The hacking of Toei Animation saw a major monkey wrench thrown into the works of a number of projects that come out of the animation studio, including the likes of One Piece, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, and many others. While it was confirmed that the company would be bringing back a number of series in the coming weeks, new details have arrived that will give anime fans a better understanding of why Toei stopped production and just what kind of hack took place.
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In a recent report by news outlet NHK, it was revealed that the hacking attack on Toei Animation was a “ransomware” assault, meaning that those who put together the hack were requesting financial compensation to bring the attack to an end. Announcing last month that they had halted their production of anime series as a result of this hack, Toei also noted that even with some of their top series set to return in the next few weeks, the “impact on production” is apparently continuing. Currently, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero still has no official release date, with the feature-length film originally set to land in Japan later this month, and set to hit North America this summer.
In an official release, Toei Animation had this to say as an update to fans:
“We are still investigating the detailed situation and are working on normalization. We deeply apologize to our fans for their concern.”
As it stands, the release of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero in the West has yet to be discussed by Toei, as it was originally set to arrive this summer. Another movie that has yet to reveal whether or not it has been affected by the hack is One Piece: Red, which was set to arrive this August and finally brings back Red-Haired Shanks to the series, having not seen Luffy face-to-face since the Straw Hat was a child. Considering the latest events taking place in One Piece’s manga, the return of Shanks is one of the most anticipated anime moments in 2022.
Which delay hit you the hardest when it comes to the hacking of Toei Animation? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Toei.
