, simply known as Toei Company or Toei, is a Japanese entertainment company. Headquartered in

Ginza Ginza ( ; ) is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, Tokyo, Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi. It is a popular upscale shopping area of Tokyo ...

Chūō, Tokyo is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The ward refers to itself in English as Chūō City. It was formed in 1947 as a merger of Kyōbashi and Nihonbashi wards following Tokyo City's transformation into Tokyo Metropolis. C ...

, it is involved in film and television production, distribution, video game development, publishing, and ownership of 34 movie theaters. Toei also owns and operates studios in Tokyo and Kyoto and holds shares in several television companies. The company is renowned for its production of

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

and live-action dramas known as ''

tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live-action films or television programs that make heavy use of practical special effects. Credited to special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, ''tokusatsu'' mainly refers to science fiction film, science fiction, War fi ...

'', which incorporate special visual effects. It is also known for producing period dramas. Toei is the majority shareholder of

Toei Animation is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including '' Sally the Witch'', '' GeGeGe no Kitarō'', '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Slu ...

and is recognized for its franchises such as ''

Kamen Rider The , also known as ''Masked Rider Series'' (until ''Kamen Rider Decade, Decade'' and except Thailand), is a Japanese superhero fiction, superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by ...

'' and ''

Super Sentai The is a Japanese superhero team media franchise consisting of television series and films produced by Toei Company and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi. The shows are of the '' tokusatsu'' genre, featuring live action characters and colorfu ...

''. Toei is one of the four members of the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (MPPAJ 日本映画製作者連盟), and is therefore one of Japan's Big Four film studios, alongside

Kadokawa Kadokawa may refer to: *Kadokawa Corporation, the holding company of the Kadokawa Group **Kadokawa Content Gate and Kadokawa Mobile, both former names for BookWalker **Kadokawa Future Publishing, a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation and the publis ...

Shochiku is a Japanese entertainment company. Founded in 1895, it initially managed '' kabuki'' theaters in Kyoto; in 1914, it also acquired ownership of the Kabuki-za theater in Tokyo. In 1920, Shochiku entered the film production industry and establis ...

and

Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...

History

Toei is a pioneer in the use of "Henshin"/"character transformation" in live-action martial-arts dramas, a technique developed for the ''

'', ''

Metal Hero The is a metaseries of tokusatsu superhero TV series produced by Toei for Japanese television. The protagonists of the ''Metal Hero Series'' are mainly space, military and police-based characters who are typically either androids, cyborgs, ...

'' and ''

'' series; the genre currently continues with ''Kamen Rider'' and ''Super Sentai''. Toei's predecessor, the , was incorporated in 1938. It was founded by Keita Goto, CEO of , the direct predecessor to the

Tokyu Corporation The , a contraction of and formerly until 2 September 2019, is a Japanese ''keiretsu'' or conglomerate headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. While a multinational corporation, its main operation is , a wholly-owned subsidiary operating railways i ...

. It had erected its facilities immediately east of the

Tōkyū Tōyoko Line The , a contraction of and formerly until 2 September 2019, is a Japanese ''keiretsu'' or conglomerate headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. While a multinational corporation, its main operation is , a wholly-owned subsidiary operating railways i ...

; they managed the prewar Tōkyū Shibuya Yokohama

studio system A studio system is a method of filmmaking wherein the production and distribution of films is dominated by a small number of large movie studios. It is most often used in reference to Hollywood motion picture studios during the early years of th ...

. From 1945 through the Toei merger, Tokyo-Yokohama Films leased from the

Daiei Motion Picture Company Daiei Film Co. Ltd. (Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ''Daiei Eiga Kabushiki Kaisha'') was a Japanese film studio. Founded in 1942 as Dai Nippon Film Co., Ltd., it was one of the major studios during the postwar Golden Age of Japanese cinema, producing n ...

a second studio in Kyoto. On October 1, 1950, the Tokyo Film Distribution Company was incorporated as a subsidiary of Toyoko Eiga; in 1951 the company purchased Ōizumi Films. The current iteration of Toei was established on April 1, 1951 with Hiroshi Okawa as the first president. Through the merger, they gained the combined talents and experience of actors

Chiezō Kataoka Masayoshi Ueki (植木正義, ''Ueki Masayoshi''; March 30, 1903 – March 31, 1983), known professionally as , was a Japanese film and television actor most famous for his starring roles in jidaigeki. Career Born as Masayoshi Ueki in 1903, in G ...

Utaemon Ichikawa was a Japanese film actor famous for starring roles in jidaigeki from the 1920s to the 1960s. Trained in kabuki from childhood, he made his film debut in 1925 at Makino Film Productions under Shōzō Makino. Quickly gaining popularity, he follow ...

, Ryunosuke Tsukigata,

Ryūtarō Ōtomo (5 June 1912 – 27 September 1985) was a Japanese film and television actor most famous for his starring roles in jidaigeki. In 1936, he made his debut in movies with the film ''Aozura Roshi''. Overall Ryūtarō Ōtomo appeared in more than 100 ...

Kinnosuke Nakamura (November 20, 1932 – March 10, 1997) was a Japanese kabuki actor. Born , son of kabuki actor Nakamura Tokizō III, he entered kabuki and became the first in the kabuki tradition to take the name Nakamura Kinnosuke. He took on his guild name ('' ...

Chiyonosuke Azuma was a Japanese actor and '' Nihon-buyō'' dancer. He appeared in more than 40 films from 1954 to 1993. Biography Azuma was born on 19 August 1926, in Shinjuku, Tokyo. He attended the Tokyo University of the Arts, while studying Japanese dance u ...

, Shirunosuke Toshin,

Hashizo Okawa was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in more than one hundred Jidaigeki films from 1955 to 1967. Biography Born in Tokyo, the son of a Yanagibashi geisha, he was soon adopted by the Ono (小野) family. His adoptive father was a kabuki ac ...

, and

Satomi Oka Satomi Oka (September 15, 1935 – April 24, 2024) was a Japanese actress. She made over 150 films in her career, including ''Miyamoto Musashi'' and ''Akō Rōshi (1961 film), Akō Rōshi''. Life and career Oka was born in Takarazuka-Shi, Hyō ...

. In 1955, Toei purchases the Kyoto studio from Daiei. In 1956, Toei establishes an

animation Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

division, Toei Animation Company, Limited at the former Tokyo-Ōizumi animation studio, purchasing the assets of . Toei also bid on a license to start an education-focused TV station in 1956, which resulted in their part-ownership of Nippon Educational Television Co., now known as

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...

. Shigeru Okada becomes the president & chief executive officer of Toei in 1971 and oversaw the adoptions of Toei's new business venture distributing foreign films in Japan in 1972. In 1975, Toei opens the

Toei Kyoto Studio Park is a theme park and film set modeled after the Edo period located in Kyoto, Japan that opened its doors in 1975. It is situated in Toei Company , simply known as Toei Company or Toei, is a Japanese entertainment company. Headquartered in ...

. Toei Kyoto Studio's history reaches back to 1926 when Bando Tsumasaburo first developed a studio in what is now Uzumasa. Mitsuo Makino took over the property following the war in partnership with Toyoko Eiga and was absorbed along with Toyoko during Toei's merger. Shigeru Okada becames

chairperson The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a Board of directors, board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by ...

as Tan Takaiwa succeeds him as president & chief executive officer in 1993, establishing Toei Satellite TV Co., Ltd. and creates Toei Channel in 1998. Asahi National Broadcasting Co., Ltd. (currently TV Asahi Holdings Corporation) is listed on the First Section of the

Tokyo Stock Exchange The , abbreviated as Tosho () or TSE/TYO, is a stock exchange located in Tokyo, Japan. The exchange is owned by Japan Exchange Group (JPX), a holding company that it also lists (), and operated by Tokyo Stock Exchange, Inc., a wholly owned sub ...

in 2000, as shares of Toei Animation Co., Ltd. are listed on the over-the-counter market of the Japan Securities Dealers Association. In 2011, Shigeru Okada, then chairperson emeritus, passes away, as Yusuke Okada and Noriyuki Tada become chairperson and president & chief executive officer of Toei in 2014. Osamu Tezuka ''(no relation to the animator of the same name)'' became president and chief executive officer of Toei in 2020, as Noriyuki Tada succeeded Okada as chairperson. Toei also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Kamen Rider Series in 2020. Tezuka initiates major structural reorganization in 2022 before passing in February 2023. Tada temporarily assumed the role of CEO until Toei managing director and head of content Fumio Yoshimura was announced to succeed Tezuka as Toei's 7th president & chief executive officer. Recognizing Japan's shrinking market share, Yoshimura has vowed to continue with Tezuka's restructuring plans, and is looking towards North America and Asian markets to developing new projects and export existing IPs. Visiting Los Angeles for meetings with Hollywood studios together with Toei's studio head Yuji Kojima in 2025, Yoshimura announced Toei has budgeted US$1.6BN (JP¥240BN) for content and US$400M (JP¥60BN) to strengthen business operations.

Branding

The characters that make up are the result of a portmanteau of Toei predecessor "Toyoko Eiga", and first seen in Toyoko Eiga's logo of a stylized triangle with the characters of 東 and 映 near the top. The logo was carried over by Toei following its merger of Toyoko and Ōizumi in 1951. A black & white version of Toei's now iconic ''Wild Waves and Rocks (荒磯に波)'' opening credit was first used in 1954 on the Utaemon Ichikawa classic, ''The Idle Vassal: House of the Mysterious Phantom''. It would be first seen in color in 1961 and has since been reshot with several iterations of the same rocks in the 70 years since it was first used. The image features the Toei logo superimposed over a scene from

Cape Inubō is a cape on the Pacific Ocean, in Chōshi, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. The cape is near the midpoint of the Japanese Archipelago on the island of Honshū. Origin of name The name of the cape is constructed from two Chinese characters, the first ...

in Chiba, of three rocks in the surf beyond the beach as waves crash over the rocks. It has been seen in front of most live-action film & television produced and distributed by Toei, such as ''Street Fighter'', ''Battle Royale'', and ''Power Rangers'', as well as in a handful of animated films such as ''Dragon Ball'' and ''Evangelion'' as well. Its dynamic image, as opposed to the mostly static logos of its competitors has helped make Toei's logo one of the most recognizable Japanese film company logo around the world.

Film & television

Toei films

Toei started producing films in 1953. This list compiles the films by their original release date, their common English titles and Japanese titles. The Japanese titles are not necessarily direct translations of their English counterparts. For feature films, Toei established itself as a producer of

B-movies A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second half of a double feature, s ...

, that were made to fit into double bills and triple bills. It is predominantly known in the west for its series of action films and television series.

Toei animation films

Toei produced/distributed shows

Shows created with Shotaro Ishinomori

Nebula Mask Machineman is a Japanese tokusatsu television series created by Shotaro Ishinomori and produced by Toei Company. It aired from January 13 until September 28, 1984. It revolves around the adventures of Nick (''Nikku''), a college student from the Ivy plane ...

Android Kikaider is a ''tokusatsu'' television series based on the superhero manga '' Kikaider'' by Shotaro Ishinomori. The show was produced by Toei Company and Ishimori Productions, and was broadcast in Japan on NET (now TV Asahi) from July 8, 1972, to May ...

Kikaider 01 (Pronounced as ''Kikaider Zero One''), is a tokusatsu superhero TV series, and a sequel series to '' Android Kikaider''. Produced by Toei Company and Ishimori Productions, it was broadcast on NET (now TV Asahi) from May 12, 1973 to March 30, 19 ...

Inazuman is a television series starring a mutant fictional character of the same name created by Shotaro Ishinomori. The first television series ran from October 2, 1973 to March 26, 1974 with a total of 25 episodes. A second season named aired in 197 ...

* Robotto Keiji * Akumaizer 3 * Sarutobi Ecchan

Video games

* ''

Ninja Hayate is a 1984 laserdisc video game first developed and released by Taito and Malone Films for arcades in Japan and the United States. The game was later ported to the Sega CD video game console as ''Revenge of the Ninja'' in 1994. Arcade game Th ...

'' (1984) * ''

Time Gal is an interactive movie video game developed and published by Taito and Toei Company that was originally released as a LaserDisc game in Japan for the arcades in 1985. It is an action game that uses full motion video (FMV) to display the ...

'' (1985) * '' The Masked Rider: Kamen Rider ZO'' (1994) * '' Chameleon Twist'' (1997) * '' Chameleon Twist 2'' (1998)

Saburo Yatsude

is a collective

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

used by Toei Company television producers, and formerly

producers, when contributing to their various

and

series; similar to

Bandai Namco Filmworks is a Japanese entertainment company owned by Bandai Namco Holdings with its business focused on production, planning, and management of anime. It was founded in September 1972 by former Mushi Production staff as the animation studio branch o ...

Hajime Yatate is a pseudonym for the collective contributions of the Bandai Namco Filmworks#Sunrise, Sunrise（Bandai Namco Filmworks） animation staff. Name "Hajime Yatate" is considered to be named after a quote of Matsuo Bashō's ''Oku no Hosomichi'': ...

. The use of the pen name began with '' The Kagestar'' and has been used throughout the

(in the adapted

Power Rangers ''Power Rangers'' is an American media franchise created by Haim Saban, Shuki Levy and Shotaro Ishinomori built around a live-action superhero television series, based on the Japanese tokusatsu franchise ''Super Sentai''. It is currently ow ...

series starting with '' Ninja Storm'', the credits list ''Saburo Hatte.'' Before this, the credits listed "Original Concepts by Saburo Yatsude") and

Metal Hero Series The is a metaseries of tokusatsu superhero TV series produced by Toei for Japanese television. The protagonists of the ''Metal Hero Series'' are mainly space, military and police-based characters who are typically either androids, cyborgs, ...

as well as for ''

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...

'', ''

Choukou Senshi Changéríon is a ''tokusatsu'' series created by Toei Company. The series aired from April 3, 1996, to December 25, 1996. It was originally planned to run for a full 52 episodes before being cut down to 39 due to low ratings. Plot The DarkZide stealthily a ...

'', ''

Video Warrior Laserion is a Japanese anime television series animated by Toei Animation. It aired on TBS from March 4, 1984, to February 3, 1985 with a total of 45 episodes. It is also referred to as ''Rezarion'', ''Laserion'' and its literal translation ''Video S ...

'', ''

Chōdenji Robo Combattler V ''Combattler V'', full name , is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Toei Company and animated by Bandai Namco Filmworks, Soeisha (later renamed as Nippon Sunrise) that aired from 1976 to 1977. It is the first part of the ''#R ...

'', ''

Chōdenji Machine Voltes V , popularly known as simply ''Voltes V '' (pronounced as "Voltez Five") is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Company and animated by Nippon Sunrise (now known as Bandai Namco Filmworks and formerly known as Soeisha). It is ...

'', ''

Tōshō Daimos is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Company and animated by Nippon Sunrise, directed by Tadao Nagahama as his last work. It is the third and final installment of the ''Robot Romance Trilogy'', following ''Chōdenji Robo C ...

'', '' Daltanious'', ''

Space Emperor God Sigma is a mecha anime television series aired from 1980 to 1981. It ran for 50 episodes. It is also referred to as "''God Sigma, Empire of Space''" and "''Space Combination God Sigma''". Concept ''Space Emperor God Sigma'' was created by Toei's T ...

'', ''

Beast King GoLion is a Japanese super mecha anime television series. The animation from ''GoLion'' was edited and trimmed to create the version of the American series '' Voltron: Defender of the Universe'', with new names and dialogue. In 2008, ''GoLion'' was ...

'' and '' Kikou Kantai Dairugger XV''. The name is also used as a contributor to the soundtracks for the series. Toei Animation stopped using Saburo Yatsude in 1999, and they began to use

Izumi Todo , credited with creating series like ''Ojamajo Doremi'' and ''Pretty Cure'', is a collective pen name used by Toei Animation television producers when contributing to their various anime series. Pseudonyms used in a similar manner include Hajime Y ...

instead. The first anime that was created by Izumi Todo was ''

Ojamajo Doremi , alternatively titled ''Magical DoReMi'' in English, is a Japanese fantasy magical girl anime television series produced by Toei Animation. It focuses on a group of elementary school girls, led by Doremi Harukaze, who become wit ...

''. In the ''

Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger is a Japanese tokusatsu comedy drama based on the Super Sentai Series. It is not part of the official line up in Toei Company's Super Sentai franchise, but is instead a self-parody geared towards adults as opposed to a general audience for the m ...

'' series, Saburo Hatte is an actual person who is godlike within the fictional reality that the show takes place in. In fact, his hand appears at the end of the first half of the series to cover the camera lens and end the show, later having the second half be made under Malseena's influence while in the hospital in the real world. In the ''

Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger is a Japanese Tokusatsu drama and the 40th entry of Toei Company, Toei's long-running Super Sentai metaseries, following ''Shuriken Sentai Ninninger''. It aired from February 14, 2016 to February 5, 2017, replacing ''Shuriken Sentai Ninninger'' ...

'' spinoff, ''Super Animal Wars third episode, he is portrayed by Jun Hikasa. On April 3, 2016, an unknown Toei staff member going by Saburo Yatsude was interviewed while wearing a "Giraffe Zyuman" mask in reference to ''Zyuohger''.

Original creator

Live action

* '' The Kagestar'' (1976-1977) * ''

Ninja Captor is a Japanese tokusatsu TV series which aired from April 7, 1976, to January 26, 1977. It appeared on TV Tokyo, Channel 12, and was produced by Toei Company, Ltd. ''Ninja Captor'' is similar to Toei's own ''Super Sentai'' series (it has been so ...

'' (1976-1977) * ''

'' (1978-1979) * ''

'' (1971-present) * ''

'' (1979-present) * ''

'' (1982-1999) * ''

'' (1996) * ''

'' (2012-2013)

Anime

* ''

Robot Romance Trilogy A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may b ...

'' (1976-1979) (Animated by Nippon Sunrise) * '' Future Robot Daltanious'' (1979-1980) * ''

'' (1980-1981) (Animated by Academy Productions) * ''

'' (1981-1982) * ''

Armored Fleet Dairugger XV is a mecha anime series aired in Japan from 1982 to 1983 for 56 episodes (52 regular episodes and four recap episodes). In the United States, the series was heavily edited to become part of the '' Voltron'' series. The ''Dairugger'' footage w ...

'' (1982-1983) * ''

Lightspeed Electroid Albegas is an anime series that aired from 1983 to 1984 in Japan, Latin America, Spain and Italy. There were 45 episodes aired at 25 minutes each. Other loosely translated names are "''Arbegas''", "''Arebegas''", "''Lightspeed ElectroGod Arbegas''" a ...

'' (1983-1984) * ''

'' (1984-1985)

Script

Television

* ''Sore Kara no Musashi'' (1964-1965) * ''

Mito Kōmon is a Japanese ''jidaigeki'' or period drama that was on prime-time television from 1969 to 2011, making it the longest-running ''jidaigeki'' in Japanese television history. The title character is the historic Tokugawa Mitsukuni, former vice-' ...

'' (1964-1965) * ''

Tensou Sentai Goseiger is the title of Toei Company's 34th entry in its long-running ''Super Sentai'' franchise. It follows an angelic motif as well as a trading card theme. It joined ''Kamen Rider W'', and later '' Kamen Rider OOO'', as a program featured in TV Asahi ...

'' (2010) * ''

Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' television series, the 45th entry in Toei's long-running ''Super Sentai'' series, and the second produced in the Reiwa era. Additionally, it commemorates the 45th anniversary of the ''Super Sentai'' franchise and is t ...

'' (2021) * ''

Avataro Sentai Donbrothers is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' television drama, the 46th entry in Toei's long-running ''Super Sentai'' series and the third produced in the Reiwa era. The series is a semi-sequel to the previous entry, ''Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger'', and premiered o ...

'' (2022)

Web series

* '' From Episode of Stinger - Uchu Sentai Kyuranger: High School Wars'' (2017) * '' Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger Spin-Off: Zenkai Red Great Introduction!'' (2021) * '' Avataro Sentai Donbrothers Meets Kamen Rider Den-O: Aim! Don-O'' (2022)

Director

* ''

'' (1984)

References

Footnotes

Sources

* * *

External links

Toei webpage
* * * * * - a ''Hollywood Reporter'' article detailing Toei's receiving

MIPTV MIPTV () is an event which takes place annually in Cannes, France, using the facilities and infrastructure which the town has developed over the years to host other important events such as the Cannes Film Festival amongst other events. It is e ...

's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006 {{Authority control Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Japanese companies established in 1950 Anime companies Mass media companies based in Tokyo Companies listed on the Osaka Exchange Film distributors of Japan Japanese film studios International sales agents Mass media companies established in 1950 Television production companies of Japan Japanese brands Video game companies of Japan Video game development companies Video game publishers Film production companies of Japan

History

Branding

Film & television

Toei films

Toei animation films

Toei produced/distributed shows

Shows created with Shotaro Ishinomori

Video games

Saburo Yatsude

Original creator

Live action

Anime

Script

Television

Web series

Director

See also

References

Footnotes

Sources

External links