Aniplex: A Diversified Entertainment Company Doing All Things "Anime"

Overseeing the planning, production, development, and business expansion of not only anime, but of video games and music as well, Aniplex is a truly multidimensional and diversified entertainment company that does all things “anime.” Widely recognized for its work on legendary anime titles including Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and Sword Art Online, the company is also behind major anime-based video games, such as the wildly popular mobile game Fate/Grand Order, as well as the production of anime music, including soundtracks, character songs, and theme songs.

Aniplex’s origins lie in an animation business launched in 1995 within the production division of Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan) Inc. (SPEJ), with investment from Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. In 1997, the business was succeeded by a joint venture between SMEJ and SPEJ, before becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of SMEJ in 2001. The company was renamed Aniplex Inc. in 2003 and continues to operate under that name today.

Aniplex's development within SMEJ, while retaining its roots in visual entertainment, continues to shape Aniplex's distinctive strengths today. As a diversified entertainment company, SMEJ operates across a wide range of fields - including not only music production, but also event production, merchandising, mobile games, and more. This full spectrum of abilities and expertise gives Aniplex the freedom to craft each of its projects around the unique aspects of the title.

Aniplex's anime production expertise is also another defining feature of the company, as it spans everything from project planning, to actual production, to the expansion of its projects as IP for continued growth in the future. At the heart of this expertise is the company's close relationship with its studios. Aniplex established its own animation studio, A-1 Pictures, in 2005. Later in 2018, A-1 Pictures' Koenji studio was renamed CloverWorks to create its own new brand, and CloverWorks, Inc. was established through a company split from A-1 Pictures in October of that year. Today, A-1 Pictures and CloverWorks each leverage their own production structures and distinct characteristics, playing important roles in the group's anime production. Aniplex remains deeply involved in planning and production, working closely with these studios. By maintaining this closeness to the production process, Aniplex can truly understand each title's appeal and potential, becoming one of the company's key strengths.

The combination of these strengths - Aniplex's uniquely developed production capabilities and SMEJ's diverse entertainment businesses - forms the basis of Aniplex's comprehensive ability to develop IP. From the very earliest planning stages, production is done while keeping a close eye on not only the anime adaptation itself, but also what other ways the title can reach and engage fans over time. In this way, Aniplex is able to continually expand its library of anime works and create connections with fans through a multitude of directions, including video games, stage productions, live events, merchandise, packaged media releases, international licensing, and more.

Complementing these key strengths, the Sony Group is also home to companies with a wide range of expertise and resources, including Crunchyroll, which help bring content to fans around the world. By collaborating with these companies across the Sony Group, Aniplex takes a new title fresh from the drawing board and transforms it into an IP beloved by fans for years to come, making it all possible through its holistic and ever evolving business.

Crunchyroll: Bringing Anime and Connections to Fans Across the World

On the opposite end of both the anime business supply chain and the globe itself, Crunchyroll is one of the world's ultimate fan destinations and anime-focused brands, centered around its premium streaming service that delivers anime to more than 21 million paid subscribers across more than 200 countries and territories.* Although distributing anime forms the core of Crunchyroll's services, they also work on a variety of other anime-related ventures to serve fans, including theatrical releases, video games, online retail, merchandise, and events around the world. While Crunchyroll's streaming service is not currently available in Japan, it's widely recognized by anime fans overseas as the premier anime streaming platform for enjoying anime's newest hits, timeless classics, hidden gems, and everything in between.

First founded in the United States in 2006, Crunchyroll has the distinction within the Sony Group of having organically emerged from a community of anime fans outside Japan, rather than starting as one of Sony's business ventures. In August 2021, Crunchyroll was acquired by Funimation Global Group, a joint venture between SPE and Aniplex operating its own anime distribution service. The two leaders united under the Crunchyroll brand, which continues to operate as a joint venture between SPE and Aniplex today.

One of Crunchyroll's greatest assets is its global distribution streaming platform and its years of distribution expertise. For many international anime fans, Crunchyroll is both what gave them their first taste of anime, as well as the place to go for the latest episodes of new shows, leading to Crunchyroll's loyal paid subscriber base to continue to grow.

A key point behind Crunchyroll's global presence is the company's staunch commitment to localization efforts, born from its strong understanding of its fanbase. Bringing anime to audiences around the world takes more than simply providing the titles alone, which is why Crunchyroll maintains its own localization and dubbing teams to produce both subtitled and dubbed versions of episodes for fans to enjoy across different languages and cultures, working with strong partners around the globe to deliver that same quality. Expertly balancing preservation of the original Japanese version with tailored adaptations for audiences in each country and region is what makes Crunchyroll truly stand out as a streaming service. With some variation depending on title, Crunchyroll currently offers content in 17+ languages across 200+ territories.

This multi-lingual, multi-cultural distribution platform is further supported by Crunchyroll's collaboration with SPE, which has extensive experience in bringing film and television content to audiences worldwide. Together with SPE, Crunchyroll is a leader in theatrical distribution of anime, becoming a key figure in providing the latest anime film releases to audiences everywhere. Perhaps most notable among these projects are the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba films, distributed in partnership with Aniplex, which have shattered box office records for anime films across the globe.

Crunchyroll is also deeply involved in building fandom through special events and community engagements with involvement in more than 100 events around the globe. One of the biggest events for both fans and creators is the annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards. Featuring a wide roster of guest appearances and performances as voted on by fans around the world, the ceremony is broadcast from Tokyo to a global audience through Crunchyroll's official YouTube channel.

Additionally, on October 7 of this year, Crunchyroll will also host the Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum in New York: the very first global event for the anime industry. This thought leadership conference will bring together creators and industry professionals to discuss the future of anime and its continued worldwide expansion, while simultaneously fostering new connections through the shared medium of anime.

That is what anime and Crunchyroll does. It crosses languages, cultures and borders. And it brings people together.

Meeting in the Middle: Sony Group's Anime Business

Though they share the mantle of Sony's anime business, the story behind Aniplex and Crunchyroll are as different as can be, and the expertise wielded by the two companies thus differs accordingly.

With roots deeply embedded in their anime business in Japan, Aniplex has honed its expertise in project planning and production, as well as its comprehensive producing capabilities, as member of SMEJ. Meanwhile, Crunchyroll has its roots in the international anime fan community and excels at bringing anime works to audiences around the world while consistently nurturing fandom. These two companies, each with their own origins, strengths, histories, and paths to the present, are now seeing those paths converge within the Sony Group.

Just last year in 2025, Aniplex and Crunchyroll jointly established HAYATE, a new anime production company aiming to plan and produce anime titles for fans around the world. Other projects between the two companies include an anime adaptation of Sony Interactive Entertainment subsidiary Sucker Punch Productions' hit game Ghost of Tsushima and its online multiplayer mode, Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, slated to stream exclusively on Crunchyroll. Co-produced by Crunchyroll and Aniplex, Sony Music Entertainment will serve as the project's strategic music and soundtrack partner with additional involvement from PlayStation Productions. New titles and experiences are born through these cross-group initiatives, fusing each company's respective strengths in the production and distribution process to create something new for fans.

Just as the worldwide market for anime keeps expanding and new ways to enjoy anime continue to appear, Aniplex and Crunchyroll are each using their expertise to bring something new to audiences. Together, these two stories have become a powerful force driving the Sony Group's anime business today.