Best VFX Studios in Tokyo (2026)

Introduction

Tokyo’s VFX scene is best known for Shirogumi, whose work on Godzilla Minus One won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 2024, but the eight studios below cover much more than monster films. They include live-action effects houses, large CG producers and small commercial teams, chosen for recent credits, awards and the range of work they take on.

Streaming and games account for a large share of what these studios now make. Shirogumi’s 2026 credits include three Netflix series alongside game work for Pokémon and Fire Emblem, and Digital Frontier lists Alice in Borderland season 3 next to Tekken 8. Spade&Co. moved to a new Shinagawa office in March 2026 after a run of VFX-JAPAN Awards. Godzilla Minus Zero, again made with Shirogumi, is due in Japan on 3 November 2026.

Every studio here has a Tokyo studio or office. The list runs in no fixed order of merit, since the right choice depends on the format, the budget and how much of the pipeline you need one company to handle.

The best VFX studios in Tokyo

1. Shirogumi

Independent · Setagaya and Chofu · shirogumi.com

Shirogumi was founded in 1974 by Tatsuo Shimamura and runs a head office in Setagaya and a studio in Chofu. Director and VFX supervisor Takashi Yamazaki is among its key people. On Godzilla Minus One, 35 artists at the Chofu studio delivered all 610 VFX shots, and the film became the first non-English-language winner of the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

The studio’s own 2026 list includes the Netflix series Gas Ningen and Kenka Dokugaku, Pokémon Champions, Fire Emblem: Ten Thousand Flowers and PRAGMATA. Its 2025 list includes the Netflix film Shinkansen Daibakuha and work for Monster Hunter Wilds and Elden Ring Nightreign. Film VFX, game cinematics and commercials all run within the one company.

2. Digital Frontier

Fields group · Shibuya · dfx.co.jp

Digital Frontier began as a CG section of TYO in the early 1990s, became a company in 2000 and joined Fields in 2010. It had 244 staff in February 2026, based in Sakuragaoka-cho in Shibuya, with a satellite office in Nagoya and related companies in Taiwan. Its Opakis motion capture studio in Odaiba has 100 Vicon cameras and a facial capture stage.

Credits include Alice in Borderland season 3, Mamoru Hosoda’s Scarlet, Tekken 8 and City Hunter, and it has a long record on Resident Evil and Like a Dragon projects. It also makes video for pachinko and pachislot machines, which is a steady part of the business and worth knowing when you ask about capacity.

3. Spade&Co.

Independent · Shinagawa · spade-co.jp

Spade&Co. is a film-led VFX house founded in 2014 by Kazunobu Kozaka, the VFX supervisor on the Rurouni Kenshin films, with Tetsuya Shiraishi and Yuta Kigawa. It had 75 staff in April 2026, with an office in Higashi-Shinagawa since March and a group company, SGMX, in Fukuoka. Golden Kamuy and The Land Swindlers both took top prizes at the 2025 VFX-JAPAN Awards.

Recent credits include Kokuho, Takarajima and Two Seasons, Two Strangers from 2025, plus 2026 entries in the Kingdom and Golden Kamuy series. Shin Godzilla is among its earlier work. The studio covers on-set supervision through to finishing, which suits productions that want VFX involved from the shoot.

4. Omnibus Japan

Tohokushinsha group · Akasaka · omnibusjp.com

Omnibus Japan started in 1987 as a finishing house and now operates three sites in Akasaka as part of the Tohokushinsha group. It has about 230 staff and releases around 4,000 video works a year across television, commercials, film, music videos and events.

Its CG team led planning and overall CG production on the Cat at Shinjuku East Exit, the 3D billboard. It also does research in dome video, media art and VR and AR, with Houdini, Nuke, Flame and Unreal Engine in the toolset. It suits commercial work where CG, editing and finishing are wanted from a single house.

5. Marza Animation Planet

Sega Corporation subsidiary · Shinagawa · marza.com

Marza began as a CG production department within Sega and has been a subsidiary of Sega Corporation since April 2023, with its studio at Tennoz Ocean Square in Higashi-Shinagawa. It produces CG for film, live events, music videos and series, and is a regular choice for virtual concerts.

Its 2026 list includes Girls und Panzer das Finale, Hatsune Miku’s Magical Mirai 2026, Pokémon feat. Hatsune Miku VOLTAGE Live! and Ensemble Stars!! DREAM LIVE. Tabekko Dobutsu THE MOVIE opened in May 2025, and in April 2026 the studio announced 3D anime adaptations of Opanchu Usagi and Npochamu.

6. Polygon Pictures

Independent · Minami-Azabu · ppi.co.jp

Polygon Pictures was founded in 1983, which makes it one of Japan’s longest-running CG studios. About 500 people work across its Tokyo base and studios in Malaysia and India, and most of its output is full-CG series and features for international and Japanese clients.

Recent work includes Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 and season 5 of Stillwater for Apple TV+, which began streaming in September 2026. It announced a new TV series, Maiden Blood, for 2027. It is a better fit for full-CG series than for live-action compositing.

7. MARK

Independent · Tsukiji · mark-inc.jp

MARK (MARKMARK inc.) is a high-end CGI studio founded in 2012, with 31 staff in Tsukiji. Its CG directors are generalists who are also strong technical artists, and the team works alongside its own producers, which keeps a commercial job in a small group from start to finish.

The client list leans towards beauty and corporate advertising: DECORTÉ’s Holiday 2025 gift film, Kanebo Cosmetics’ Kate, Mitsubishi Electric’s purpose film, Sumitomo Forestry and Sumitomo Mitsui Card. Its credits also include the film Enjo.

8. Transistor Studio

Independent · Sugamo · transistorstudio.co.jp

Transistor Studio has made CG for commercials and television since 1997. With 19 staff in Sugamo, Toshima, it is the smallest studio here. It specialises in Houdini effects, with Maya character animation and 2D animation alongside.

Listed work includes NHK Special’s Human series (modelling, animation, effects and compositing), the Meiji Milk Chocolate commercial made with Omnibus Japan, and the amazarashi music video Furui SF Eiga. Ask for a recent reel, since the credits it lists publicly are not dated.

What to look for in a Tokyo VFX studio

Start with the format, because Tokyo’s studios have specialised. Spade&Co. and Shirogumi handle live-action effects at feature scale. Polygon Pictures and Marza run full-CG pipelines for series and events, while MARK and Transistor Studio are set up for commercial schedules. A studio with strong game cinematics may have less to show on plate-based compositing, so ask for a reel that matches your shots.

Check how early the studio expects to be involved. Supervision on set can save money later, and houses that work from the shoot through to finishing will often want to review storyboards and plates before a price is agreed. If you need capture, Digital Frontier has its own motion and facial capture facilities in Odaiba.

Ask where the work will be done. Polygon Pictures has studios in Malaysia and India, Digital Frontier has companies in Taiwan and Spade&Co. has a group company in Fukuoka. Overseas clients should also ask who will run the job in English, and how their shots will be delivered and security-checked.

Finally, agree how shots will move between the studio and your team. A single sequence can produce many versions, and notes tend to scatter across email and review tools. Agree naming, the place where the current version lives, and who signs off each shot before work starts. Your own legal and security teams should confirm any studio or platform requirements for pre-release material.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best VFX studio in Tokyo?

The right studio depends on the project. On international recognition, Shirogumi leads, with the 2024 Oscar for Godzilla Minus One. On recent domestic awards, Spade&Co. took top VFX-JAPAN prizes for film and for television and streaming in 2025.

Which studio made the visual effects for Godzilla Minus One?

Shirogumi. A team of 35 artists at its Chofu studio worked under Takashi Yamazaki, who also directed the film. Shirogumi also handles the VFX on Godzilla Minus Zero, due in Japan on 3 November 2026.

How do VFX studios differ from animation studios in Tokyo?

VFX studios combine CG with live-action footage or build photoreal CG, while anime studios mostly produce drawn series and features. Some overlap exists: Polygon Pictures and Marza make full-CG animation. Our list of animation studios in Tokyo covers the anime side.

Which Tokyo studios suit commercials?

MARK, Transistor Studio and Omnibus Japan all list commercial work as a main line, and Shirogumi also makes commercials. For full-service finishing, see our list of post-production companies in Tokyo.

Do Tokyo VFX studios work with overseas clients?

Yes. Polygon Pictures has made series for Marvel, Lucasfilm and Apple TV+, and Netflix productions appear on the credit lists of Shirogumi and Digital Frontier. It is worth asking early about English-language producers and delivery specifications.

Related lists

VFX in other cities: New York · London · Los Angeles · Chicago · Toronto

More in Tokyo: Creative agencies · Animation · Post-production · Video production · Editing

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