

I am as muslim but not a scholar. You know what that means so be warned. I think it falls under the same as marriage where the necessity and law is dependent on your situation. It could be mubah, makruh, or haram. I think there is no situation where it could be halal unless somehow your life is threatened without pirating. I cannot equate it to stealing with my limited knowledge because with stealing, there are actual lost not just potential lost. And we already have ruling about speculation / unrealized gain

Wait until all the manga and anime can no longer be accessed by piracy and their sales go down or marketing budget goes skyrocket