Japanese leisure heavyweight Toho is stepping up its world enlargement, unveiling plans Friday to ascertain a European headquarters whereas buying British anime distributor Anime Restricted and coming into right into a strategic alliance with Germany’s Plaion Footage.
The strikes will see Toho World — the corporate’s abroad enterprise arm — arrange European operations in London earlier than the top of the 12 months, positioning the brand new base as a continental hub for movie, tv, streaming, dwelling leisure, merchandise and video games, all tied to Toho’s animation and choose live-action IP.
The European push follows a busy interval of abroad enlargement for Toho, as the corporate has labored to construct a worldwide working infrastructure round its IP amid the surging worldwide recognition of Japanese anime and live-action content material. In late 2024, Toho acquired U.S.-based animation distributor GKIDS and launched Toho Leisure Asia in Singapore, establishing operational hubs throughout North America and Asia. With the addition of Europe, Toho now maintains bases in all three main areas.
The timing displays a broader surge in world demand for Japanese content material — anime particularly — throughout each streaming platforms and theatrical markets. Japanese titles have more and more damaged out past core fandoms, supported by world launch methods and event-style theatrical runs. The pattern turned unmistakable in 2025, when Sony Group’s Demon Slayer: Infinity Citadel earned a staggering $715 million on the world field workplace. For Toho, the momentum has been particularly seen by GKIDS, which has dealt with North American releases of current worldwide standouts resembling Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron and Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume, each of which delivered unusually sturdy theatrical performances.
The transfer additionally comes as Europe emerges as one of many fastest-growing worldwide markets for anime. Business estimates worth the European anime sector at roughly $4.8 billion in 2024, with projections that it might almost double by the top of the last decade, increasing at a double-digit annual tempo. Toho’s technique is designed to place the corporate to take part extra instantly in that development, pairing its personal distribution operations within the U.Okay. and France with Plaion Footage’ established attain throughout continental Europe.
As a part of the technique, Toho World will purchase one hundred pc of Anime Restricted from Plaion Footage, bringing the U.Okay.-based distributor underneath its European construction. Anime Restricted founder and managing director Andrew Partridge will stay with the corporate and be part of the management group of Toho’s European regional headquarters.
“We’re excited to welcome Andrew and the Anime Ltd group into the rising Toho household, and to start our new cooperation relationship with Plaion Footage,” mentioned Koji Ueda, president and consultant director of Toho World. He added that the transfer accelerates Toho’s worldwide enlargement timeline. “We look ahead to working along with our new group members and companions to deliver superb content material to followers within the U.Okay., France and throughout the Continent.”
Based in 2012, Anime Restricted operates primarily within the U.Okay. and France, dealing with theatrical distribution, dwelling video and streaming releases of Japanese animation. Its catalog consists of titles resembling Assault on Titan, JUJUTSU KAISEN, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Your Title, Weathering With You and One Piece Movie: Pink. The corporate additionally launched Toho’s Godzilla Minus One within the U.Okay., the place it turned the highest-grossing Japanese live-action movie of all time.
“Each myself and the group have lengthy beloved working collectively on TOHO properties, as evident from making Godzilla Minus One the most effective Japanese reside motion field workplace hit of all time within the U.Okay.,” Partridge mentioned. “We look ahead to changing into a part of the Toho household and dealing nearer and extra collaboratively with its group firms to broaden the curiosity of anime throughout our territories.”
Alongside the acquisition, Toho World and Plaion Footage have agreed to type a strategic alliance that positions Plaion as Toho’s most well-liked companion throughout Germany, Italy and different European territories, extending Toho’s attain past the U.Okay. and France.
Toho mentioned the acquisition and alliance are anticipated to have a negligible impression on its consolidated monetary outcomes for the present fiscal 12 months, with the main target as a substitute on medium- to long-term development.