Studio Behind One Piece and Dragon Ball Announces Massive Global Expansion

Toei Animation — the studio behind long-running hits like Dragon Ball and One Piece — has unveiled an ambitious expansion blueprint aimed at transforming the company into a truly global anime leader within five years. The strategy, outlined in an official Vision 2030 document, was circulated and translated by fans online (see the Vision 2030 PDF and a fan post by @Venixys on X), and it could have significant implications for viewers and creators alike.

At its core the plan pursues two pillars: broadening Toei’s international footprint and investing in next-generation production technologies. The company intends to markedly increase new intellectual property output — aiming to triple it and produce roughly 25 new IPs overseas across North America, China, and Europe. To support that push, Toei proposes establishing two to three additional studios in Asia to collaborate with its Japanese teams. The studio expects overseas animation to become a second business pillar, backed by an investment of about ¥20 billion spread over five years.

On the technology front, the document highlights tools like motion capture and artificial intelligence, but it also stresses preserving and elevating the artist’s creative role. Toei sketches a new production and management model designed to simplify workflows and speed up the delivery of fresh projects while keeping creative craftsmanship central to the process.

For fans of Dragon Ball, this announcement is especially tantalizing. Many viewers are eager for a continuation of the televised anime that picks up where Dragon Ball Super left off in 2018. Although Dragon Ball Daima performed well, its status as a spinoff with an ambiguous continuity left some fans wanting more. The Dragon Ball Super manga still has two major arcs available for adaptation, and there’s hope these could be part of the slate Toei might unveil at January’s Genkidamatsuri event. (read more about the Genkidamatsuri expectations.)

The proposed production model may also tie into recent changes at Toei, such as the decision to move One Piece from a weekly schedule to a seasonal format — producing roughly 26 episodes per year after 26 years of continuous weekly broadcasts. Alongside Dragon Ball, One Piece remains a cornerstone of Toei’s revenue and a platform where the studio experiments with animation techniques and higher production standards. (more on One Piece’s shift to a seasonal model.)

As Japan’s longest-established animation house, Toei has deep roots in traditional production methods, but it has faced criticism for lagging behind younger studios — such as MAPPA, Bones, and Wit — when it comes to originating new hit properties. Historically, the company has relied heavily on legacy franchises like Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Pretty Cure for steady returns. Vision 2030, however, reads like a formal commitment to change, building on experimental work the studio has shown in recent years.

One noteworthy element of the plan is an emphasis on regional storytelling and collaboration with local artists, a move that could encourage more cross-cultural exchange in the opposite direction of the current trend. While anime’s influence on Western popular culture is indisputable, reciprocal cultural integration has been more limited — and Toei’s pledge to incorporate local perspectives may help shift that balance. For many viewers the still-unanswered question remains: when will the next canonical Dragon Ball anime series be announced?

Source: Polygon