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Japanese animation studio From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. (株式会社タツノコプロ, Kabushiki gaisha Tatsunoko Puro)[lower-alpha 1] and often shortened to Tatsunoko Pro (タツノコプロ, Tatsunoko Puro), is a Japanese animation and li company. The studio's name has a double meaning in Japanese: "Tatsu's child" (Tatsu is a nickname for Tatsuo) and "sea dragon", the inspiration for its seahorse logo.[3][4]
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 Logo used since 2014 | |
Headquarters in Musashino, Tokyo | |
Native name | 株式会社タツノコプロ (formerly spelled as 竜の子プロダクション) |
|---|---|
Romanized name | Kabushiki-gaisha Tatsunoko Puro |
| Company type | Kabushiki gaisha |
| Founded | October 19, 1962[1] |
| Founder | Tatsuo Yoshida Kenji Yoshida Ippei Kuri |
| Headquarters | Musashino, Tokyo, Japan[1] |
Key people | Kyou Itou (President and CEO) |
| Products | Anime |
| Owner | Nippon Television (55.2%) Takara Tomy (20.0%) Horipro (13.5%) Production I.G (11.2%) |
Number of employees | 101[2] (2024) |
| Divisions | I.G Tatsunoko (1987–1993) |
| Website | tatsunoko.co.jp |
Tatsunoko Production was established in 1962 and is engaged in the planning and production of anime films and television series, as well as character licensing.[5] The company produced many hit anime series from the 1960s through the 1980s, and holds numerous original rights and character copyrights for its original works in Japan and abroad.[5] The company is one of Japan's leading anime studios in terms of the breadth and richness of its content, ranging from hard action heroes to comedies, science fiction, anthropomorphic animals, and domestic dramas.[6][7][8] Since the first work, Space Ace, they have produced many works such as Speed Racer, Hakushon Daimaō, Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, and the Time Bokan series, supporting the dawn of Japanese animation.[7][9] Although the company later began producing works set in Japan, it has basically aimed from its inception to produce works that can be used anywhere in the world in a stateless manner.[7]
In the genealogy of animation studios in the history of Japanese animation, Tatsunoko is known as the studio that created many derivative studios along with Toei Doga (currently Toei Animation), Mushi Production, and Tokyo Movie (currently TMS Entertainment).[10][11][12]
In the past, Tatsunoko had a production system in which almost all processes, from planning to scriptwriting, drawing, cinematography, and editing, were completed in-house. The company continued to use this system for a long time after Toei Doga and Mushi Production, which had a similar production system, became unsustainable due to streamlining and bankruptcy.[6][13][lower-alpha 2]
Initially, Founder Tatsuo Yoshida tried to establish his studio's own style with realistic drawings that accurately depicted muscles and skeletons.[9][14] At that time, it was common knowledge that animation was to be abbreviated or deformed, and that pictures were to be simplified as much as possible to show movement.[14][15] Even Mushi Production and Disney used to draw the car so that when it starts, it first contracts like rubber and then jumps out like a bullet due to the recoil, and when it stops, it contracts once due to braking and then extends and returns to its original state.[14][15] However, Tatsuo Yoshida insisted on realistic animation and produced Mach GoGoGo.[6][16] For the scene where the car spins, he rented a driving school and had the driver actually demonstrate the spin with the car, and had the animators draw the scene without deforming it by referring to the demonstration.[14][15][17] It was so well received that it became the studio's origin and led to subsequent realistic, hard-action works.[7] However, Yoshida's drawings, with their many lines, precision, and sharpness, were unsuitable for animation, which required many drawings of the same picture, and were difficult for other animators to imitate.[7][17] Most animators refused to participate in the production, and the company's schedule was on the verge of collapse. However, the company was able to get through the busy season when a comedy with a simple design happened to enter the production rotation.[14] This allowed the company to learn how to run a studio that alternated between serious action animation with detailed drawings and comedy animation with simple drawings using deformation, resulting in a wide range of styles.[9]
The studio was founded in October 1962 by mangaka and anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida, and his two younger brothers, Kenji, who managed Tatsuo, and Toyoharu (better known by his pen name "Ippei Kuri"), a manga artist, at Tatsuo's own house.[3][7][18] It initially began as a production company specializing in manga to manage the copyrights of Tatsuo Yoshida's manga and his assistants.[19] However, at that time, the broadcast of Astro Boy, Japan's first domestically produced anime television series produced by Osamu Tezuka's Mushi Production, had just begun, and the manga artist community was abuzz.[6] Tatsuo Yoshida became interested in anime production after hearing from Hiroshi Sasagawa, a manga artist who had worked as Tezuka's assistant,[lower-alpha 3] and Tatsunoko set out to produce anime.[7][20] Tatsuo saw that more and more people were buying televisions in the early 1960s and predicted that they would demand higher quality anime program in the future, so he decided to provide it to them.[3] Just around that time, Toei Doga, having heard of Tatsuo's hopes, invited Tatsunoko to produce an anime TV series.[21] It was a good deal for Tatsunoko, which was entrusted with the original story, script, and direction, while Toei worked on the subsequent inbetweening, finishing, cinematography, etc., and Toei trained animators over a three-month period, with Tatsunoko staff, including Tatsuo and Sasagawa, also able to participate in training.[14] However, the negotiations broke down due to copyright issues, so Tatsunoko decided to produce an original work on its own. They bought a plot of land in Kokubunji, cleared out a wooded area, and built a prefab house, which became an improvised studio.[14][15][lower-alpha 4] As for animators, Tatsunoko had three manga artists, Tatsuo, Kuri, and Sasagawa, and about 10 assistants to Tatsuo, so they were confident that they could manage, but most of them refused, saying that they wanted to be manga artists, not to make animation. Having no choice, Tatsunoko placed an advertisement in the newspaper looking for animators and trained 50 amateurs from all over the country based on their training experience at Toei.[6][14][21] In addition, art director Mitsuki Nakamura from Toei Doga and scriptwriter Jinzō Toriumi from Nikkatsu transferred to the company to provide immediate assistance.[15][lower-alpha 5] Tatsunoko didn't have any experience yet, so they produced a 15-minute pilot and pitched it to TV stations.[14]
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In 1965, Tatsunoko's first TV anime series, Space Ace, began broadcasting.[7][21] The series became popular and successful. Tatsuo was so pleased with the success that he immediately began work on the next series.[8][21]
In 1967, Tatsunoko's second TV animation series Mach GoGoGo began broadcasting.[15] Not only was it repeatedly reran in Japan, but it was also exported overseas. In the U.S. in particular, it was broadcast under the title Speed Racer and became very popular, paving the way for syndication around the world.[4][15] This was Tatsunoko's first full-color work.[3][22] At the time, color TVs were not widely available in Japan, and most households watched TV programs in black and white, but Tatsunoko dared to produce this series in full color, assuming from the start that it would be broadcast in the United States.[22] This was due to Tatsuo's desire to move pictures like American comic books and create American-style animation, as well as for financial reasons.[16] The funds from commercial TV stations and sponsors were not enough to cover the production costs, so Tatsunoko decided that the only way to complete the series was to sell it in the United States. They chose car racing as their theme because their target the U.S. was a car society.[22] However, due to sloppy work by the Japanese intermediaries, Tatsunoko profited little from its worldwide success and received no tribute beyond a mention in the credits of a later live-action film.[4]
In 1972, Science Ninja Team Gatchaman began broadcasting. Tatsuo demanded thorough realism in the works he led. Although the results were excellent, the animators were reluctant to take on the next series because of the increased number of animation cells and the time and effort required to draw them. Tatsunoko therefore recruited and trained new animators and introduced them to this series.[21] The series was a huge hit and related merchandise sold well. Thanks to the copyright income, Tatsunoko was finally on track to recoup its production costs and make a profit. Therefore, from then on, Tatsunoko began to actively introduce mecha in its works for toy manufacturers.[14] Outside of Japan, independent TV program packager Sandy Frank has acquired the rights to syndicate Gatchaman worldwide except in Asia. He altered the series by cutting action scenes to meet U.S. broadcast codes, changing the dialogue to take advantage of the popularity of the then hit Star Wars and changing the setting of the work to outer space, and also changed the title to Battle of the Planets. The series was broadcast in the U.S. and around the world, and he profited considerably from its merchandising. However, Tatsunoko did not profit from the series because they gave him the overseas copyrights.[3]
In 1975, Time Bokan, the first of the Time Bokan series, began broadcasting. This series, which added an element of comedy to the action that had already become Tatsunoko's signature, lasted for eight years and became a new Tatsunoko masterpiece.[23]
At that time, Hiroshi Sasagawa, who excelled at comedies, and Hisayuki Toriumi, who had a hard, serious style, supported Tatsunoko's heyday in the 1970s as the two signatures.[24] Also during this period, Tatsunoko was trying to bring up university-educated directors in-house, following the example of Toei Doga, instead of hiring directors from outside the company. Those were Mizuho Nishikubo, Kōichi Mashimo, Hidehito Ueda, and Mamoru Oshii.[13][25]
On September 5, 1977, Tatsuo Yoshida passed away from liver cancer. Kenji Yoshida was appointed as the second president.[3][26]
Around that time, Tatsunoko's production site was on the verge of collapse due to busyness and lack of funds, and there was a steady flow of personnel out of the company, particularly members from the pioneering period.[13][27][lower-alpha 6]
In 1978, Tatsunoko Anime Technology Research Institute, an animator training institution, was established.
In 1982, Tatsunoko produced Super Dimension Fortress Macross, the first in the Super Dimension series. Macross was a project by Studio Nue that was adopted by Bigwest, an advertising agency, which secured broadcast slots for sponsor companies and commercial TV stations. However, Nue was not capable of producing animation, so Artland, which was headed by director Noboru Ishiguro, was assigned to produce the series. However, Artland, a subcontractor, was deemed insufficiently capable, and Tatsunoko took over as the prime contractor, placing orders with Artland and its own subsidiary, Anime Friend.[28] Later, however, Bigwest produced a sequel, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross II: Lovers Again, without Tatsunoko or Studio Nue, and in response, Tatsunoko signed a contract with Harmony Gold USA without the consent of Bigwest and Nue, resulting in a dispute over intellectual property rights.[29] In Japan, Tatsunoko sued Bigwest and Studio Nue over copyright and won, but conversely lost a lawsuit filed by them over character and mecha design. As a result of the trial, it was decided that Tatsunoko Productions would retain ownership of the film of the work, but that the designs would be shared by Bigwest and Studio Nue. Meanwhile, overseas, Harmony Gold USA, which had obtained the license, adapted and broadcast several Tatsunoko works as a single epic Robotech series depicting different eras and generations in the same world. Bigwest and Harmony Gold had different claims over the rights to the Macross and Robotech series for many years, and Macross was not developed for business worldwide and Robotech in Japan.[30] However, in 2021, the two companies announced an agreement regarding worldwide rights to the Macross and Robotech series from that point forward.[31] This will allow the Macross series to be developed globally and confirms that Bigwest does not object to the release of a live-action Robotech movie in Japan.[31] In addition, an exclusive worldwide license outside of Japan to use Macross characters and mecha in the Robotech series approved by Tatsunoko for Harmony Gold through 2021 has been ratified.[31][lower-alpha 7]
In 1987, Kenji Yoshida retired from Tatsunoko Production, and Ippei Kuri became the third president. Kenji established a new production company, Yū Entertainment.
In December of the same year, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, together with the Tatsunoko Production Branch Office, which consisted mainly of staff who had participated in Zillion, became independent and established IG Tatsunoko Ltd. (now Production I.G).[32][33][lower-alpha 8]
In 1990, Tatsunoko Anime Technology Research Institute led by Koji Sugii became independent and participated in the establishment of Animation 21.
In 1995, Kenji Yoshida returned to Tatsunoko Production and became its first chairman.
Since the 1990s, Tatsunoko has brought back former key staff members, including Hiroshi Sasagawa, who had left the company, and has been producing mainly remakes of older works.
On June 3, 2005, major toy manufacturer Takara (now Takara Tomy) acquired 88% of Tatsunoko's stock from the Yoshida family, making the company a subsidiary.[34] Accordingly, Chairman Kenji Yoshida and President Ippei Kuri resigned, and the entire Yoshida family, including executives, left the management of Tatsunoko Production. In the same year, Tatsuo Yoshida was awarded the Special Achievement Award as one of the 20 People Who Made Japanese Animation at the Tokyo Anime Award held at the Tokyo International Anime Fair.
In 2010, Production I.G. acquired 11.2% of Tatsunoko's outstanding shares. Additionally, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, president of Production I.G and IG Port, becomes non-executive director of Tatsunoko Production.[35][36]
In 2013, Horipro acquired 13.5% of the shares, making it the second largest shareholder (at the time) after Takara Tomy.[37][38] In the same year, the company changed its name from Tatsunoko Purodakushon (竜の子プロダクション) (written in kanji) to Tatsunoko Puro (タツノコプロ) (written in katakana). At the same time, the head office was relocated from Kokubunji City, Tokyo to Musashino City, and the dispersed corporate functions were consolidated.[39]
At Anime Expo 2013, Sentai Filmworks announced a deal to license and release some of Tatsunoko's titles, including Gatchaman and Casshan.[40]
In 2014, Nippon Television acquired 54.3% of the outstanding shares held by Takara Tomy and made Tatsunoko Production a subsidiary. Takara Tomy continued to hold a 20% stake in the company and maintained the partnership.[5][41][42]
In 2019, Tatsunoko founded a new label, Bakken Record.[43] In the same year, four people associated with Tatsunoko received the Achievement Award at the Tokyo Anime Award: Kunio Okawara, Akiyoshi Sakai, Hisayuki Toriumi, and Tsuneo Ninomiya.[25]
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| Title | Series director | Broadcast network(s) | Year(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Space Ace (Uchuu Ace) | Hiroshi Sasagawa | Fuji TV | May 8, 1965 – April 28, 1966 | Tatsunoko's first ever animated TV serial; adapted from the original manga by Tatsuo Yoshida that was serialized in Shueisha's Shonen Book magazine |
| Mach GoGoGo (Speed Racer) (original) | Fuji TV | April 2, 1967 – March 31, 1968 | Tatsunoko's first animated TV serial to be produced in color; adapted from the original manga by Tatsuo Yoshida that was serialized in Shueisha's Shonen Book magazine | |
| Oraa Guzura Dado (original) | Fuji TV | October 7, 1967 – September 25, 1968 | ||
| Dokachin the Primitive Boy (or simply, "Dokachin") | Seitarō Hara, Hiroshi Sasagawa | Fuji TV | October 2, 1968 – March 26, 1969 | |
| Kurenai Sanshiro | Ippei Kuri | Fuji TV | April 2 – September 24, 1969 | Adapted from two manga serials by Tatsuo Yoshida that were serialized in Shueisha's Shonen Book from 1961 to 1962, and Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday and Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump from 1968 to 1969 |
| Hakushon Daimaō | Hiroshi Sasagawa | Fuji TV | October 5, 1969 – September 27, 1970 | Adapted into Bob in a Bottle by Saban Entertainment in 1992 |
| Title | Series director | Broadcast network(s) | Year(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honeybee Hutch (Mitsubachi Monogatari Minashigo Hacchi and La Abeja Hutch) | Ippei Kuri | Fuji TV | April 7, 1970 – September 8, 1971 | |
| Inakappe Taishō | Hiroshi Sasagawa | Fuji TV | October 4, 1970 – September 24, 1972 | Adapted from the manga by Noboru Kawasaki, which was serialized in Shogakukan's Gakkushu Zasshi educational magazines for Japanese schoolchildren |
| Kabatotto | Fuji TV | January 1, 1971 – September 30, 1972 | ||
| Animentari Ketsudan | Ippei Kuri | Nippon TV | April 3 – September 25, 1971 | Dramatic adaptation of the Japanese Empire's role in the Second World War |
| Mokku of the Oak Tree | Seitaro Hara | Fuji TV | January 4, 1972 – January 1, 1973 | A daptation of Italian novelist Carlo Collodi's 1881 novel, The Adventures of Pinocchio |
| Science Ninja Team Gatchaman | Hisayuki Toriumi | Fuji TV | October 1, 1972 – September 29, 1974 | Adapted for western audiences by Sandy Frank Entertainment into Battle of the Planets in 1978, by Sandy Frank and Turner Entertainment into G-Force: Guardians of Space in 1986, and by Saban Entertainment into Eagle Riders in 1996 |
| Tamagon the Counselor | Hiroshi Sasagawa | Fuji TV | 1972 – 1973 | |
| Kerokko Demetan | Fuji TV | January 2 – September 25, 1973 | Adapted for western audiences by Harmony Gold USA as an animated film The Brave Frog in 1985 | |
| Neo Human Casshan | Fuji TV | October 2, 1973 – June 25, 1974 | A notable source of inspiration for Keiji Inafune who went on to be the artistic director for the Mega Man franchise for Capcom[citation needed] | |
| New Honeybee Hutch | Seitaro Hara | NET | April 4 – September 27, 1974 | Sequel to 1970's Honeybee Hutch |
| Hurricane Polymar | Hisayuki Toriumi | NET | October 4, 1974 – March 28, 1975 | |
| Tentomushi no Uta | Hiroshi Sasagawa | Fuji TV | October 6, 1974 – September 26, 1976 | Adapted from Noboru Kawasaki's manga of the same name that was serialized in Shogakukan's Gakkushu Zasshi educational magazines from 1973 to 1975 |
| Space Knight Tekkaman | Hiroshi Sasagawa, Hisayuki Toriumi | NET | July 2 – December 24, 1975 | |
| Time Bokan | Hiroshi Sasagawa | Fuji TV | October 4, 1975 – December 25, 1976 | First entry in Tatsunoko's Time Bokan Series |
| Gowappa 5 Gōdam | Hisayuki Toriumi | ABC | April 4 – December 29, 1976 | |
| Paul's Miraculous Adventure | Hiroshi Sasagawa | Fuji TV | October 3, 1976 – September 11, 1977 | |
| The Time Bokan Series: Yatterman | Fuji TV | January 1, 1977 – January 27, 1979 | Second installment of the Time Bokan Series | |
| Ippatsu Kanta-kun | Fuji TV | September 18, 1977 – September 24, 1978 | First of Tatsuo Yoshida's original works to be produced posthumously; he died of liver cancer on September 5, 1977, 13 days before the first episode aired | |
| Temple the Balloonist | Seitaro Hara | Fuji TV | October 1, 1977 – March 25, 1978 | Second and last of Tatsuo Yoshida's original works to be produced posthumously |
| Tobidase! Machine Hiryuu | Tokyo Channel 12 | October 5, 1977 – March 29, 1978 | Co-production with Toei Company, another rare instance where Toei used another studio for its production, rather than its own Toei Animation studio. The only time they would work together with Tatsunoko. | |
| Science Ninja Team Gatchaman II | Hiroshi Sasagawa | Fuji TV | October 1, 1978 – September 23, 1979 | Sequel to 1972's Science Ninja Team Gatchaman; adapted into Eagle Riders by Saban Entertainment in 1996; First of Tatsunoko's works to be produced by Kenji Yoshida |
| The Time Bokan Series: Zenderman | Hiroshi Sasagawa | Fuji TV | February 3, 1979 – January 26, 1980 | Third installment of the Time Bokan Series |
| Lupin the Thief: Enigma of the 813 | Fuji TV | May 5, 1979 | Made-for-TV anime film; loosely adapted from Maurice Leblanc's 813 | |
| Science Ninja Team Gatchaman Fighter | Seitaro Hara | Fuji TV | October 7, 1979 – August 31, 1980 | Direct sequel to 1978's Science Ninja Team Gatchaman II; final installment in the Gatchaman franchise until 1994 OVA |
| Gordian the Warrior | Masamune Ochiai, Kunihiko Okazaki | Tokyo Channel 12 | October 7, 1979 – February 27, 1981 | |
| Ashinaga Ojisan | Yūichi Higuchi | Fuji TV | October 10, 1979 | TV special; adapted from Jean Webster's 1912 novel, Daddy-Long-Legs |
| Title | Series director | Broadcast network(s) | Year(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheerful Dwarves of the Forest: Belfy and Lillibit | Masayuki Hayashi | Tokyo Channel 12 | January 7 – July 7, 1980 | Adapted by Saban Entertainment into The Littl' Bits, which ran on the Nick Jr. Channel from 1991 to 1995 |
| The Time Bokan Series: Time Patrol Team Otasukeman | Hiroshi Sasagawa | Fuji TV | February 2, 1980 – January 31, 1981 | Fourth installment of the Time Bokan Series |
| Dashing Warrior Muteking | Seitaro Hara | Fuji TV | September 7, 1980 – September 27, 1981 | |
| The Great Navy War: 20,000 Miles of Love | Ippei Kuri | Nippon TV | January 3, 1981 | Made-for-TV anime film; loosely adapted from Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, Adapted into English by Harmony Gold as simply Undersea Encounter |
| The Time Bokan Series: Yattodetaman | Hiroshi Sasagawa | Fuji TV | February 7, 1981 – February 6, 1982 | Fifth installment of the Time Bokan Series |
| Golden Warrior Gold Lightan | Kōichi Mashimo | Tokyo Channel 12 | March 1, 1981 – February 18, 1982 | |
| Superbook | Masakazu Higuchi | TV Tokyo | October 1, 1981 - March 25, 1982 | Produced in conjunction with the Christian Broadcasting Network |
| Dash Kappei | Masayuki Hayashi, Seitaro Hara | Fuji TV | October 4, 1981 – December 26, 1982 | Adapted from the manga by Noboru Rokuda, which was serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday manga magazine from November 1979 to November 1982 |
| The Time Bokan Series: Gyakuten! Ippatsuman | Hiroshi Sasagawa | Fuji TV | February 13, 1982 – March 26, 1983 | Sixth installment of the Time Bokan Series |
| The Flying House | Masakazu Higuchi | TV Tokyo | April 5, 1982 - March 25, 1983 | Produced in conjunction with the Christian Broadcasting Network |
| Mirai Keisatsu Urashiman | Kōichi Mashimo | Fuji TV | January 9 – December 24, 1983 | Adapted from the manga by Hirohisa Soda and Noboru Akashi, which was serialized in Akita Shoten's Weekly Shonen Champion manga magazines |
| Superbook II: In Search for Ruffles and Return to the 20th Century | Masakazu Higuchi | TV Tokyo | April 4 - September 26, 1983 | Produced in conjunction with the Christian Broadcasting Network, sequel to Superbook |
| The Time Bokan Series: Itadakiman | Hiroshi Sasagawa | Fuji TV | April 9 – September 24, 1983 | Seventh and final installment of the Time Bokan Series; returned briefly in 1993 as an OVA titled Royal Revival; resumed in 2000 with Kaito Kiramekiman |
| Genesis Climber MOSPEADA | Katsuhisa Yamada | Fuji TV | October 2, 1983 – March 23, 1984 | Adapted by Harmony Gold USA as Robotech: The New Generation in 1985, co-production with Artmic |
| Starzan S | Hidehito Ueda | Fuji TV | January 7 – August 25, 1984 | Adapted from an original concept by Hiroshi Sasagawa |
| Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross | Yasuo Hasegawa | MBS | April 15 – September 30, 1984 | Adapted by Harmony Gold USA into Robotech: The Masters in 1985 |
| Yoroshiku Mechadoc | Hidehito Ueda | Fuji TV | September 1, 1984 – March 30, 1985 | Adapted from the manga of the same name by Ryuji Tsugihara, which was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump manga magazine from November 1982 to March 1985 |
| Fire of Alpen Rose: Judy and Randy | Hidehito Ueda | Fuji TV | April 6 – October 5, 1985 | Adapted from the manga, Alpen Rose, by Michiyo Akaishi, which was serialized in Shogakukan's Ciao manga magazine for female readers from April 1983 to May 1986 |
| Showa Era Idiot Story Book: Most Refined | Hidehito Ueda | TV Asahi | October 7, 1985 – March 24, 1986 | Adapted from the manga of the same name by Yuu Azuki, which was serialized in Shueisha's Margaret manga magazine for female readers from 1985 to 1987 |
| Shonen Jump Special: Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo | Hiroshi Sasagawa | Anime Film; Shown at 1985 Shonen Jump Film Festival | November 23, 1985 | Adapted from the manga of the same name by Osamu Akimoto, which was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump manga magazine from October 1976 to September 2016; presented as a double feature with Shonen Jump Special: Kimagure Orange Road, which was animated by Studio Pierrot |
| The Legend of Hikari | Tomomi Mochizuki | ABC | May 3 – September 20, 1986 | Adapted from the manga of the same name by Izumi Aso, which was serialized in Shueisha's Ribon manga magazine for female readers from 1985 to December 1988 |
| Doteraman | Shinya Sadamitsu | NTV | October 14, 1986 – February 24, 1987 | Tatsunoko's first TV anime to be broadcast on NTV in 15 years since Animentary Ketsudan |
| Red Photon Zillion | Mizuho Nishikubo | NTV | April 12 – December 13, 1987 | After the production of the anime, Tatsunoko Production and Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, the producer of Zillion, established IG Tatsunoko (which later became Production I.G) to obstruct the dispersing of the excellent staffs of Tatsunoko branch which had done actual production. Therefore, Zillion is considered to be Production I.G's first work. |
| Oraa Guzura Dado | Hiroshi Sasagawa | TV Tokyo | October 12, 1987 – September 20, 1988 | Color remake of the 1967 series |
| Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato | Mizuho Nishikubo | TV Tokyo | April 6, 1989 – January 18, 1990 | Adapted from the manga of the same name by Hiroshi Kawamoto, which was serialized in Shonen Gahosha's Shonen King manga magazine from February to September 1988 |
| Konchū Monogatari: Minashigo Hutch | Iku Suzuki | NTV | July 21, 1989 – August 31, 1990 | Modern remake of the 1970 anime Honeybee Hutch |
| Title | Series director | Broadcast network(s) | Year(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyatto Ninden Teyandee | Kunitoshi Okajima | TV Tokyo | February 1, 1990 – February 12, 1991 | Adapted into English by Saban Entertainment as Samurai Pizza Cats in 1991; a Sequel series known as Kyatto Keisatsu Beranmee (or Crime Stoppin' Cats) was planned, but was mysteriously cancelled for unknown reasons[citation needed] |
| The Great Adventure of Robin Hood | Kōichi Mashimo | NHK | July 29, 1990 – October 28, 1992 | Adapted from the English folktale Robin Hood; also Tatsunoko's first anime to be broadcast on the government-owned NHK network. |
| Shurato: Dark Genesis | Yoshihisa Matsumoto | OVA | August 1991 – March 1992 | Sequel to Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato |
| Space Knight Tekkaman Blade | Hiroshi Negishi | TV Tokyo | February 18, 1992 – February 2, 1993 | 1992 reboot of 1975's Space Knight Tekkaman, adapted by Saban Entertainment and Media Blasters into English as Teknoman |
| The Irresponsible Captain Tylor | Kōichi Mashimo | TV Tokyo | January 25 – July 19, 1993 | Adapted from the light novel series of the same name by Hitoshi Yoshioka, which was serialized in Fujimi Shobo's Fujimi Fantasia Bunko magazines from January 1989 to January 1996 |
| Casshan: Robot Hunter | Hiroyuki Fukushima, Masashi Abe, Takashi Watanabe | OVA | August 21, 1993 – February 21, 1994 | 1993 remake of 1973's Neo-Human Casshan; co-produced by Artmic and Gainax |
| Time Bokan: Royal Revival | Hiroshi Sasagawa, Akiyuki Shinbo | OVA | November 26, 1993 – January 1, 1994 | Direct-to-video installment of Time Bokan Series |
| The Legend of Snow White | Tsuneo Ninomiya | NHK | April 6, 1994 – March 29, 1995 | Adaptation of the German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm |
| Tekkaman Blade II | Hideki Tonokatsu | OVA | July 21, 1994 – April 21, 1995 | Sequel to 1992's Tekkaman Blade |
| Gatchaman | Akihiko Nishiyama | OVA | October 1, 1994 – April 1, 1995 | 1994 reboot of 1972's Science Ninja Team Gatchaman; co-produced by Artmic |
| Dokkan! Robotendon | Hiroshi Sasagawa | TV Tokyo | October 5, 1995 – March 28, 1996 | |
| Cinderella Monogatari | Hiroshi Sasagawa | NHK | April 4 – October 3, 1996 | Adapted from the fairy tale by Charles Perrault and The Brothers Grimm |
| Hurricane Polymar: Holy Blood | Akiyuki Shinbo | OVA | September 21, 1996 – February 21, 1997 | 1996 reboot of 1974's Hurricane Polymar; co-produced by J.C. Staff |
| Mach GoGoGo | Hiroshi Sasagawa | TV Tokyo | January 9 – September 25, 1997 | 1997 reboot of 1967's Mach GoGoGo; adapted into English by DiC Entertainment as Speed Racer X in 2002 |
| Generator Gawl | Seiji Mizushima | TV Tokyo | October 6 – December 22, 1998 | |
| Seikimatsu Densetsu: Wonderful Tatsunoko Land | Hiroshi Sasagawa | TBS | December 31, 1999 | TV special |
| Title | Series director / Genre | Broadcast network(s) / Platform(s) | Year(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tatsunoko Fight | Electronics Application (Eleca) | PSX | October 5, 2000 | Video game featuring an exclusive character, Denkou Senka Volter |
| Time Bokan 2000: Kaitou Kiramekiman | Hidehito Ueda | TV Tokyo | April 5, 2000 – September 27, 2000 | |
| The SoulTaker | Akiyuki Shinbo | WOWOW | April 4, 2001 – July 4, 2001 | |
| Yobarete Tobidete Akubi-chan | Hiroshi Sagasawa | TV Tokyo | December 11, 2001 – March 26, 2002 | Spin-off of The Genie Family |
| Nurse Witch Komugi | Yasuhiro Takemoto & Yoshitomo Yonetani | OVA | August 8, 2002 – April 2, 2004 | Co-production with Kyoto Animation; spin-off of The SoulTaker |
| Fate/stay night | Visual novel | PC | January 30, 2004 | Video game; Opening animations |
| Karas | Keiichi Sato | OVA | March 25, 2005 – August 3, 2007 | Tatsunoko's 40th anniversary work; combined into a two-part film in the west by Manga Entertainment |
| Akubi Girl | Hiroshi Sagasawa | TV Tokyo | 2006 | Remake to Yobarete Tobidete Akubi-chan |
| Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles | Tommy Yune, Dong-Wook Lee & Yeun-Sook Seo | Movie | January 5, 2007 | co-production with Harmony Gold USA |
| Fate/stay night Réalta Nua | Visual novel | PS2 | April 19, 2007 | Video game; Opening animations |
| Yatterman | Hiroshi Sagasawa | YTV | January 14, 2008 – September 27, 2009 | Remake of 1977 Series |
| Casshern Sins | Shigeyasu Yamauchi | MBS | October 1, 2008 – March 15, 2009 | Re-imaging of the 1973 series; Animation production by Madhouse |
| Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Cross Generation of Heroes | Fighting | Wii | December 11, 2008 | Video game; Tatsunoko also animated Cross Generation's opening and anime cutscenes. |
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