and often shortened to , is a Japanese animation company. The studio's name has a double meaning in Japanese: "Tatsu's child" (Tatsu is a nickname for Tatsuo) and "

sea dragon Sea Dragon or seadragon may refer to: Fish * Leafy seadragon (''Phycodurus eques'') * '' Phyllopteryx'' genus ** Common seadragon or weedy seadragon (''Phyllopteryx taeniolatus'') ** Ruby seadragon (''Phyllopteryx dewysea'') Military * Operat ...

", the inspiration for its seahorse logo. Tatsunoko's headquarters are in Musashino, Tokyo.

History

The studio was founded in October 1962 by

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

pioneer

Tatsuo Yoshida was a Japanese cartoonist, writer, manga artist and anime pioneer who founded the anime studio Tatsunoko Productions. Biography Born in 1932, Yoshida grew up in the hardship of war-torn Japan. A self-taught artist, his first job was as wo ...

and his brothers Kenji and Toyoharu (better known by his

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

"Ippei Kuri"). The studio's first production was the 1965 TV series '' Space Ace''. Since then many figures in the anime industry have worked with Tatsunoko, including Mizuho Nishikubo, Hiroshi Sasagawa, Koichi Mashimo, Katsuhisa Yamada, Hideaki Anno (Tatsunoko provided animation work on the ''

Neon Genesis Evangelion , also known simply as ''Evangelion'' or ''Eva'', is a Japanese Mecha anime and manga, mecha anime television series produced by Gainax and animated by Tatsunoko Production, Tatsunoko, directed by Hideaki Anno and broadcast on TV Tokyo fr ...

'' TV series), and Kazuo Yamazaki. Sasagawa is notable for bringing his fondness for comedy animation to the forefront in Tatsunoko series such as the '' Time Bokan'' (1975) franchise. The company later licensed ''Macross'' to Harmony Gold, who then produced ''Robotech''. Takara acquired Tatsunoko on June 3, 2005 after purchasing an 88 percent stake and made the company a subsidiary. Production I.G was established in 1987 as I.G. Tatsunoko, a branch for the production of '' Zillion'' led by

Mitsuhisa Ishikawa is a Japanese anime entrepreneur, the co-founder and current president and CEO of Production I.G, as well as a producer for the studio. Career Mitsuhisa Ishikawa was executive at Bee Train from 1997 to 2006, Ishikawa acted as executive produce ...

. In 2009, Tatsunoko announced that it would collaborate with

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in 19 ...

on a joint television project and other ventures.

IG Port is a Japanese holding company that was established on December 1, 2007, as a result of a merger Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating ...

announced on June 2, 2010 that its subsidiary, Production I.G, had purchased an 11.2 percent stake in Tatsunoko. Production I.G president Mitsuhisa Ishikawa became a part-time director of the studio. Talent agency

Horipro is a large Japanese talent agency. History It was founded in 1960 as Hori Productions (ホリプロダクション ''Hori Purodakushon'') and changed to its present name in 1990. Horipro has two locations in the United States: Nashville a ...

announced on February 23, 2013 that it had acquired a 13.5 percent stake in Tatsunoko. At

Anime Expo Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first ...

2013, Sentai Filmworks announced a deal to license and release some of Tatsunoko's titles, including '' Gatchaman'' and '' Casshan''.

Nippon TV JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed ...

announced on January 29, 2014 that it had purchased a 54.3 percent stake in Tatsunoko and adopted the company as its subsidiary. In 2017, two short films titled ''Pandora to Akubi'' were released. These were the first works produced under Tatsunoko's "Bakken Record" label, which was officially established in April 2019.

Main productions

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

* '' Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars'' (Nintendo Wii) (January 26, 2010) * '' Hutch the Honeybee: Yuki no Melody'' (2010; co-production with Group TAC) * '' Yozakura Quartet: Hoshi no Umi'' (2010; co-production with KMMJ Studios) * '' Princess Resurrection'' (2010; remake of original TV series) * '' The Money of Soul and Possibility Control'' (Fuji TV) (2011) * '' Sket Dance'' (TV Tokyo) (2011–2012) * '' Pretty Rhythm: Aurora Dream'' (TV Tokyo) (2011) * '' Pretty Rhythm: Dear My Future'' (TV Tokyo) (2012–2013; co-production with DongWoo A&E) * ''Ippatsu-Hicchuu! Devander'' (2012; OVA in celebration of Tatsunoko Productions' 50th anniversary) * '' Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san'' (MBS) (2013) * '' Pretty Rhythm: Rainbow Live'' (TV Tokyo) (2013–2014; co-production with DongWoo A&E) * ''

Gatchaman Crowds is a 2013 anime television series produced by Tatsunoko Production and directed by Kenji Nakamura. It is a part of the '' Gatchaman'' franchise. The first season aired between July 12 and September 27, 2013, and the second season, titled ''Ga ...

'' ( NTV) (2013) * '' Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta''/'' Yozakura Quartet: Tsuki ni Naku'' (2013) * ''Triple Combination: Transformers Go!'' (2013) * '' Robotech: Love Live Alive'' (2013) (Robotech version of the MOSPEADA OVA: Love Live Alive) * '' Wake Up, Girls!'' (2014; co-production with Ordet) * '' Ping Pong'' (Fuji TV) (2014) * '' PriPara'' (TV Tokyo) (2014–2017; co-production with DongWoo A&E) * '' Psycho-Pass 2'' (Fuji TV) (2014) * '' Yatterman Night'' (MBS) (2015) * ''

Gatchaman Crowds insight is a 2013 anime television series produced by Tatsunoko Production and directed by Kenji Nakamura. It is a part of the ''Gatchaman'' franchise. The first season aired between July 12 and September 27, 2013, and the second season, titled ''Gatc ...

'' (NTV) (2015) * '' PriPara Mi~nna no Akogare Let's Go PriPari'' (TV Tokyo) (2016) * '' Transformers: Combiner Wars'' (2016; co-production with Hasbro Studios and Machinima Inc.) * '' Time Bokan 24'' ( YTV /NTV) (2016–2017; co-production with Level-5) * '' Infini-T Force'' (NTV) (2017, co-production with Digital Frontier) * '' Idol Time PriPara'' (TV Tokyo) (2017–2018; co-production with DongWoo A&E) * '' Transformers: Titans Return'' (2017–2018; co-production with Hasbro Studios and Machinima Inc.) * '' Transformers: Power of the Primes'' (2018; co-production with Hasbro Studios and Machinima Inc.) * '' Kiratto Pri Chan'' (TV Tokyo) (2018–2021; co-production with DongWoo A&E) * '' The Price of Smiles'' (2019, Tatsunoko's 55th anniversary work) * '' King of Prism: Shiny Seven Stars'' (2019) * ''Ninja Box'' (2019–2020; co-production with C2C)

2020s

* '' Hakushon Daimaō 2020'' (YTV) (2020, co-production with Nippon Animation) * '' Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood'' (NTV) (2021) * ''Idol Land PriPara'' (2021) * '' Muteking the Dancing Hero'' ( TVO) (2021, co-production with Tezuka Productions) * '' Waccha PriMagi!'' (TV Tokyo) (2021–2022, co-production with DongWoo A&E, the final ''Pretty Series'' to date until it was ended on TV in 2022) * '' Exception'' (

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

) (2022, co-production with 5 Inc.) * '' Mou Ippon!'' (TV Tokyo) (2023) * '' The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel – Northern War'' (2023) * '' Pole Princess!!'' (TBA)

Co-productions

* '' Once Upon a Time...Man'' (1978–1981; produced by Procidis) * ''

Superbook , also known as , is a Christian anime television series from the early 1980s, initially produced at Tatsunoko Productions and TV Tokyo in Japan in conjunction with the Christian Broadcasting Network in the United States, and rebooted in 2 ...

'' (1981–1982; co-production with

Christian Broadcasting Network The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) is an American Christian media production and distribution organization. Founded in 1960 by Pat Robertson, it produces the long-running TV series ''The 700 Club'', co-produces the ongoing '' Superbook'' a ...

) * '' The Flying House'' (1982–1983; co-production with Christian Broadcasting Network) * '' Super Dimension Fortress Macross'' (MBS) (1982–1983; produced by Studio Nue and

Artland is a Japanese animation studio. It has produced numerous noted anime series, including the award-winning '' Mushishi'' and epic '' Legend of the Galactic Heroes''. It is also well known for producing the anime adaptation of ''Katekyō Hitman ...

) * '' Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?'' (1984; produced by Studio Nue and Artland) * ''Genesis Climber MOSPEADA: Love Live Alive'' (1985; co-production with Artmic) * '' Robotech'' (1985; co-production with Harmony Gold USA and Big West) * '' Robotech II: The Sentinels'' (1986; co-production with Harmony Gold USA) * '' Anmitsu Hime'' (Fuji TV) (a.k.a. ''Anmitsu Hime: From Amakara Castle'') (1986–1987; produced by Studio Pierrot) * '' Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Flash Back 2012'' (1987; co-production with Studio Nue and Artland) * '' Time Travel Tondekeman'' (Fuji TV) (a.k.a. ''Time Quest Tondekeman!'') (1989–1990; produced by Ashi Productions) * ''

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is de ...

'' (1990–1992; co-production with Mondo TV) * ''

The Legend of Snow White is an Italian-Japanese anime series produced by Tatsunoko Productions and Mondo TV, based on the 1812 European fairy tale. Directed by Kunitoshi Okajima, the series premiered on NHK on 6 April 1994 and ran for 52-episodes until its conclusion o ...

'' (1994–1995; co-production with Mondo TV) * ''

'' (TV Tokyo) (1995–1996; co-production with Gainax) * ''

The Story of Cinderella is an Italian-Japanese 1996 anime television series based on the fairytale of the same name by Charles Perrault and The Brothers Grimm. It was produced by Tatsunoko Productions and Mondo TV. The series originally aired from April 4 to October ...

'' (1996; co-production with Mondo TV)

Anime studios founded by former animators

* Ashi Productions/Production Reed (since 1975) * Artmic (1978-1997) (defunct) * Pierrot (since 1979) * J.C.Staff (since 1986) * Production I.G (since 1987) * Animation 21 (since the 1990s) * Xebec (1995-2019) (defunct) * Radix Ace Entertainment (1995-2006) (defunct) * Bee Train Production (since 1997) * Actas (since 1998) * TNK (since 1999)

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Japanese companies established in 1962 Animation studios in Tokyo Mass media companies established in 1962 Japanese animation studios Musashino, Tokyo Video game companies of Japan Video game development companies Video game publishers