, simply known as Toei Company or , is a Japanese entertainment company. Headquartered in Kyōbashi, Chūō, Tokyo, 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 and live-action dramas known as tokusatsu, which incorporate special visual effects. It is also known for producing period dramas. Toei is the majority shareholder of Toei Animation and is recognized for its franchises such as Kamen Rider, Super Sentai and Power Rangers.

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, Shochiku and Toho.

History

Toei is a pioneer in the use of "Henshin"/"character transformation" in Live Action Television (TV) Film Video Game and Other's, Etc. Superhero martial-arts Mecha drama Franchises, a technique developed for the Kamen Rider, Metal Hero and Super Sentai 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. It had erected its facilities immediately east of the Tōkyū Tōyoko Line; they managed the prewar Tōkyū Shibuya Yokohama studio system. From 1945 through the Toei merger, Tokyo-Yokohama Films leased from the Daiei Motion Picture Company 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, it gained the combined talents and experience of actors Chiezō Kataoka, Utaemon Ichikawa, Ryunosuke Tsukigata, Ryūtarō Ōtomo, Kinnosuke Nakamura, Chiyonosuke Azuma, Shirunosuke Toshin, Hashizo Okawa, and Satomi Oka. In 1956, Toei establishes an animation 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 its part-ownership of Nippon Educational Television Co., now known as TV Asahi.

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.

Shigeru Okada becomes chairperson as Tan Takaiwa succeeds him as president and chief executive officer in 1993, establishing Toei Satellite TV Co., Ltd. and creates Toei Channel in 1998.

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.

On July 27, 2025, Toei closed its headquarters at the Toei Kaikan in Ginza, and relocated to Kyobashi Edogrand in Kyobashi. The closure also marked the end of Toei's cinema division as it wound down its operations in order for the company to focus on .

Branding

thumb|The rocks at Cape Inubō seen at in the title card.

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 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 The End of Evangelion and films in the Dragon Ball series.

The logo's 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 logos around the world.

|-

|

|A Story of Pure Love

|Jun'ai Monogatari

|Tadashi Imai won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 8th Berlin International Film Festival

|

|-

|

|Alakazam the Great

|Saiyu-ki

|First film adaptation of a Osamu Tezuka manga. Although credited as director, most of the direction was done by Yabushita Taiji. Also one of the earliest Toei anime films to be released in the United States.

|

|-

|

|Drifting Detective: Tragedy in the Red Valley

|Fūraibō tantei: akai tani no sangeki

|First starring role for Sonny Chiba

|

|-

|

|Invasion of the Neptune Men

|Uchu kaizoku-sen

|Starred Sonny Chiba as "Iron Sharp"

|

|-

|

|Bushido, Samurai Saga

|Bushidō zankoku monogatari

|Won the Golden Bear at the 13th Berlin International Film Festival

|

|-

|

|League of Gangsters

|Gyangu Dōmei

|Ryōhei Uchida's first starring role

|

|-

|

|Abashiri Prison

|Abashiri Bangaichi

|A remake of the 1958 American film The Defiant Ones, Abashiri Prison starred Ken Takakura and became a popular franchise running for a total of 17 films.

|

|-

|

|

|Kai tatsu daikessen

|

|

|-

|

|

|Kaitei Daisensō

|U.S./ Japanese co-production

|

|-

|December 21, 1966

|Golden Ninja

|Ōgon Batto (Golden Bat)

|A film based off the kamishibai character of the same name by Takeo Nagamatsu and Suzuki Ichiro.

|

|-

|

|Yongary, Monster from the Deep

|Dai koesu Yongkari

|South Korean/Japanese co-production

|

|-

|

|

|Gamma sango uchu dai sakusen

| U.S./ Japanese co-production

|

|-

|

|Horrors of Malformed Men

|Kyofu kikei ningen

|

|

|-

|

|Voyage Into Space

|Giant Robo (Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot)

|Episodes of the Japanese TV series re-edited into a TV movie for U.S. release

|

|-

|

|Tora! Tora! Tora!

|Tora! Tora! Tora!

|An international co-production with Twentieth Century Fox, the film featured an international cast and sought to present a balanced account of the attack on Pearl Harbor for both sides. It was praised for its historical accuracy and was nominated for five Oscars at the 43rd Academy Awards.

|

|-

|

|Venus Flytrap

|Akuma no Niwa

| Based on a 1950s unproduced screenplay by Ed Wood. Later released on video as Revenge of Dr. X.

|

|-

|

|Under the Flag of the Rising Sun

|Gunki Hatameku Moto ni

|Submitted by Japan as their entry for the Best Foreign Language Film, but was not selected

|

|-

|

|Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion

|

|First of a series of 4 Female Convict Scorpion film franchise

|

|-

|

|Battles Without Honor and Humanity

|Jingi Naki Tatakai

|The first in a five-film series based on articles by journalist Kōichi Iiboshi, eventually became an 11 film franchise most recently rebooted in 2000.

|

|-

|

|

|Gekitotsu Satsujinken

| starred Sonny Chiba; spawned 2 sequels, Return of the Street Fighter and Street Fighter's Last Revenge

|

|-

|

|New Battles Without Honor and Humanity

|Shin Jingi Naki Tatakai

|A continuation of the Battles Without Honor and Humanity franchise expanding beyond the articles written by journalist Kōichi Iiboshi.

|

|-

|

|Cops vs. Thugs

|Kenkei tai Soshiki Bōryoku

|Won two Blue Ribbon Awards in 1976 for Best Director (Fukasaku) and Best Actor (Sugawara).Complex named it number 6 on their list of The 25 Best Yakuza Movies.

|

|-

|

|Legend of Dinosaurs & Monster Birds

|Kyoryu-kaicho no densetsu

|

|

|-

|

|Shogun's Samurai

|Yagyū Ichizoku no Inbō

|Adapted into a 39-episode TV series, The Yagyu Conspiracy (1978–1979), also produced by Toei.

|

|-

|

|Message from Space

|Uchu kara no messeji

| Starred Sonny Chiba and Vic Morrow

|

|-

|

|Shogun's Ninja

|Ninja Bugeichō Momochi Sandayū

|Hiroyuki Sanada's first lead role

|

|-

|

|G.I. Samurai (a.k.a. Time Slip)

|Sengoku jieitai

| Starred Sonny Chiba

|

|-

|

|The Ballad of Narayama

|Narayama Bushikō

|Directed by Shōhei Imamura adaptated from the book by Shichirō Fukazawa. Won the Palme d'Or at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival.

|

|-

|

|Black Rain

|Kuroi ame

|Won multiple Japanese film awards and critical acclaim by American critics.

|

|-

|

|Dr. Akagi

|Kanzō-sensei

|

|

|-

|

|Poppoya

|Tetsudōin

| Best Film at the Japan Academy Awards, it was submitted to the 72nd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee.

|

|-

|

|New Battles Without Honor and Humanity

|Shin Jingi Naki Tatakai

|Reboot of the popular franchise from 1973.

|

|-

|

|Battle Royale

|Battle Royal

|Embargoed from US distribution due to violence, finally released straight-to-DVD to critical acclaim in 2010 following praise by Quentin Tarantino.

|

|-

|

|Partners: The Movie

|AIBOU: The Movie

|Based on the television series AIBOU: Tokyo Detective Duo, it was the first in the Aibou (Partners) film series.

|

|-

|

|Admiral Yamamoto

|Rengō Kantai Shirei Chōkan Yamamoto Isoroku

|

|

|-

|

|Space Pirate Captain Harlock

| a.k.a. Harlock: Space Pirate

|Toei Animation Production

|

|-

|

|125 Years Memory

|Kainan 1890

|Co-produced by Toei, Creators' Union, Böcek Yapım

|

|-

|

|First Love

|Hatsukoi

|Distributor, produced by OLM

|

|-

|

|The Goldfish

|Umibe no Kingyō

|

|

|-

|March 17, 2023

| Shin Kamen Rider

|Shin Kamen Rider

|Reboot of the original 1971 series by Hideaki Anno

|

|}

Toei animation

Toei animation films

Toei distributed films

{| class="wikitable"

|+

!Original producer

!Year

!Title

!Original title

!Notes

!

|-

|Shin-eiga Co., Ltd.

|1950

|Golden Bat: The Phantom of the Skyscraper

|Ōgon Batto: Matenrô no Kaijin

|A film based off the kamishibai character of the same name by Takeo Nagamatsu and Suzuki Ichiro, but mainly based on the manga adaptation by Shōnen Gahōsha.

|

|}

Toei produced/distributed shows

{|class="wikitable sortable"

|-

!Year||Title||Country

|-

|1971–present

|Kamen Rider franchise

| rowspan="4" | Japan

|-

|1975–2026

|Super Sentai franchise

|-

|1982–present

|Metal Hero franchise

|-

|1981–1993

|Fushigi Comedy franchise

|-

|1993–present

|Power Rangers franchise

| rowspan="4" | United States

|-

|1994–1996

|VR Troopers

|-

|1995–1996

|Masked Rider

|-

|1996–1998

|Big Bad Beetleborgs (later Beetleborgs Metallix)

|-

|2003–2004

|Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Live action series)

| rowspan="2" | Japan

|-

|2004–present

|Pretty Cure franchise

|-

|2007–2008

|Zaido: Pulis Pangkalawakan

|Philippines

|-

|2008–2009

|Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight

|United States

|-

|2012–2013

|Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger

| rowspan="3" | Japan

|-

|2016–2017

|Kamen Rider Amazons

|-

|2022

|Kamen Rider Black Sun

|-

|2023

|Voltes V: Legacy

|Philippines

|-

|2023–present

|Shin Japan Heroes Universe

| rowspan="7" | Japan

|-

|2024–present

|Oshi no Ko

|-

|2025–present

|Ameku Takao's Detective Karte

|-

|2026–present

|Project R.E.D. franchise

|-

|2026-present

|The Kamen Rider Chronicle franchise

|-

|2026-present

|The Kamen Rider Animated franchise

|-

|2026-present

|The Kamen Rider Premium franchise

|}

Shows created with Shotaro Ishinomori

  • Nebula Mask Machineman
  • Android Kikaider
  • Kikaider 01
  • Inazuman
  • Kaiketsu Zubat
  • Robotto Keiji
  • Akumaizer 3
  • Kyodai Ken Byclosser
  • Space Ironman Kyodain
  • Henshin Ninja Arashi
  • Sarutobi Ecchan

Video games

  • Ninja Hayate (1984)
  • Time Gal (1985)
  • The Masked Rider: Kamen Rider ZO (1994)
  • Chameleon Twist (1997)
  • Chameleon Twist 2 (1998)

Saburo Yatsude

is a collective pseudonym used by Toei Company television producers, and formerly Toei Animation producers, when contributing to its various anime and tokusatsu series; similar to Bandai Namco Filmworks' Hajime Yatate. The use of the pen name began with The Kagestar and has been used throughout the Super Sentai (in the adapted Power Rangers series starting with Power Rangers Ninja Storm, the credits list Saburo Hatte. Before this, the credits listed "Original Concepts by Saburo Yatsude") and Metal Hero Series as well as for Spider-Man, Choukou Senshi Changéríon, Video Warrior Laserion, Chōdenji Robo Combattler V, Chōdenji Machine Voltes V, Tōshō Daimos, Daltanious, Space Emperor God Sigma, Beast King GoLion 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 it began to use Izumi Todo instead. The first anime that was created by Izumi Todo was Ojamajo Doremi.

In the Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger 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 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 (1976-1977)
  • Spider-Man (1978-1979)
  • Choukou Senshi Changéríon (1996)

Anime

  • Robot Romance Trilogy (1976-1979)
  • Future Robot Daltanious (1979-1980)
  • Space Emperor God Sigma (1980-1981)
  • Beast King GoLion (1981-1982)
  • Armored Fleet Dairugger XV (1982-1983)
  • Lightspeed Electroid Albegas (1983-1984)
  • Video Warrior Laserion (1984-1985)

Script

Television

  • Sore Kara no Musashi (1964-1965)
  • Mito Kōmon (1964-1965)
  • Kamen Rider (1971-1973)
  • Himitsu Sentai Gorenger (1975-1977)
  • Space Sheriff Gavan (1982-1983)

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

  • Nebula Mask Machineman (1984)

See also

  • Toho
  • Shintoho
  • Tsuburaya Productions
  • Daiei Film
  • Kadokawa Daiei Studio
  • Kadokawa Shoten
  • Nikkatsu
  • Shochiku
  • Gainax
  • Group TAC
  • Production I.G
  • Studio Ghibli
  • Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.
  • Sega Enterprises
  • TV Tokyo
  • Tatsunoko Pro
  • Topcraft Limited Company
  • Toei Animation Company, Ltd.
  • Toei Superheroes
  • Toei Fushigi Comedy Series

References

Footnotes

Sources

  • Toei webpage
  • - a Hollywood Reporter article detailing Toei's receiving MIPTV's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006