Gokko Club

What Gokko Club does

GOKKO Inc. (株式会社GOKKO), operating under the brand 'Gokko Club' (ごっこ倶楽部), is a Tokyo-based digital entertainment company founded as a creator group in May 2021 and incorporated in February 2022. It specializes in vertical-format (9:16) short drama production optimized for smartphone fullscreen viewing under its proprietary 'WEBREEN' concept, and operates a vertically integrated production ecosystem branded 'Dramatech' that combines data analytics and AI-assisted tools (script plotting, storyboarding, color grading, horizontal-to-vertical conversion) with a full-time in-house cast and content team. The company operates Japan's first dedicated vertical short drama studio (studio505, established February 2025) and produces 1-3 minute dramas at high volume, reported as Japan's #1 vertical short drama creator group by cumulative views, followers, and likes across TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram.

The company monetizes through two primary channels: (1) B2B 'Drama Promotion' services producing branded short dramas for national enterprise clients (Toyota, JAL, NTT Docomo, JR West, PERSOL, Ajinomoto, Mizkan, Mizuho, KINTO, Asahi Beverages and others) with documented outcomes such as a 250-270% YoY increase in JAL Kumejima flight bookings and a 30-point lift in Gen Z brand awareness for NTT Docomo; and (2) B2C distribution via the proprietary POPCORN app (launched February 2025), which uses a freemium pay-per-episode coin model (~50 coins per episode) supplemented by ad-watching unlocks and daily login bonuses. Revenue is also generated from platform ad shares/creator funds on TikTok and YouTube Shorts.

GOKKO's go-to-market combines direct B2B enterprise sales with channel partnerships through Dentsu Inc. and Septeni Japan (co-founders of the Short Drama Marketing Lab), Nippon Television (co-production and strategic investor), and IP licensing relationships with major Japanese publishers (Shueisha, Shogakukan, LINE Manga, Piccoma, Koroneshutosha). The company has raised approximately 1.3 billion yen (~$8.3M USD) across a pre-Series A round (November 2022, ~200M yen) and a Series B round (July 2024, ~1.1B yen led by JAFCO Group with Nippon Television Network Corporation). As of April 2025 the company reported 85 full-time employees, with cumulative views across platforms cited at 100-120 billion and ongoing international expansion into Vietnam and Korea-Japan co-productions.

Name

Gokko Club

Legal name

株式会社GOKKO

Website

https://gokkoclub.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

GOKKO Inc. (Gokko Club) is a Tokyo-based vertical short drama production company that produces 1-3 minute 9:16 dramas distributed on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and its proprietary POPCORN app, serving two segments: Japanese enterprise clients seeking branded short-drama promotion services, and Gen Z and Millennial consumers seeking mobile-first episodic entertainment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Short-form Video Content Production and Distribution

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Short-Form Video Advertising & Brand Collaboration Platforms (MPACAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interactive/Watch-Party & Social Video Streaming Platforms (MPACAAAM), Branded Entertainment & Long-Form Content (Series, Shorts, Films) (MPADAEAG)

Keywords

• Vertical short drama
• Branded content production
• Short drama platform
• Corporate drama promotion
• Webtoon live adaptation

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Corporate Promotional Drama / Brand Integration: B2B revenue from producing branded short dramas for national enterprise clients. GOKKO integrates client brands naturally into storylines. Past clients include Toyota, JAL, NTT Docomo, JR West, Persol, Ajinomoto, Mizkan, Mizuho Bank, Asoview, XREAL, and others. Revenue generated through direct client contracts for drama promotion services.
2. POPCORN App - Per-Episode Coin Purchases: B2C revenue from proprietary app POPCORN (launched February 2025). Uses pay-per-episode (microtransaction) model similar to manga apps: initial episodes free, subsequent episodes require coin purchase (~50 coins per episode). Users can also earn free bonus coins through daily logins and ad watching (Watch-to-Unlock).
3. Platform Advertising Revenue: Revenue from serving video ads within the POPCORN app. Users who do not wish to pay can watch 30-second video ads to unlock episodes, generating ad revenue for GOKKO.
4. Platform Distribution & Licensing (TikTok/YouTube): Revenue from ad shares and creator funds on platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts where GOKKO distributes short drama content organically. Also earns from organic viral reach converted to platform monetization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Gokko Club (GOKKO Inc.) produces and distributes vertical (9:16) short dramas. For consumers it offers the POPCORN app and TikTok/YouTube Shorts/Instagram channels featuring original episodic entertainment. For enterprises it delivers branded promotional drama content (corporate short drama campaigns) integrated with paid and organic media to reach Z-generation audiences for clients such as Toyota, JAL, and NTT Docomo.

Product overview

GOKKO Inc. operates a multi-product entertainment ecosystem centered on vertical short dramas (9:16 format). The core offering is the Gokko Club creator group producing short dramas distributed across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts. Supporting this is the proprietary POPCORN app (pay-per-episode freemium model) and the studio505 production studio (Japan's first vertical short drama specialized studio). The portfolio also includes branded content services (Drama Promotion), talent management divisions (GOKKO ACTOR, GOKKO CREATOR, GO-AL GRADUATES), and the Short Drama LAB knowledge platform. GOKKO's proprietary term for vertical short video experiences is WEBREEN (Web + Screen), and its production philosophy is branded Dramatech (drama × technology).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• POPCORN: A vertical short drama app launched in February 2025, offering 1-3 minute episodic content with a pay-per-episode model. Operated by GOKKO Inc.

Products and services

• POPCORN App Vertical short drama mobile app providing immersive 9:16 fullscreen viewing with per-episode coin-based monetization, free daily login bonuses, and ad-watched episode unlock; offers both original Gokko Club dramas and licensed international short dramas (Korean, Chinese) for individual consumers.
• studio505 Japan's first dedicated vertical short drama production studio in Tokyo, equipped with minimal indoor sets (café, office, home, hospital) optimized for vertical-format filming, enabling high-volume, weather-independent content production.
• Gokko Club Short Drama Production Japan's #1 ranked vertical short drama creator group producing original 1-3 minute episodic dramas themed around everyday small love, distributed across TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram; recognized with TikTok Awards Japan 2022 and Short Drama Awards 2024.
• Drama Promotion (Corporate Branded Drama) B2B service that embeds client brands within original vertical short drama narratives for promotional and brand-lift campaigns; serves national enterprise clients including Toyota, JAL, NTT Docomo, JR West, PERSOL, Ajinomoto, Mizkan, Mizuho, and Asahi.

Quantifiable outcome

• Z-generation awareness rate improved to 49% (~30 point improvement vs web ads) for NTT Docomo campaign
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• 株式会社アシタへ (Asitahe)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2026Co-production partner for short drama 'Yankee Receptionist.' Asitahe is a producer company established January 2022 by Shinji Terachi (Representative Director). GOKKO commissioned planning and production to Asitahe; both companies co-produced the original work.
• Major Japanese Publishers (Koroneshutosha, Shueisha, Shogakukan, LINE Manga, Piccoma)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025IP partnership network for WEBTOON/comic adaptation into short dramas. GOKKO has adapted multiple popular titles including 'Cinderella Complex' (WEBTOON), '6-mata Koibito', 'Kimi ni Sasagu Otokomae', and others. Publishers provide IP rights; GOKKO provides production and distribution.
• Dentsu Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Co-founded 'Short Drama Marketing Lab' with GOKKO and Septeni Japan to research brand lift effects, ROI, and ROO measurement for short drama marketing. Provides integrated short drama and advertising delivery packages (Dentsu Group Special Package). Deep strategic collaboration on marketing science and campaign execution.
• Septeni Japan株式会社coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Co-founded 'Short Drama Marketing Lab' with GOKKO and Dentsu to research brand lift effects, ROI, and ROO measurement for short drama marketing. Joint survey with GOKKO on Z-generation video ad skip rates (95.5% finding). Co-hosted webinars on production methodology.
• Nippon Television (NTV) - Co-production AccountcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Joint production of TikTok account 'Mainichi wa Hikamukubokutachi wa.' (毎日はにかむ僕たちは。) which exceeded 1 billion total views. Approximately 1 in 4 Z-generation viewers in Japan has watched the account. Demonstrates broadcast-media digital collaboration model.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Nippon Television Network Corporation: GOKKO's Series B investor and co-production partner (joint TikTok account 'Everyday We Blush' exceeding 1B views). Largest incumbent broadcast counterpart that both funds and competes for premium short-drama IP.
• Dentsu Inc. Japan's largest advertising agency and a partner/investor-adjacent counterpart via the Short Drama Marketing Lab. Competes for Japanese brand promotion budgets where GOKKO supplies drama content within Dentsu-led campaigns.

Emerging players

• YOuShi Media (有柿传媒): Chinese vertical short-drama production company producing serialized micro-dramas for short-form apps. Closest production-side analogue to GOKKO's studio505 approach at earlier scale.
• Quibi (legacy reference): Historical precedent for premium mobile-first short-form video; Quibi's failure underscores the format-fit and pricing risk GOKKO is navigating with POPCORN. Conceptually adjacent on vertical/short-form mobile-native premium video.

Direct peers

• GoodShort: Vertical short-drama streaming app with a comparable pay-per-episode monetization model and mix of licensed regional IP. Direct rival in the same micro-drama category as POPCORN.
• Crazy Maple Studio (ReelShort): Operates ReelShort, the leading vertical short-drama app globally and the most direct competitor to GOKKO's POPCORN. Both compete on pay-per-episode coin monetization, licensed Asian IP, and TikTok-native funnels.
• FlexTV: Short-form vertical drama streaming app with similar freemium/coin monetization and Asian content library. Competes head-to-head in same app category as POPCORN.
• Storymatrix (DramaBox): DramaBox is one of the top global vertical short-drama apps (major Chinese-origin competitor). Comparable mobile-first coin-purchase model and serialized vertical drama library directly competing with POPCORN in Japan and overseas.

Broad incumbents

• TikTok (ByteDance): Primary organic distribution platform where GOKKO accumulates 100B+ views. Not a direct drama-producer competitor but a structural dependency and broader category leader that defines the vertical short-form video market.
• Studio71 (ProSiebenSat.1): Large global digital-content network producing short-form video for brands across social platforms. Comparable in end-to-end branded short-form production and influencer/talent management at much greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gokko5club
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@popcorn_drama505
• Instagraminstagram.com/popcorn_drama505

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gokko Club