[Kiwami]

Of course it's illegal, technically. And you're giving money to them via ads, if you're not blocking them.

However, I doubt anyone behind Japanese Tokusatsu sees a minority of adults in the west who watch fansubs of their stuff as a risk to their business.

These shows exist to sell toys; the toys sell well, so they won't go after people who give it more exposure.

The way I see it, as long as there isn’t a legal way to get your hands on a show (via a legitimate streaming service like Crunchyroll or home video releases like Shout's Sentai DVD's) then its okay to download / stream the subtitled episodes. Even though this isn’t how it works, I like to believe that me paying for some of the role-play toys I like or the Figuarts I collect is giving them the money they deserve.

Because if we're realistic, the subbing groups give them extra business, their subs open up Japanese exclusive shows to an audience that was never meant to be reached yet also likes to buy their stuff. They are actually giving Toei, Bandai etc. money; they aren't loosing anything just because we can watch the show for free.