Dattebayo to Drop Naruto on January 15
In response to new Naruto Shippuuden episodes being quickly available in America from official sources, infamous fansubbing group Dattebayo has announced that they will cease subbing the series effective January 15, 2009 (the date when the official subs will begin to come out). DB has long been the main source for Naruto fansub fans, especially once the series became licensed from Viz & most other fansubbers dropped the series. Their fast work on Naruto & Bleach (getting subbed eps out usually within a day after they air in Japan) has allowed them to become one of the biggest & most well-known fansubbing groups in the entire world.
Now, Dattebayo has also grown notorious for their constant tricks & trolling of their downloaders. & while they have jokingly dropped Naruto in the past, they do seem to be completely honest this time around. As posted on their website:
But like any symbiosis, you have to know when its time to move on. That time has come. Viz and Crunchyroll have gotten their acts together and are trying something new, with one of the most popular shows in anime today. I, and the rest of the staff, know that if we continue to subtitle it, they will have to ask us to stop. That's something they probably don't want to have to do, because it will most likely make all of you very mad at them. That's something they really don't deserve.
Source: http://dattebayo.com/pr/100