Kodansha strengthens Disney’s position in Japanese animation

Disney and Kodansha have worked together in publishing and will now venture into the world of anime.

Japanese anime and Korean dramas are the main focus of Disney’s original content strategy. To expand its subscriber base in the Asia-Pacific region, a booming market, and be able to compete with its main competitors (Sony, Netflix and Amazon), the big-eared firm has expanded its partnership with Kodansha, Japan’s largest house, to obtaining new exclusive rights to broadcast several animated series. First of all, we will talk about Tokyo Revengers: Christmas Showdown Arc, which is scheduled to release on Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar in January 2023.

ディズニー、講談社と
アニメ作品の配信を含む戦略的協業の拡大を発表！

『#東京リベンジャーズ聖夜決戦編』
2023年1月#ディズニープラス
定額制動画配信(SVOD) 世頕独卝

#ディズニンコン 2022 pic.twitter.com/3cnvmopch1

— ディズニープラス公式 (@DisneyPlusJP) November 30, 2022

Yoshinobu Noma, Managing Director and Chairman of Kodansha, said:

The special relationship between Kodansha and Disney spans over 70 years and has enabled us to bring many Disney licensed publications to life. We are thrilled to be able to further diversify and enhance the partnership between our two companies and share more of our hugely popular animated films with the world on Disney+ and its other streaming platforms.

More original animated content on Disney+ thanks to Kodansha

According to consulting firm Parrot Analytics, global demand for anime content has grown by 118% over the past two years, making it one of the fastest growing genres of content worldwide (community video data and independent research).

Carol Choi, Executive Vice President of Original Content Strategy for The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific, added:

We are delighted to deepen our strategic partnership with our longtime partner Kodansha in such an exciting genre. Japanese anime fills in the gaps in our content development plans, and we believe this expanded collaboration will be a game-changer for Disney’s upcoming animation strategy in Japan. We look forward to bringing Kodansha’s anime games and intellectual property to the global stage.

Kodansha, a famous publishing name in Japan.

Founded in the early 1900s, Kodansha is known worldwide as the licensee for some of the most iconic manga, including AKIRA, Attack on Titan and Ghost in the Shell. The partnership with Disney dates back to 1950, when Kodansha first published work featuring Mickey Mouse, Pluto Pup, Donald Duck and the Seven Dwarfs in the Disney Manga Ehon collection. Kodansha also continues to publish Disney’s monthly Japanese magazine, Disney Fan, which is now 32 years old, as well as art and picture books for its other franchises.