Best Animation Studios in Tokyo (2026)

Introduction

Tokyo is the centre of Japan’s animation industry, and the 11 studios below cover most of what a buyer or partner would look for there: long-running TV producers, feature houses, a commercial CG specialist and younger studios working across series, music videos and game openings. They were chosen for recent work, a confirmed Tokyo studio and the range of what they make.

Demand for Japanese animation has grown quickly abroad. Aniplex reported in November 2025 that Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle had become the first Japanese film to pass ¥100 billion at the global box office, and Toei Animation, in its 70th year, signed a partnership with Lionsgate in September 2026. Studios are also spreading out in search of staff: Jiji Press reported in January 2026 that MAPPA and others were adding bases outside the capital, while most production stays in Tokyo. Much of it sits in Nakano, where five of the studios here have their main offices, and in the towns further west such as Musashino and Koganei.

Every studio here has an active Greater Tokyo address in 2026. The list runs in no fixed order of merit, since the right choice depends on the format, the schedule and whether you are commissioning work or licensing it.

The best animation studios in Tokyo

1. Toei Animation

Toei group · Nakano · toei-anim.co.jp

Toei Animation was founded in 1956 and describes itself as Japan’s first full-scale animation production company. It marked its 70th anniversary in 2026, and it has overseas subsidiaries in Manila, Hong Kong, Los Angeles and Paris. Its head office is at Nakano Central Park.

Dragon Ball, One Piece and Pretty Cure are its best-known series. In September 2026 it announced a partnership with Lionsgate, starting with the feature Monkey Quest (working title) for a US release in 2027, and a collaboration with Nigeria’s CR motion+ on the short The Storyteller. Its recent announcements lean towards co-productions and licensing, which is the likeliest route in for an outside brand.

2. Production I.G

IG Port · Musashino · production-ig.co.jp

Production I.G is a subsidiary of the listed IG Port group, with 334 staff as of June 2025. Its head office, main studio and CGI studio all sit in Nakamachi, Musashino, and it also runs a studio in Niigata.

A Kaiju No. 8 feature was confirmed for 2027 in October 2026, alongside a Haikyu!! film, Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These and an episode for Star Wars: Visions on Disney+. The studio’s careers page lists openings in production coordination and key animation for April 2027, along with a workshop for aspiring animators.

3. WIT Studio

IG Port group · Musashino · witstudio.co.jp

WIT Studio was founded in Kichijoji in June 2012 and published an interview marking its 15th year in October 2026. Its president, Takeshi Wada, also leads Production I.G, and the two studios appeared together at Anime Expo 2026.

Its listed work covers The One Piece for streaming, the TV series Candy Caries in 2026 and LONA for 2027. It also makes shorter pieces, including a 2026 commercial for Fate/Grand Order, a game promotional film for Idolish7 and a music video for Astral Lamp, so smaller commissions are a realistic conversation.

4. MAPPA

Privately held · Nakano · mappa.co.jp

MAPPA was established in June 2011 and now has 562 staff. Masao Maruyama is chairman and Manabu Otsuka is president. Tokyo is the main studio, with a second in Sendai (2018) and a CG satellite in Osaka (2023).

It is best known for Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man and Attack on Titan The Final Season. The current slate includes further Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man work, a third season of Ranma ½ and BEAT & MOTION. MAPPA also lists commercials and online video among its services, though TV anime remains the core of the business.

5. CloverWorks

Aniplex (wholly owned) · Nakano · cloverworks.co.jp

CloverWorks was spun off from A-1 Pictures in October 2018 and is wholly owned by Aniplex. It works from a tower in Nakano-sakaue. In August 2026 it strengthened the management of FLINT BASE, its animation drawing studio, and it is recruiting 2027 graduates for it.

Its titles include Bocchi the Rock!, SPY×FAMILY Season 3 and the second season of The Elusive Samurai, which began in July 2026. Shorter work is a regular part of the list: music videos for YOASOBI and Hoshimachi Suisei, an in-game opening for Gakuen Idolmaster and a commercial film for AnimeCanvas.

6. Madhouse

Nippon TV group · Nakano · madhouse.co.jp

Madhouse is a Nippon TV group company known for strong drawing and for working across TV series and theatrical films. Its office is in Honcho, Nakano, close to several of the other studios on this list.

Hunter × Hunter and One Punch Man are the titles most often associated with it. Credits vary between production teams at a studio of this kind, so ask who led the specific title you have in mind.

7. TMS Entertainment

Sega Sammy Group · Nakano · tms-e.co.jp

TMS Entertainment is the Sega Sammy Group’s animation company, with a business that spans production, licensing and merchandising. Its head office is in central Nakano.

Its long-running franchises include Lupin III, Detective Conan and Anpanman, with a Conan feature released in April 2026 and the Lupin the IIIrd film in June 2025. Recent TV work includes Sakamoto Days, Dr. Stone Science Future and a new Fist of the North Star series, which began in April 2026.

8. Shaft

Privately held · Suginami · shaft-web.co.jp

Shaft was founded in 1975 by Hiroshi Wakao, now chairman, and has been led by Mitsutoshi Kubota since 2004. Its head office is in Kamiigusa and its production studio in Kamiogi, both in Suginami. The studio closed recruitment for Tokyo staff for 2027 in September 2026.

It has a recognisable visual style, seen across the Monogatari series, Puella Magi Madoka Magica and March Comes in Like a Lion. Recent titles on its portfolio are Virgin Punk and A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof. Its stated business includes commercials and games as well as TV and film.

9. Studio Colorido

Twin Engine group · Nakano and Kokubunji · colorido.co.jp

Studio Colorido plans and produces original animation from studios in Nakano and Kokubunji, with a third in Kyoto. It sits within the Twin Engine group and announced a company relocation in October 2026, so confirm where your team would be based.

Its feature Super Kaguya-hime! began streaming worldwide on Netflix in January 2026. The studio also makes shorter work, including a POKÉTOON web short and music videos, so it has experience at shorter lengths as well as features.

10. Studio Ghibli

Nippon TV subsidiary · Koganei · ghibli.jp

Studio Ghibli has worked from its own studio in Koganei since 1992 and has 190 employees. It became a subsidiary of Nippon Television in October 2023, and it received an honorary Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2024, the first production company to do so.

Its 2026 news centres on existing films and Ghibli Park, including the first original short made for the park, which has screened since July. TV commercials appear in its stated business, though most of what it releases is its own work, so a brand commission would be unusual.

11. Shirogumi

Privately held · Sangenjaya and Chofu · shirogumi.com

Shirogumi works in 3D CG, animation, VFX, film, games and commercials, from a head office in Sangenjaya, Setagaya, and a studio in Chofu. Director Takashi Yamazaki is among its key people, and it worked on Godzilla Minus One.

It is the most commercially minded studio here, with an advertising and game record that is easy to check. Recent work includes Pokémon Sleep commercials in 2025 and 2026, the Pokémon Champions opening movie in 2026, and trailers or openings for Monster Hunter Wilds, Elden Ring Nightreign and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds in 2025.

What to look for in a Tokyo animation studio

Start with what you need to make. A TV series, a feature, a 30-second commercial and a game opening call for quite different teams, and only some of the studios here take all four. WIT Studio, CloverWorks and Shirogumi all list short-form work openly, which is a good sign for a brand or game client with a smaller brief.

Look at ownership next. Most large Tokyo studios belong to a publisher, broadcaster or entertainment group: Aniplex owns CloverWorks, Ghibli and Madhouse both sit under Nippon TV, and TMS belongs to Sega Sammy. This affects how rights are handled and who you may need to speak to, so raise it early if you hope to hold the IP or license an existing character.

Ask about the schedule and the people. Animators are in short supply across Japan, and many studios are recruiting and training their own, as CloverWorks and Production I.G both show. Ask which staff would be on your project, how much is made in-house and how much goes to outside studios, and when work would start. The best-known names often have commitments running well into 2027.

Finally, agree how work moves between you and the studio. Animation review runs through storyboards, layouts, key frames and retakes, and overseas clients also need to settle language and time zones. Feedback tied to a precise frame saves a lot of back and forth, and a single place for the latest cut stops anyone commenting on an old version.

How Fabric helps animation teams

Fabric gives a studio one workspace for its files, feedback and project knowledge, with AI search across all of it. Animation projects produce a large number of small and heavy files, from character sheets and storyboards to renders and cuts, and shared team folders keep the latest version in one place. Files stream on demand and take no local disk space, so heavy files open without a full download. There is more on this in where rendering files should live.

Review works through a shared link. Share a file or folder with the client as a commenter (no sign-up needed), and they can leave timestamped comments on video and audio, draw on a video frame to mark a correction, or draw on an image and attach a comment to the drawing. The team marks each comment completed as retakes are done, so the feedback works as a checklist. The review and approval workflow sets this out. Finished work can be published as a web page, which is view-only with optional download, and suits final delivery better than review.

Reference material is easier to find with similar search, which looks at composition, colour and subject, so an artist can start from one background and find others like it. Search works by meaning across documents, images and transcribed audio and video, and jumps to the right timestamp, which helps with recorded production meetings and voice sessions.

For pre-production, a canvas can hold storyboards and moodboards together, and a Kanban board turns a folder into a pipeline whose cards are the files themselves, with a column for each stage. Pre-release material can be shared with password protection. Fabric uses AES-256 encryption and holds CASA Tier 2, and whether that meets a licensor’s security terms is a question for your own legal and security teams.

Password protection is included on Pro and Team plans. See plans for teams.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best animation studio in Tokyo?

It depends on what you are making. On recent output, MAPPA, CloverWorks and Production I.G have some of the busiest TV and film slates, and Toei Animation has the longest history. For commercials and game openings, Shirogumi has a well-documented record.

Why are so many animation studios in Nakano?

Nakano has become a cluster for entertainment companies. A May 2026 gamebiz directory listed 13 there, including Toei Animation, MAPPA, CloverWorks, Madhouse and TMS Entertainment. Studios further west, in Suginami, Musashino and Koganei, make up much of the rest of the Tokyo scene.

Do Tokyo anime studios take commercial work?

Many do, in varying amounts. MAPPA, Shaft and Studio Ghibli all list commercials in their stated business, and WIT Studio and CloverWorks show commercials or music videos among their recent work. Shirogumi publishes a long list of advertising work. For live-action or mixed projects, the video production companies in Tokyo list is a better starting point.

Who owns the major Tokyo animation studios?

Most belong to larger groups. Aniplex owns CloverWorks, TMS Entertainment belongs to the Sega Sammy Group, Studio Ghibli and Madhouse sit under Nippon TV, IG Port is the parent of Production I.G, and Twin Engine includes Studio Colorido. Shaft’s founder remains its chairman.

Are all anime studios based in Tokyo?

Most are, largely because broadcasters and production infrastructure are concentrated there, according to Jiji Press. Regional bases are growing. MAPPA has studios in Sendai and Osaka, Production I.G has one in Niigata and Studio Colorido has one in Kyoto. Jiji reports that studios open such bases to reach local graduates and offer a better work-life balance.

Related lists

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

More in Tokyo: Creative agencies · VFX · Video production · Post-production · Sound design · Content studios

Run your studio on Fabric: Fabric for creative teams · Fabric for designers · Review and approval