Sony Wants to Own Anime Forever. Who Draws It?

Sony Group is pouring time and money into anime, and it isn't hiding what it wants. Atsuhiro Iwakami, president of Sony Music Entertainment Japan and chairman of Aniplex, put the timeline on the record: "With Demon Slayer, it is our intent to make this last 10 or 20, if not 50 to 100 years." A story about a young swordsman and his cursed sister is now a century-long asset plan.

Who Has the Power

The corporate machinery is laid out plainly. Aniplex produces. Crunchyroll, which Sony acquired and which now claims 21 million paid subscribers, distributes. PlayStation turns anime into games or games into anime. Sony Music's core operations extend franchises into soundtracks, concerts and merchandise. Hit franchises, the article says, become "gold mines not only for viewership but also for merchandise, music and live experiences." One pipeline, one owner, every stage.

The shopping list keeps growing. In 2025, Sony became the largest shareholder in Kadokawa, owner of a vast library of manga, novels and games. Sony has also raised its stake in Peanuts Holdings to 80%, giving it control of Snoopy and other characters. And Shueisha, the century-old publisher that actually owns the Demon Slayer IP, along with One Piece, Dragon Ball and Naruto? Asked whether Sony might invest, Iwakami left the door open: "Perhaps, if the opportunity presents itself." He added that "if timing and chance align, we would certainly be open to entertaining different types of M&A."

Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Masahiro Wakasugi spelled out the logic in the language of the balance sheet: "the IP of anime protagonists can serve as medium- to long-term assets." Characters as assets. Stories as holdings. Iwakami even floated a theme park, saying "having control of IP is a prerequisite and necessary."

Who Gets Crushed

The people who actually make anime show up late in the story, and the picture isn't pretty. Iwakami recalls that 20 years ago an anime could go from planning to broadcast in about a year. Today it can take three to four years. Skilled animators are scarce and costs have risen. The industry is worth US$28 billion, one of the fastest-growing entertainment genres on the planet, and it still can't produce enough, because the workers it depends on are in short supply.

Sony's answer is to invest in training young animators and to talk with local governments about building infrastructure for developing talent. Read that again. The company wants the franchise to last 100 years, and it's courting public authorities to help build the talent pipeline. On generative AI, Iwakami offered reassurance: "There will be tools that will assist. But it is not our goal to replace any of these creators." Goal, not guarantee.

What They're Calling "Community"

In October, about 500 creators, executives and industry players gathered at the Javits Center in New York for Crunchyroll's first Anime Future Forum, on the eve of New York Comic Con. Sony chief executive Hiroki Totoki opened the event, flanked by executives from PlayStation and Sony Pictures. Director James Gunn, actor Samuel L. Jackson and musician Big Sean joined the discussions. A gathering of five hundred, held in a convention hall, with the boss at the podium.

The article also notes that anime has traditionally relied on production committees, where publishers, studios, broadcasters and other partners share the cost, risk and rights. Streaming giants like Netflix and Walt Disney are bidding for licensing deals too. The fight is over who holds the rights, and the animators are not at that table.

Then comes the sentiment. Iwakami hopes "someone among the ranks will emerge and take on a new challenge." Someone among the ranks. The ranks produce; the top collects. Sony's 80-year-old tradition, he says, includes giving young producers unusual freedom to test ideas. Freedom, granted from above, inside a corporation that is busy buying up the rights to everything those producers might dream up.