Toei Animation Announces Global Expansion Plans

If you need more proof of anime’s dominance, just look at Toei Animation. The company has been around for decades, and it has rolled out some of the industry’s most popular titles. From Dragon Ball to Slam Dunk and One Piece, Toei Animation is busier than ever these days given anime’s rise in global demand. And now, a new report the brand is ready to expand globally.

In a recent report, Variety confirmed Toei Animation’s plans to expand its reach. The global initiative will begin in Europe as Toei Animation is looking to open an office in Italy. According to the report, other global offices are being eyed with locations in India and South America high up on the list.

Currently, Toei Animation has a few overseas offices. The company has long had workers present in North America as well as Asia, Australia, Africa, and the Middle East. However, it seems Toei Animation is eager to expand those branches and open new ones. It seems the market in Europe is ripe for expansion, and that is why the company is planning to open its Italian office ASAP.

Shinohara Satoshi, an executive at Toei Animation, detailed the company’s ambitious plans during a recent appearance at TIFFCOM. It was there the exec said it would be “hugely significant” to have a sales division present in India. And as for an office in Mexico? Well, Shinohara says serving that Latin American audience would be a “game changer”.

For decades, Toei Animation – and most anime studios if we’re being fair – looked inward for metrics. The audience being catered to was distinctly Japanese, but in recent years, data has proven the global appetite for anime is set to dwarf the demand in Japan just by population alone. From 2012 to 2021, Toei Animation has seen more than a 40% increase in global revenue. However, those profits are eaten into by licensors and the like. Despite earning nearly $660 million in global revenue last year, Toei Animation’s net income stood at $157 million.

As you can imagine, Toei Animation wants to cut down on middle-man costs while expanding its IP notoriety on a global scale. Given the rate at which anime and manga are growing, it is easy to see why the company is running forward with this expansion.

What do you think about this latest update from Toei Animation? Was this move overdue…? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!