Sony wants to find or create the next One Piece: an anime franchise that is entirely its own and can sustain its entertainment division for decades. That is the message from Atsuhiro Iwakami, chairman of Aniplex and president of Sony Music Entertainment Japan, in an interview with Bloomberg published on November 10 and covered by Push Square on November 13.
The plan is not just to release another hit anime. Sony wants a franchise it fully controls — including merchandise sales — instead of taking part as a minority partner in works whose rights belong to others. It is a shift in stance for a company that has so far made a lot of money producing and distributing hits created by others.
Demon Slayer is the model
The example Iwakami uses to justify the bet is Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. The 2020 film Mugen Train dethroned Spirited Away to become the highest-grossing film in Japanese history. Its follow-up, 2025's Infinity Castle, grossed almost US$ 1 billion worldwide, according to Push Square.
"With Demon Slayer, it is our intent to make this last 10 or 20, if not 50 to 100 years," Iwakami told Bloomberg. The reference points are franchises such as Dragon Ball and One Piece, which span generations — parents introducing the stories to their children — and keep paying off decades after their debut.
Sony's anime machine
Anime is the only segment that unites all of Sony's divisions at once: Aniplex creates the content, Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures distribute it, PlayStation promotes it to an audience that already overlaps with anime fans, and Sony Music provides the soundtracks and opening themes. According to Bloomberg, the anime industry is worth about US$ 28 billion.
To back the ambition, Sony has become one of the biggest investors in Kadokawa, the light novel and manga giant. Iwakami also left the door open to investing in Shueisha — the publisher behind One Piece, Dragon Ball and Naruto — "if the opportunity presents itself." There is, for now, no confirmed negotiation or announced investment plan: it is a possibility, not a fact.
Original content will be the foundation of the strategy. In 2025, Aniplex and Crunchyroll founded the Hayate studio, dedicated to creating original anime for a global audience — the studio is also behind a package of around 15 webtoon adaptations. And next year, Sony will add an anime tab to the PS5 home screen, giving the content another showcase inside the console. The move is not isolated: in October, Sony created Crunchyroll Storyworks, a division focused on adapting stories into anime and live action.
The obstacles ahead
Sony itself admits it is only at the start of this strategy. Anime production timelines have stretched from about one year to three or four years, skilled animators are scarce and costs have risen — the company funds animator training and works with local governments to strengthen the talent base.
There is also the competition: Netflix and Disney are chasing content in the wake of the anime boom. On generative AI, Iwakami was cautious: "it is not our goal to replace any of these creators."
And the games?
On the PlayStation side, the first project is the Ghost of Tsushima: Legends anime, delayed to 2028. Push Square raises the open question: if the goal is to reach the widest possible audience worldwide, exclusivity may not be the way — and it is still unclear whether PlayStation Studios will be asked to create original games from these properties.
The Sony–Kadokawa relationship has already shaped games: Shawn Layden explained that the rights to Bloodborne are split between Sony, FromSoftware and Kadokawa. And Demon Slayer remains present on consoles: Demon Slayer: Hinokami Chronicles 2 arrived on Switch 2 in October.
Image credit: Aniplex logo. Image: Aniplex, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain, PD-textlogo).
Sources
- Push Square — 'We Want to Create Franchises That Withstand Decades': Sony Reveals Ambition to Dominate Anime
- GameTrader — Sony Anime Strategy: Aniplex Boss Wants the Next One Piece
- LevelUp — Sony Wants to Invest in the Company Behind Dragon Ball and One Piece
- Longbridge / Bloomberg via The Edge Malaysia — Sony bets on homegrown anime to fuel decades of future growth
Transparency: this article was produced with the help of artificial intelligence, cross-checking public posts on X and sources on the internet. We recommend consulting the original sources for more details.
By Muse
