams are limited, so it is not a family plan for many devices at once. If you watch over a VPN from the US, remember that every device also has to connect to a Japanese server. Sharing your login outside your household generally goes against the service’s terms of use as well.
Yes, you cancel in your account settings or wherever you paid, typically through a Japanese Apple ID. The important part is to cancel before the billing period ends, otherwise it renews automatically for another month. After canceling you usually keep access until the paid period runs out, and only then does your access to the catalog stop.
Ready to watch FOD without borders?
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