Koto

What Koto does

Koto, Inc. is a US-based, privately-held e-commerce retailer founded in 2000 and headquartered in Torrance, California. The company operates under DBAs including Kotous Store and previously Tokyo ZEROSTAR, running kotous.com as a direct-to-consumer online storefront for licensed science fiction, anime, comic, movie, and video game collectible figures and statues. Its primary customers are individual collectors and hobbyists, with a secondary wholesale channel for resellers. The business is founder-managed private equity with 11-50 employees and no disclosed venture capital, parent company, or subsidiary structure.

The product portfolio centers on licensed collectibles from roughly 70+ manufacturers, with Kotobukiya as the flagship brand relationship. Categories span POP UP PARADE figures ($29.99 entry point), Banpresto Vibration Stars prize figures ($14.99), mid-range Figma articulated figures ($89.99), 1/7 scale figures ($67.99-$169.99+), plastic model kits (Megami Device, Frame Arms Girl, Hexa Gear, Brave series), Funko Pop! vinyls, and FiGPiN enamel pins. The platform simultaneously functions as a pre-order system for upcoming releases and an in-stock fulfillment channel. Two service lines extend beyond retail: an OEM/ODM project division offering design, sculpting, and business-matching services, and a wholesale application program for bulk buyers.

Revenue mechanics are straightforward one-time product sales on per-unit, pay-as-you-go pricing, with promotional discounts of 4-50% and AOV ranging from roughly $9.99 to over $200. The company ships internationally but excludes international orders from refunds and replacements. Marketing is concentrated on organic social (Facebook, Instagram) and email newsletter, with featured-product merchandising on the storefront. The underlying technology is a standard e-commerce platform with social-login integration via Google and Facebook OAuth — no proprietary technology, AI/ML capabilities, or developer-facing APIs are disclosed.

Name

Koto

Legal name

Koto, Inc.

Website

https://kotous.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Koto, Inc. is a Torrance, California-based e-commerce retailer founded in 2000 that distributes licensed anime, sci-fi, comic, and video game collectible figures from 70+ manufacturers to individual collectors and wholesale buyers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Torrance

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Revenue generated through direct sales of licensed collectible figures, statues, model kits, and anime merchandise to consumers. Products include action figures, scale figures, POP UP PARADE figures, Nendoroids, Figma figures, and plastic model kits. Both in-stock items and pre-orders are available for purchase.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Koto, Inc. (operating as Kotous Store at kotous.com) is a US-based authorized distributor and direct-to-consumer e-commerce retailer of officially licensed Japanese anime figures, statues, plastic model kits, and pop culture collectibles. The company sources and resells products from over 70 manufacturers including Kotobukiya, Good Smile Company, Funko, Bandai Namco, and Banpresto, offering both in-stock items and pre-orders to individual collectors, plus wholesale and OEM/ODM services to business buyers.

Product overview

Koto is a US-based e-commerce retailer specializing in Japanese anime figures, statues, and plastic model kits. The company operates a direct-to-consumer online store offering products from over 80 manufacturers including Good Smile Company (Nendoroid, POP UP PARADE, Figma), Kotobukiya (Megami Device, Frame Arms Girl, Hexa Gear, M.S.G accessories, Brave series), Banpresto, Funko, and Bandai Namco. The product portfolio spans multiple figure categories including scale statues (ARTFX/ARTFX+/ARTFX J), articulated action figures (Figmas), chibi figures (Nendoroid, POP UP PARADE), prize figures (Vibration Stars), vinyl figures (Funko Pop!), and plastic model kits. The company also offers wholesale services and OEM partnerships for businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kotous.com E-commerce Retail Platform US-based online storefront specializing in Japanese anime figures, statues, and plastic model kits, offering pre-orders, in-stock items, and global shipping to individual collectors.
• Wholesale Services B2B wholesale application service for retailers and distributors interested in purchasing licensed anime collectibles in bulk for resale.
• OEM/ODM Services Original Equipment Manufacturing partnerships offering design, sculpting, and business matching services to help bring licensed collectible products to market.
• POP UP PARADE Figures A series of affordable, easy-to-collect action figures typically 17-18cm in height from Good Smile Company, featuring characters from popular anime and game series.
• Nendoroid Figures Chibi-style articulated figures produced by Good Smile Company, highly posable mini figures with interchangeable face plates and accessories.
• Figma Figures Articulated action figure series known for smooth poseability and detailed sculpting, featuring multiple face plates and optional parts for dynamic poses.
• Kotobukiya ARTFX / ARTFX J / ARTFX+ Statues Scale statues featuring detailed sculpting and painting; ARTFX J line focuses on anime characters while ARTFX+ offers larger, more detailed versions.
• Funko Pop! Vinyl Figures Vinyl figures from Funko featuring popular characters from anime, comics, movies, and video games, including Chase variants and exclusive releases.
• Banpresto Vibration Stars Prize Figures Prize figures from Banpresto featuring anime characters, including various series and character designs from popular franchises at budget-friendly price points.
• Kotobukiya Megami Device Model Kits Plastic model kit series featuring female characters with machinika articulated bodies, designed by Masaki Apsy and produced by Kotobukiya.
• Kotobukiya Hexa Gear Model Kits Science-fiction mecha model kit series featuring Hexagia (mechanical lifeforms), developed by Earth Klein Biomechanics with various scale options.
• FiGPiN Enamel Pins Hard enamel pins featuring pop culture and anime characters, 3-inch collectible pins with rubber backer stands.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• BigBadToyStore: US-based e-commerce retailer specializing in import collectibles, anime figures, statues, and model kits from Japanese manufacturers. Highly comparable in product mix (Kotobukiya, Good Smile, Bandai) and target customer (US hobbyists).
• Entertainment Earth: Long-established US-based online retailer of action figures, collectibles, statues, and licensed merchandise from multiple manufacturers. Direct competitor for Funko, anime, and pop-culture collectible sales.
• AmiAmi: Japanese-headquartered global e-commerce retailer of anime figures, model kits, and hobby goods. Ships worldwide with deep catalog overlap to Koto, including Good Smile, Kotobukiya, and Bandai product lines.
• HobbyLink Japan: Japan-based hobby retailer specializing in Gunpla, scale models, and anime collectibles with global shipping. Comparable catalog of Bandai, Kotobukiya, and hobby model kit lines aimed at international hobbyists.
• ToyWiz: US-based online collectibles retailer carrying anime figures, Funko products, statues, and model kits. Comparable scale and target demographic to Koto in the US hobbyist market.
• Crunchyroll Store: Anime-focused merchandise storefront (formerly Right Stuf Anime) selling figures, apparel, and collectibles to global anime fans. Overlapping customer base and product categories with Koto.

Broad incumbents

• MegaHouse (Bandai Namco): Japanese manufacturer and direct retailer of prize figures, collectibles, and hobby products. Vertically integrated supplier whose direct-to-consumer push represents a structural threat to Koto's distribution role.
• Good Smile Company US: Manufacturer and direct retailer of Nendoroids, Figma figures, and POP UP PARADE. Operates its own US storefront, directly competing with one of Koto's largest supplier relationships and bypassing the distributor layer.
• Amazon: Massive online marketplace where many of the same SKUs Koto carries (Funko Pop, anime figures, model kits) are sold by third-party sellers and Amazon itself. Represents the largest competitive threat on price and convenience.

Emerging players

• Mighty Jaxx: Designer collectible and art toy company that operates its own DTC storefront for limited-edition figures. Comparable in targeting pop-culture and hobby collectors, though with proprietary IP rather than distribution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kotoinc
• Instagraminstagram.com/koto_official
• Xx.com/koto_official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/koto-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Koto