What Pierrot does

Studio Pierrot (株式会社スタジオぴえろ, formerly 株式会社ぴえろ) is a privately held Japanese animation production studio headquartered in Mitaka City, Tokyo, founded in May 1979 and currently led by President Ueda Kenpaku. The studio produces television anime, OVA series, and theatrical films, with a catalog exceeding 45 titles spanning four decades and encompassing globally recognized franchises including NARUTO, BLEACH, 幽☆遊☆白書 (Yu Yu Hakusho), キンユドン (Kingdom, produced with subsidiary St.Signpost), 東京喰種, おそ松さん, ヒカルの碁, and a continuously running ぴえろ魔法少女 (Magical Girl) series dating from 1983's 魔法の天使クリィミーマミ through the 2026 premiere of 魔法の姫妹ルルットリリィ (Luluttolilly).

The studio's revenue model is structurally diversified across five streams: (1) TV anime production commissioned by Japanese broadcast networks (TV Tokyo, ABC, TV Aichi, BS Nippon, AT-X) and international broadcasters including NHK; (2) merchandise, e-commerce, and pop-up store sales through its proprietary スタジオぴえろストア (studio-pierrot-store.jp), supplemented by collaboration deals with brands such as GU (NARUTO) and Hard Rock Cafe (Creamy Mami); (3) premium collector-tier physical media, with anniversary Blu-ray BOX releases (Creamy Mami 40th, Fushigi Yuugi 30th, Magical Girl series) priced between ¥30,800 and ¥39,600; (4) digital streaming licensing across Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, d anime store, U-NEXT, FOD, Bandai Channel, TELASA, and international platforms including Netflix and Crunchyroll; and (5) event and theatrical revenue, including the first US theatrical release of BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 4 in June 2026. International rights flow through partners such as VIZ Media (manga licensing) and Bandai Namco Filmworks (BD BOX production, international distribution).

The studio operates two parallel production brands — the legacy Studio Pierrot brand and the newer PIERROT FILMS brand launched July 2024 — and is structurally integrated with its wholly owned animation support subsidiary St.Signpost and an April 2025 capital and business alliance with Asahi Production covering photography, CG, and editing capabilities. In August 2025, the company formally renamed itself from 株式会社ぴえろ to 株式会社スタジオぴえろ, reverting to its founding brand name in a deliberate positioning move amid ongoing Japanese anime industry consolidation. No public listing, parent company, or financial disclosure is available in the provided data.

Name

Pierrot

Legal name

株式会社スタジオぴえろ

Website

https://pierrot.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Studio Pierrot (株式会社スタジオぴえろ, est. 1979) is a private Japanese animation studio producing TV anime, OVAs, and theatrical films across iconic franchises including NARUTO, BLEACH, Kingdom, and the 1983-running Magical Girl series, monetizing through broadcasting commissions, premium Blu-ray BOX releases, merchandise and direct-to-consumer e-commerce (studio-pierrot-store.jp), streaming licensing, and international theatrical releases.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mitaka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. TV Animation Production and Licensing: Core revenue from producing TV anime series commissioned by TV networks and broadcasters, with associated licensing and rights management of original IP.
2. Merchandise and Goods Sales: Revenue from proprietary merchandise, pop-up store operations, and e-commerce sales through the studio-pierrot-store.jp platform. Includes collaboration merchandise with brands such as GU (NARUTO), Hard Rock Cafe (Creamy Mami), and others.
3. Blu-ray BOX and Physical Media Sales: Sales of remastered Blu-ray BOX editions of classic series (e.g., 魔法の天使クリィミーマミ 40th Anniversary Blu-ray BOX, ふしぎ遊戯 Blu-ray BOX), released at premium price points with rich packaging.
4. Digital Content Distribution: Revenue from streaming platform licensing deals and digital distribution of anime content through platforms such as Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, d anime store, U-NEXT, DMM TV, FOD, Bandai Channel, and TELASA.
5. Event and Collaboration Revenue: Revenue from pop-up store events, anniversary exhibitions, theatrical screenings, and brand collaborations with external partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Studio Pierrot is a Japanese animation production studio that produces commissioned TV anime series, theatrical films, OVAs, and HD remastered editions for TV broadcasters and streaming platforms. The studio also manages a portfolio of iconic franchises (NARUTO, BLEACH, Kingdom, Pierrot Magical Girl Series) and sells proprietary merchandise, commemorative Blu-ray BOXes, and apparel directly to consumers through its e-commerce store and nationwide pop-up events.

Product overview

Pierrot (株式会社スタジオぴえろ) is a Japanese animation studio that produces TV anime, films, and OVA series. The company's portfolio includes long-running shonen action series (NARUTO, BLEACH, 幽☆遊☆白書, キングダム), magical girl series spanning over 40 years (魔法の天使クリィミーマミ and its successors through 魔法の姉妹ルルットリリィ), and diverse genre titles (ふしぎ遊戯, 暁のヨナ, 東京喰種, おそ松さん, ヒカルの碁). Beyond animation production, Pierrot operates merchandise businesses through スタジオぴえろストア, launched original merchandise brand スタジオぴえろスタイル, and established new production brand PIERROT FILMS in 2024. The company completed a name change from 株式会社ぴえろ to 株式会社スタジオぴえろ in August 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PIERROT FILMS: Animation production brand launched in July 2024 with the motto of creating animations that make hearts tremble with emotion.

Products and services

• NARUTO franchise
• BLEACH franchise
• Kingdom franchise
• Pierrot Magical Girl Series
• Pierrot Magical Girl Series Anniversary Blu-ray BOXes
• Studio Pierrot Store (スタジオぴえろストア)
• Studio Pierrot Style (スタジオぴえろスタイル)
• PIERROT FILMS animation production brand
• International content licensing and theatrical distribution B2B service providing anime content licensing to international partners and theatrical distribution rights. Examples include VIZ Media licensing for Kingdom manga English release, Bandai Namco Filmworks as Blu-ray production partner, and Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War Part 4 theatrical release in US theaters scheduled June 2026.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 110 million copies in print circulation for Kingdom manga

Segments3 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

One partnership is on record.

• Asahi Production (株式会社旭プロダクション)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2025Pierrot entered into a capital and business alliance with Asahi Production on April 18, 2025. The alliance combines Pierrot's long-running anime production capabilities with Asahi's advanced photography, CG, and editing expertise. Pierrot acquired shares in Asahi Production to strengthen the partnership. Both companies had been in a business partnership since 2024, with the capital alliance formalizing the deeper collaboration aimed at stable, high-quality anime production.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bones: Bones is a Japanese anime studio known for high-quality action anime (My Hero Academia, Fullmetal Alchemist, Mob Psycho 100). Direct peer in action-shonen production quality and Shueisha manga adaptation.
• Sunrise (Bandai Namco Filmworks): Sunrise, now operating as Bandai Namco Filmworks, produces Gundam and other major anime franchises and is both a peer in anime production and a commercial partner of Pierrot (handling Blu-ray BOX production for anniversary releases). Comparable in production scale and established IP portfolio.
• Toei Animation: Toei Animation is one of Japan's largest anime production studios, producing globally successful franchises including Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Digimon. It is the most direct comparable to Pierrot in scale, multi-decade production history, and reliance on Shueisha manga IP.
• Wit Studio: Wit Studio produces Attack on Titan (seasons 1-3), Spy x Family, and Vinland Saga. Comparable to Pierrot in production of high-budget action anime and maintaining broadcast/streaming relationships.
• Production I.G: Production I.G produces a diverse slate of anime including Ghost in the Shell, Psycho-Pass, and Haikyu!!. Comparable to Pierrot in producing both original and adapted IP across multiple genres with consistent broadcast relationships.
• A-1 Pictures: A-1 Pictures is a Japanese anime studio producing Sword Art Online, Fairy Tail, and other major franchises. Subsidiary of Aniplex (Sony). Direct peer in shonen and adapted-IP anime production.
• Madhouse: Madhouse is a major Japanese anime studio producing action, drama, and dark fantasy titles (Death Note, One Punch Man season 1, Hellsing). Direct peer in long-running action anime production and IP adaptation work.
• Kyoto Animation: Kyoto Animation produces Violet Evergarden, Sound! Euphonium, and Lucky Star. Comparable to Pierrot in studio-driven original IP development and direct broadcast/streaming production, with stronger emphasis on visual quality.
• OLM (Oriental Light and Magic): OLM is a Japanese anime studio producing Pokémon, Inazuma Eleven, and Berserk. Comparable to Pierrot in long-running series production (Pokémon is one of anime's longest continuous productions) and franchise animation work.

Emerging players

• MAPPA: MAPPA is a fast-growing Japanese anime studio (Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan Final Season, Chainsaw Man) that has rapidly captured market share from established studios. Comparable to Pierrot in producing high-prestige shonen action adaptations, but with newer operational structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/studiopierrot
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0U2GG9WNndvt1wK41l9iqg
• Instagraminstagram.com/luluttolilly

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments2 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Pierrot