On April 3, 2026, exactly 55 years since the original Kamen Rider first aired on Japanese television in 1971, Toei held an anniversary event in Tokyo. Among a wave of announcements, including a new TV series, several films, and a mobile game project, one stood out as something genuinely unprecedented.

Toei revealed the creation of "THE KAMENRIDER ANIMATED," a brand-new label dedicated exclusively to producing animated Kamen Rider films. The label's stated mission is to reach anime fans both in Japan and around the world, with content designed so that viewers can enjoy it without any prior knowledge of the franchise.

The label won't be limited to new characters either. It can feature original Riders, classic ones, or anything in between. Multiple production partners are expected to collaborate under this banner over time.

The First Project: Aniplex × Shirogumi

The inaugural project under THE KAMENRIDER ANIMATED was also announced at the event. It will be a completely original CG anime co-produced by Aniplex and Shirogumi, with a worldwide release in mind.

At the press event, producers described the visual direction not as "typical 3D CG" but as "graphical CG animation with a manga-inspired look that feels familiar to anime fans." The specific title and story details remain under wraps for now.

For anyone who follows the anime and film industries, this pairing of studios should immediately raise eyebrows.

Aniplex and the Pipeline to Global Anime

Aniplex is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan and one of the most powerful anime production and distribution companies on the planet. Its portfolio includes some of the most commercially successful anime franchises of the past decade: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Sword Art Online, the Fate series, Bocchi the Rock!, and Solo Leveling, among many others.

What makes Aniplex's involvement especially significant is its global distribution muscle. Together with Sony Pictures Entertainment, Aniplex co-operates Crunchyroll, the world's largest dedicated anime streaming service, available in over 200 countries and territories. On March 17, 2025, Aniplex and Crunchyroll established HAYATE Inc., a joint venture that plans and produces anime for the Crunchyroll service. In March 2026, Aniplex also partnered with Kadokawa to create Animec Inc., a joint venture specializing in anime film distribution and promotion.

Aniplex also owns major animation studios A-1 Pictures and CloverWorks, as well as Aniplex of America (covering North and South American markets) and Aniplex Shanghai (handling China and greater Asia).

In simple terms: if Aniplex is producing it, there is an established pipeline to deliver it to anime fans virtually everywhere on Earth.

Shirogumi, the Studio That Won an Oscar for Godzilla

Shirogumi is a Japanese visual production studio founded in 1974, three years after Kamen Rider first aired. Over five decades it has become one of Japan's premier CG and VFX houses.

The studio became a global household name thanks to its work on Godzilla Minus One (2023), directed by Takashi Yamazaki. Made on a budget of roughly $15 million, the film won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 96th Oscars, the first non-English-language film ever to take that category.

Shirogumi's CG animation credentials run just as deep. The studio produced STAND BY ME Doraemon (2014), which won Animation of the Year at the 38th Japan Academy Film Prize, the first fully CG film to take that award, and returned for the 2020 sequel. It also animated Lupin III: The First (2019), the character's first fully CG theatrical film, the mecha battle sequences in 86: EIGHTY-SIX, and the full CG animation for THE IDOLM@STER Million Live!

The announcement's emphasis on "graphical CG animation with a manga-inspired look" lands squarely in Shirogumi's wheelhouse.

Where Kamen Rider Actually Stands Overseas

To understand the full significance of THE KAMENRIDER ANIMATED, it helps to know where the franchise stands internationally.

For most of its 55-year history, Kamen Rider has been an overwhelmingly domestic Japanese property. Unlike Gundam or Dragon Ball, which were exported early through dubbed anime, Kamen Rider's live-action tokusatsu (special effects) format made international distribution challenging. Cultural barriers and the demanding one-year continuous broadcast format worked against easy overseas adoption.

That started changing in 2025. Kamen Rider ZEZTZ, the series that debuted in September 2025, became the first entry in the franchise's history to be simulcast internationally. Through YouTube's TokuSHOUTsu channel and other platforms, viewers in North America, Northern Europe, Central and South America, Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa could watch new episodes almost simultaneously with Japan.

The financial data points the same way. Bandai Namco's 2024 factbook puts group-wide Kamen Rider revenue at ¥31.5 billion for the fiscal year ending March 2024, of which ¥23.4 billion came from the domestic toy-hobby business. The remaining ¥8.1 billion, roughly $53 million at the time, covers everything else: overseas sales, video, licensing. That portion has been climbing since around fiscal 2020. The same period saw Super Sentai, the franchise behind Power Rangers, pushed into a broadcast hiatus as its merchandise revenue slid.

Meanwhile, private research firms put the global anime market somewhere in the $30 billion range as of 2024, growing at roughly 10% a year. The estimates vary by firm, but the direction does not. Anime has become the widest channel for moving Japanese entertainment abroad.

An original CG anime film, made by a team with direct access to the world's largest anime distribution networks and designed for newcomers, is Kamen Rider meeting its audience where that audience already is.

Other Key Announcements from the 55th Anniversary Event

THE KAMENRIDER ANIMATED wasn't the only major reveal.

A separate live-action film label called "THE KAMENRIDER PREMIUM" was also established, targeting broader audiences including international markets. This gives Kamen Rider two distinct film strategies: ANIMATED for anime and PREMIUM for live-action.

The next TV series, Kamen Rider Maisu, was announced as the successor to the currently airing Kamen Rider ZEZTZ, though only the title logo was revealed.

Kamen Rider Den-O, one of the franchise's most beloved entries, received a 20th anniversary project announcement with a new film confirmed for 2027. Kamen Rider Kabuto will get a V-Cinext special, Kabuto 20th: Successor to the Heavens, screening in limited theaters from November 6, 2026.

A brand-new mobile game project, "Game Project HENSHIN," was also unveiled, being developed by Bandai Namco Entertainment.

No title, no character designs, no release date. What the announcement does make clear is that Toei has stopped treating Kamen Rider as a Japan-only property.

In Japan, a 55-year-old hero is transforming once again. How well-known is Kamen Rider in your country? Would you watch a Kamen Rider anime? We'd love to hear your thoughts.

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