Bushiroad

Bushiroad Inc.
Native name
株式会社ブシロード
Kabushiki-gaisha Bushirōdo
Company typePublic
TYO: 7803
ISINJP3829930001
IndustryVideo games
Media and Entertainment
Collectible card games
Magazines
FoundedMay 18, 2007; 17 years ago (2007-05-18)
FounderTakaaki Kidani
HeadquartersSumitomo Nakanosakaue Bldg 1-38-1 Chuo, Nakano, Tokyo, Japan[1]
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
ProductsTelevision Production
Digital media
Publishing
Music
Animated feature films
Live event promotion
ServicesLicensing
RevenueDecrease ¥46.262 billion (FY 2024)
Decrease¥882 million (FY 2024)
Decrease¥1,898 million (FY 2024)
Total assetsIncrease¥50.605 billion (FY 2024)
Total equityIncrease¥23,271 million (FY 2024)
OwnersSumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
(33.73%)
Takaaki Kidani
(17.41%)
Nakano Sakagami Co., Ltd
(16.65%)
GREE, Inc.
(4.96%)
Number of employees
590 (2023[1])
SubsidiariesBushiroad Creative
Bushiroad Move
Bushiroad Music
Bushiroad Music Publishing
Bushiroad USA, Inc.
Bushiroad International Pte., Inc.
Frontwing (50.625%)
Argonavis (As of February 2022)
New Japan Pro-Wrestling
World Wonder Ring Stardom
Bushiroad Well-Be
Bushiroad Works
New Japan Pro-wrestling of America, Inc.
Sanzigen (8.2%)
Kinema Citrus (31.8%)
Tokyo MX (10.06%)
Websitebushiroad.com bushiroad.co.jp

Bushiroad Inc. (株式会社ブシロード, Kabushiki-gaisha Bushirōdo) is a Japanese entertainment company, producer of collectible card games and trading cards, publisher of mobile apps and games, promotional items and many other venues, which was founded in 2007 by Takaaki Kidani and is headquartered in Tokyo. Bushiroad created and owns various media franchises such as Tantei Opera Milky Holmes.[2] Since 2019, Bushiroad is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and has traded on the TSE since its launch on July 24, 2019.[3]

On January 29, 2012, Bushiroad announced that it had fully acquired New Japan Pro-Wrestling, a major professional wrestling promotion, for ¥500 million.[4] In October 2019, Bushiroad acquired World Wonder Ring Stardom, a joshi puroresu promotion.[5]

At the 2012 Tokyo Game Show, Bushiroad announced Bushimo, a new social gaming platform for smartphones, which was released in Winter 2012.[6]

In March 2013, Bushiroad announced the revival of the media franchise Neppu Kairiku Bushi Road, with an anime television series that aired on December 31, 2013, as a collaboration between Bushiroad, Bandai Visual, Nitroplus, and Kinema Citrus.[7]

Bushiroad introduced a monthly magazine in September 2013 titled Monthly Bushiroad (月刊ブシロード, Gekkan Bushirōdo). It features manga serializations of their various trading card games and other franchises.

Bushiroad created the media franchise BanG Dream! in January 2015, which consists of a musical group, several manga series, and an anime television series.[8] It also created the media franchise Shōjo Kageki Revue Starlight in 2017, which consists of a musical and an anime television series.[9]

On December 12, 2019, Bushiroad and Kadokawa each acquired 31.8% of Kinema Citrus. The three companies previously announced a partnership in the same year for the creation of different anime, and one of the reasons for the deal was due to that partnership and a day later Bushiroad announced that it had acquired 8.2% of Sanzigen with Ultra Super Pictures owning 75.4% of Sanzigen and studio president Hiroaki Matsuura owning 16.4% of the company.[10][2][11] On March 16, 2021, Bushiroad acquired a 50.625% controlling stake in video game company Frontwing.[12]

Logo (2007–2017)
  1. ^ a b c "Company Overview". Bushiroad. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Bushiroad, Kadokawa Jointly Acquire 63.6% of Kinema Citrus Studio's Shares". 21 May 2023.
  3. ^ "「ブシロード」新規上場(Ipo)初値・株価見通しは?ビジネスモデル解説ほか". 10 July 2019.
  4. ^ 5億円!新日オーナー会社 電撃交代 (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. Retrieved 2012-04-11.
  5. ^ "NJPW Parent Company Bushiroad Purchases Stardom - Wrestling Inc". www.wrestlinginc.com. Archived from the original on 2019-10-19.
  6. ^ Toto, Dr Serkan. "Bushimo: Japan Gets Yet Another Social Gaming Platform [Social Games] – Kantan Games Inc. CEO Blog". Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  7. ^ "Neppu Kairiku Bushi Road's Anime's 2nd Promo Video Reveals Air Date". Anime News Network. November 6, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  8. ^ "BanG Dream! Girls Band Project Gets 2017 TV Anime". Anime News Network. July 7, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  9. ^ "Bushiroad Reveals Revue Starlight Franchise With Stage Musical, TV Anime Projects". Anime News Network. April 30, 2017. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  10. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (14 December 2019). "Bushiroad Acquires 8.2% of Sanzigen Animation Studio". Anime News Network. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  11. ^ "Bushiroad, Kadokawa, Kinema Citrus Announce Partnership to Produce Anime IP". 21 May 2023.
  12. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (March 18, 2021). "Bushiroad Acquires Media Company Frontwing". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 18, 2021.