KADOKAWA is merging five anime studios into Studio One Base
KADOKAWA plans to create Studio One Base in November 2026 by integrating five anime studios while retaining their names, production lines and creative identities.
KADOKAWA says ENGI, Studio KADAN, Chiptune, Bellnox Films and Raging Bull will be integrated into Studio One Base. The new base will be located at Sunshine City in Ikebukuro, Tokyo.
The existing studio names, production lines, branding and creative identities are intended to continue. KADOKAWA says the new structure will centralise management, production support, training and collaboration.
The company says the changes are designed to improve working conditions, scheduling, quality and productivity. Studio One Base is expected to have approximately 310 employees and will be led by Takeshi Kikuchi. Those promised improvements remain KADOKAWA’s stated aims, not results that can yet be measured.
KADOKAWA says the studios will keep their existing names, production lines, brands and creative identities after the integration. That matters because anime production is built around specialised teams and relationships, not just corporate ownership charts.
The new base is planned for Sunshine City in Ikebukuro and is expected to employ about 310 people. Centralising management and training could make scheduling and support more consistent, but the promised gains will only be meaningful if they improve the working lives of the people actually making the shows.
The five studios will not simply disappear into a single anonymous label, according to KADOKAWA. Keeping their individual identities is intended to preserve production continuity while giving the larger organisation shared support functions.
That balance will be watched closely in an industry where scheduling pressure and working conditions are persistent concerns. KADOKAWA’s stated goals are ambitious, but the release does not yet provide evidence that the new structure has improved output or staff wellbeing.
The announcement is therefore worth covering as an industry restructuring story, not as proof that KADOKAWA has solved anime’s production problems. The practical results will matter more than the new name.
The structure will be judged by what happens after launch: whether teams gain meaningful production support, whether schedules improve and whether the existing creative identities really survive the integration.
Our opinion
Anime production needs better planning and better working conditions far more urgently than it needs another corporate reshuffle. If Studio One Base genuinely gives teams more support without sanding away their identities, this could be useful. If not, it is just five signboards and one very large org chart.