What David Production does

David Production Co., Ltd. (株式会社デイヴィッドプロダクション) is a Japanese animation studio founded in September 2007 in Tokyo, currently headquartered in Nishitokyo City. The studio produces TV anime series, theatrical feature films, promotional videos, and game footage, and is best known for the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise, which it has produced continuously since 2012, alongside other major Shonen Jump adaptations including Fire Force, Cells at Work!, Urusei Yatsura (Shogakukan's 100th anniversary remake), and Undead Unluck. The studio also produced SPRIGGAN as a Netflix Original and Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 'BLACK' for Disney+. Its technology stack combines traditional 2D cel animation with integrated 3D CG workflows, using industry-standard software (After Effects, Photoshop, Blender, 3ds Max) alongside the specialized in-betweening tool CACANi, with a Digital Drawing Division and a full CG Department covering modeling, rigging, animation, effects, and compositing. David Production has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fuji Television Network, Inc. since August 2014, and is led by President and CEO Shuichiro Tanaka (田中修一郎).

The studio operates a B2B professional services model, generating revenue through contracted anime production for production committees composed of publishers, broadcasters, and streaming platforms, and is paid via per-project committee arrangements rather than disclosed pricing. Its customer base spans Japanese broadcast networks (Fuji TV, MBS, TBS, TOKYO MX, BS-TBS), major manga publishers (Shueisha, Shogakukan, Kodansha), and global streamers (Netflix, Disney+). In July 2025, David Production merged with Studio Recess to establish an in-house Art Division, verticalizing background and art production. The studio launched its first original TV anime, Onmyo Kaiten Re:Birth, on Fuji TV in July 2025, marking an early move from pure adaptation work to original IP. The company is registered with JPY 60 million in capital and reported 66 employees as of January 2024.

Name

David Production

Legal name

株式会社デイヴィッドプロダクション (David Production Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://davidproduction.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

David Production is a Tokyo-based Japanese animation studio founded in 2007 and wholly-owned by Fuji Television Network, producing TV anime, films, and streaming content (notably JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Fire Force, Urusei Yatsura) for production committees, broadcasters (Fuji TV, MBS, TBS), and global streamers (Netflix, Disney+).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animation Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Animated Series Production (TV/Streaming) (MPADACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Anime Production (MPADACAF), Animated Feature Film Production (MPADACAH)

Keywords

• Anime production services
• Animation studio
• TV series production
• Feature film production
• 2D animation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Anime Production Contracts: David Production generates revenue by producing anime series under contract with production committees, TV networks, and streaming platforms. They participate in multi-party production committees where costs and rights are shared among several companies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

David Production is a Japanese animation studio that produces TV anime series, theatrical films, promotional videos, and related animation content under contract. The studio combines traditional 2D cel animation with 3D CG integration, serving production committees, TV broadcasters, and global streaming platforms with full-service animation production from planning to delivery.

Product overview

David Production is a Japanese animation studio founded in 2007, producing TV series, feature films, promotional videos, and game footage. As a Fuji Television Group company since 2014, the studio operates across multiple anime productions including the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise (Phantom Blood through Steel Ball Run), Fire Force series, Cells at Work!, Urusei Yatsura remake, and Undead Unluck. The studio produced its first original TV anime Onmyo Kaiten Re:Birth in 2025, and continues producing adaptations including the upcoming Steel Ball Run anime and Hotaru no Yomimairi. Notable works span dark fantasy, action, romance, sci-fi, and comedy genres.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Steel Ball Run JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Anime adaptation of the seventh arc of Hirohiko Araki's manga, set in 1890s America featuring the Steel Ball Run race. Produced in split-cour format with multiple stages. Distributed exclusively on Netflix worldwide.
• Fire Force (炎炎ノ消防隊) Dark fantasy anime based on Atsushi Okubo's manga about firefighters battling spontaneous human combustion. The series concluded with Season 3 serving as a bridge to Soul Eater universe.
• Urusei Yatsura (うる星やつら) Remake of Rumiko Takahashi's classic romance comedy, produced as Shogakukan's 100th anniversary project covering selected story arcs across four cours on Fuji TV Noitamina.
• Undead Unluck (アンデッドアンラック) Anime adaptation of Yoshifumi Tozuka's manga about an unlucky girl and an immortal man searching for the ultimate death, co-produced with TMS Entertainment.
• Cells at Work (はたらく細胞) Cell personification manga adaptation depicting the daily lives of blood cells and immune system cells within the human body, with multiple seasons produced.
• Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 'BLACK' Short film in the Star Wars: Visions anthology series exploring the inner psychology of a stormtrooper through themes of past/present, light/dark, life/death. Released exclusively on Disney+.
• SPRIGGAN (スプリガン) Netflix original anime based on the manga about ARCAM Corporation's Spriggan agents protecting ancient civilization relics from hostile forces.
• Onmyo Kaiten Re:Birth (陰陽廻天Re:バース) First original TV anime production about a delinquent who time-leaps to an alternate Heian-era Kyoto where he learns onmyo techniques to save a girl from fate. Original concept by Sakuno Fujiko.
• Hotaru no Yomimairi (ホタルの嫁入り) TV anime adaptation of Orec's romance manga about an assassin who falls deeply in love with a dying noblewoman, scheduled for broadcast on Fuji TV Noitamina.
• The House of the Lost on the Cape (岬のマヨイガ) Theatrical anime film based on Sachiko Kashiwaba's novel about a runaway girl finding family in a mysterious seaside house. Won the 76th Mainichi Film Awards Animation Film Award.
• Ensemble Stars!! -Road to Show!!- Feature film featuring Ensemble Square idols attending the Idol Film Festival in New York, where mysterious shadows begin to follow them.

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Studio Recess ((株)スタジオリセス)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025Studio Recess, a background/art production company, was merged into David Production in July 2025, establishing an in-house Art Division. This acquisition strengthened David Production's internal art and background production capabilities.
• TMS Entertainment (for Undead Unluck)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023Co-production partnership for TV anime 'Undead Unluck'. David Production worked with TMS Entertainment and UNLIMITED PRODUCE by TMS for this series.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MAPPA: Mid-tier Japanese anime studio of comparable scale (~300 staff) producing prestige TV anime for Shonen adaptations and streaming platforms. Highly comparable operating model, customer base (production committees, Netflix, etc.), and competitive overlap for major manga adaptations.
• ufotable: Mid-sized Japanese anime studio renowned for cinematic quality on Demon Slayer, Fate, and theatrical anime. Direct competitor for high-budget manga adaptations and streaming platform partnerships using similar 2D/3D CG hybrid production techniques.
• Wit Studio: Japanese anime studio of similar scale producing prestige TV anime (Spy x Family, Attack on Titan earlier seasons). Comparable business model serving production committees and streaming platforms on similar Shonen and prestige adaptations.
• Trigger: Mid-sized Japanese anime studio known for Kill la Kill, Promare, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (Netflix). Direct competitor for streaming-platform original anime commissions and stylized action adaptations.
• Bones Inc. Established Japanese anime studio producing My Hero Academia, Fullmetal Alchemist, and other major Shonen adaptations. Direct competitor for prestige Shonen Jump animation contracts and broadcasts.
• CloverWorks: Japanese anime studio producing Spy x Family, Bocchi the Rock, and other prestige adaptations. Direct competitor of similar scale chasing the same streaming-platform and production-committee animation contracts.
• Production I.G: Legacy Japanese animation studio producing Ghost in the Shell, Haikyuu, and other prestige adaptations. Long-standing comparable for high-end TV anime and theatrical feature film production.
• TMS Entertainment: Established Japanese anime studio that co-produced Undead Unluck with David Production. Produces Detective Conan and competes for similar production committee assignments and international distribution deals.

Broad incumbents

• Toei Animation: Major incumbent Japanese animation studio producing Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Sailor Moon. Significantly larger and operates its own IP library, but competes for the same manga-to-anime adaptation commissions from publishers and broadcasters.
• Bandai Namco Filmworks (Sunrise): Major Japanese animation subsidiary of Bandai Namco producing Gundam, Love Live, and other long-running franchises. Operates at substantially larger scale within a parent conglomerate structure similar to David Production's Fuji TV integration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dpinc_official
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@davidproduction1997
• Facebookfacebook.com/davidproduction
• Instagraminstagram.com/davidproduction_official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/david-production

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 David Production