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CyberAgent has been described as one of the biggest emerging forces in Japanese entertainment and another axis to take on the legacy conglomerates. As the arms race for IP heats up, CyberAgent’s large group sees it present in every stage of original and third-party IP development, from its comic platforms like Studio Zoon, to the planning and production of global smash-hits like subsidiaries Cygames’ Umamusume and Nitroplus’ Touken Ranbu (co-produced with DMM Games), and distribution through its ABEMA streaming platform, one of the biggest in Japan.
CyberAgent’s anime business has particularly attracted attention. It’s transitioning to a model where IP will become the company’s largest driving force, and aims to create “high-quality Japanese animation works that can be accepted globally,” as CyberAgent Senior Managing Executive Officer Takahiro Yamauchi puts it in a new interview with Anime Corner.
Takahiro Yamauchi joined CyberAgent as a new graduate in April 2006, took up the role of Representative Director of CyberZ (to present) in 2009, Senior Managing Executive Officer of CyberAgent (to present) in 2020, and Director and COO of AbemaTV (to present) in 2023. He is currently focusing on expanding the animation & IP business as the officer in charge of the animation & IP business at CyberAgent.
Q: What did CyberAgent see in the anime industry that led to the major shifts at the company, such as establishing the anime business department and the new medium to long-term strategy that began in FY2025?
Yamauchi: In recent years, the animation business has become a growth market — not only in Japan but also in the rest of the world, through media mix strategies. In particular, the combined domestic and overseas market for Japanese animation-related products is expected to reach JPY 3,346.5 billion in 2023 (up 14.3% year-on-year) — the largest ever for the past three consecutive years, and we believe it will continue to grow and expand not only in Japan but also overseas. We believe that the number of people who enjoy animation will increase not only in Japan but also all over the world.
Q: A major recent change in CyberAgent’s anime business was the decision to create the new CA Soa studio. What led to its formation, what type of works should we expect, and will we see joint funds like the CA-Cygames Anime Fund?
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Yamauchi: In 2017, the company entered the animation production business in earnest by setting up the CA-Cygames Animation Fund, a fund to invest in animation IP, jointly with Cygames Inc. Today, under the Animation & IP Business Division established in February 2024, the company is developing a comprehensive business with an eye on the global market by consolidating its advertising & promotion functions, and merchandise production & merchandising functions, with IP development and animation planning & production as its core business.
Against this background, CA Soa Inc. was established as a new animation production studio subsidiary with the aim of creating high-quality Japanese animation works that can be accepted globally. Future investment companies are yet to be determined.
Q: Given CyberAgent’s large group, what does it mean to properly share information across companies? If there’s a restrictive structure where companies are forced to rely on each other, it may hold them all back. At the same time, not having communication lines open may be a waste of potential. What’s CyberAgent’s role in creating a balance?
Yamauchi: CyberAgent Group values jobs with a high level of autonomy and responsibility. We provide appropriate support to each company while building on their creativity and strengths.
Q: How is CyberAgent uniquely positioned to grow over the next few years?
Yamauchi: With ABEMA at the centre, we will grow our media and IP business by leveraging group synergies from IP creation to IP monetization. We are still in the early stages, but we want to grow our business by having production, management, and platforms inside our group.
Q: CyberAgent has started MANGA APARTMENT VUY, a place for creators to live and develop together, in collaboration with Shihei Lin, Now that it’s open (as of April), could you give us a backdrop to how it came about, how the tenants are settling in, and the timeline for developments from now?
Yamauchi: MANGA APARTMENT VUY was established in sympathy with Shihei Lin’s philosophy to find as many undiscovered talents as possible in Japan’s world-class manga industry and to support those who wish to become professional manga artists.
Currently, there are about 20 residents. We would like to continue to create an environment where future manga artists can concentrate solely on producing manga, and support the creation of great manga works from Japan.
Q: Is it the hope/agreement that the creators will remain affiliated with CyberAgent through their development at MANGA APARTMENT VUY?
Yamauchi: There is a possibility of cooperation, although this has not yet been concretely decided.
Q: Given CyberAgent has announced several initiatives in quick succession, hopefully readers could get a sense of CyberAgent’s approach to fast and effective project management: What are some real-world examples of major success in CyberAgent’s decision-making, why did it trust in those decisions even if others might not have, and how did it audited decisions for future success? Perhaps more specifically, does it rely on any specific frameworks for decision-making?
Yamauchi: CyberAgent’s strength lies in the fact that it has been committed to speedy business development with ‘a high level of autonomy and responsibility’ since the company’s inception. There is no particular decision-making framework, but it is ingrained in the culture.
Q: How does CyberAgent approach cultural localization of Japanese IPs for global audiences? What lessons have you learned from past launches?
Yamauchi: We believe that it is important to localize the animation and IPs to suit each country without destroying the world view and the core values of them. We do not yet have many examples of past developments, but we would like to continue to accumulate localization know-how.
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Q: Jujutsu Kaisen: Phantom Parade [developed by CyberAgent’s subsidiary Sumzap] racked up 10 million registrations before launching globally. Several months on, how much of a success has it been?
Yamauchi: We cannot disclose detailed figures, but growth continues to be steady.
Q: CyberAgent’s role within production committees is evolving, with the company serving as the lead manager of three third-party anime production committees this year in addition to its own original IPs. How does your role differ when you’re taking the lead?
Yamauchi: Our role changes with each work, but we can’t answer in detail. We would like to play with what we can contribute to as CyberAgent.
Q: How do you view collaboration vs competition? Given the previous initiatives with creators (manga publishers, anime studios), what strategies does CyberAgent have regarding vertical and horizontal cooperation and increasing its market share?
Yamauchi: As mentioned, we will grow CyberAgent’s media & IP business by utilizing group synergies from ‘IP creation’ to ‘IP monetization’, with ABEMA at the centre. As we have only just started to develop our animation business in some areas, we intend to contribute to the further development of the animation industry in cooperation with various related companies.
Q: How does CyberAgent envision a sustainable anime production environment coming about? Are there any new models you’re experimenting with regarding IP/copyright sharing and empowering creatives, particularly for anime staff on the ground?
Yamauchi: There are various problems in the production field, such as overseas dependence on work processes and long working hours, but in a way that only CyberAgent can, and sometimes with the help of technology, [we aim to] solve these problems and develop an environment for creators to continue producing great works.
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Q: Why is now the time to strike the overseas market, and what do you envision CyberAgent America to be in the eyes of overseas fans?
Yamauchi: The animation business is a growing market, not only in Japan, but also in the rest of the world, with a focus on media mix strategies. It is important for CyberAgent to focus on the animation & IP business and grow the business not only in Japan but also overseas.
In this context, CA America will design domestic and international marketing strategies, execute localized communication design and promotion globally on the strength of strategic partnerships with platforms and media in each country in order to make CyberAgent’s animation business a success. The company will continue to promote initiatives that contribute to the development of the animation and entertainment industry.
Q: With all the announcements rapidly coming out of CyberAgent America, what did you prioritize first in preparing the company for the relaunch?
Yamauchi: We are focusing on strategic partnerships with platforms and media in different countries. Together with our partners, we want to jointly develop various new marketing methods to connect anime fans around the world.
Q: CyberAgent America’s CEO is really young, which seems to be a theme at a lot of CyberAgent group companies. What qualities led to his selection? What are the qualities you look for in hiring generally?
Yamauchi: At CyberAgent, there is a culture of selecting to do a big role (such as CEO) regardless of age, particular skills, and experiences. We feel it’s important to give tasks with a high level of autonomy, responsibility, and high expectations, so that they can make decisions and learn from their successes and failures, which leads to a cycle of growth. This is a concept that CyberAgent values in its human resource development.
Q: Alongside CyberAgent America, CyberAgent has announced several initiatives to aid marketing, for example, with X (formerly Twitter) and MyAnimeList. How does fan engagement and community input factor into CyberAgent’s creative decisions? Have fan interactions ever directly influenced a major change or new initiative?
Yamauchi: We place great importance on listening to our fans, including through social listening. Reactions and responses to marketing promotions are also used as a reference for the next step.
Q: What will be ABEMA’s role in global expansion?
Yamauchi: Although ABEMA is a streaming service that can be viewed in Japan, original content produced by ABEMA is distributed worldwide on Netflix and has been well-received, ranking high in popularity. In the future, ABEMA will continue to develop original works for overseas markets by utilising its production capabilities.
Q: Finally, what should fans look forward to with CyberAgent?
Yamauchi: Our ultimate goal is to continuously create global hit IP that attracts people all over the world with both original works and influential IP. To achieve this, we are determined to continue taking on the challenge of creating new value through both technological innovation and creator support.
From a medium to long-term perspective, we plan to develop our IP into global hits and diversify our animation, games, and related products that are popular in the global market. To this end, we will strengthen our collaboration with local partner companies based on a deep understanding of the culture and needs of each country.
By maximizing an IP’s potential for development into multifaceted businesses such as overseas expansion, game adaptation, merchandise sales, and event organisation, and by creating synergies with CyberAgent’s peripheral businesses, such as games, advertising, and events, we aim to create an IP that will take the world by storm. In the long term, CyberAgent aims to create a new form of entertainment and contribute to the development of the entertainment industry as a whole.
Thanks to Yamauchi and the CyberAgent team for making this interview possible. They’ll have a booth at Anime Expo 2025, where fans can look forward to highly anticipated titles like The Summer Hikaru Died, set to stream worldwide on Netflix this summer.
