Anime budgets are polarizing: some episodes exceed 100 million yen

The president of the production company ARCH and the studio Graphinica, Nao Hirasawa, explained in an interview with ITmedia that television anime production costs can exceed 100 million yen per episode in the highest-budget projects. In the case of films, the budget can reach between 2 and 3 billion yen.

Hirasawa divides anime studios into ecosystems based on who approves the budgets. At the top he places projects financed by global headquarters of large companies, followed by those tied to streaming platforms and mobile games. At the bottom are traditional late-night productions, whose budgets barely grow.

The executive warns that this gap will widen toward the 2030s. Mid-tier studios, which target the Japanese audience and international niches, are finding it increasingly difficult to be profitable. Moreover, the budget disparity has altered investor expectations and has left subcontracted studios with less liquidity to adapt.

Originally published on Anitsu by Kim Seo-yeon. Text reviewed and fact-checked for DonOtaku on November 5, 2026; the original date is preserved.