, often abbreviated , is a Japanese animation studio and light novel publisher located in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture. It was founded in 1981 by husband and wife Hideaki Hatta, who remained as president until his death in 2026, and Yoko Hatta, who remains as vice president, along with a number of Mushi Production staff members; although the present enterprise dates to July 12, 1985.
Kyoto Animation has produced anime films and series including The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006), Clannad (2007), K-On! (2009), Nichijou (2011), Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions (2012), Free! (2013), Sound! Euphonium (2015), A Silent Voice (2016), Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid (2017), and Violet Evergarden (2018).
History
Kyoto Animation was co-founded in 1981 by married couple Yoko and Hideaki Hatta; it became a limited company in 1985 and a corporation in 1999. Yoko Hatta, who serves as the company's vice president, had worked as a painter at Mushi Production until she moved to Kyoto after marrying her husband, who served as president. The company's logo originates from the kanji kyō (), the first character of Kyoto ().
Since 2009, Kyoto Animation has hosted the annual Kyoto Animation Awards in three categories: original novels, manga, and scenarios. Some winning submissions are published under the company's KA Esuma Bunko imprint, and have a chance of being later adapted as anime. Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, Free!, Beyond the Boundary and Myriad Colors Phantom World were based on novels that received an honorable mention in this competition. In 2014, the novel Violet Evergarden became the first and only work so far to win a grand prize in any of the three categories.
Unlike most animation studios, the company's employees are salaried rather than freelance workers, and are trained in-house. These practices have been cited as encouraging employees to focus on frame quality rather than production quotas. The company has received praise for the positive treatment of its staff, and was honored by Women in Animation with its Diversity Award in 2020 for its efforts in creating a gender-balanced workforce and encouraging women to enter the industry.
In April 2020, the company announced that it would put its work on hiatus for one month due to the COVID-19 pandemic, later extending the period to the end of May.
In March 2026, Kyoto Animation publicly announced the death of its president Hideaki Hatta in February; he is succeeded as president and CEO by Shinichiro Hatta.
Animation Do An affiliate company, , was established in 2000 to assist production at Kyoto Animation. Originally established as the studio's Osaka office, it was incorporated as a limited company in 2000, then a corporation in 2010. Both companies are run by Hideaki Hatta and are run jointly as one. They produce up-and-coming works under the Animation Do label with Kyoto Animation as their main contractor and works where they work as one company alongside Kyoto Animation. They work on most Kyoto Animation projects and many of them have joint signatures. On September 16, 2020, it was announced by the National Printing Bureau's Kanpō publication that Kyoto Animation absorbed Animation Do, which includes all rights and associated properties.
2019 arson attack
On the morning of July 18, 2019, at around 10:31 a.m, an arson fire at Kyoto Animation's first studio in Fushimi killed 36 people (including directors Yasuhiro Takemoto and Yoshiji Kigami), injured 34 others (including the suspect) in varying degrees, and destroyed most of the building's materials and computers. The suspect, 41-year-old Shinji Aoba, later admitted to committing the attack and was sentenced to death in January 2024.
Productions In the tables below, only the productions for which Kyoto Animation was a lead producer are listed.
Anime television series Year Title Network Director(s) Note(s) 2003 Full Metal Panic? FumoffuFuji TelevisionYasuhiro Takemoto11 Spin-off adaptation of the light novels Full Metal Panic! by Shoji Gatoh. 2005 AirBS-TBSTatsuya Ishihara13 Adaptation of the visual novel by Key. Full Metal Panic! The Second RaidWowowYasuhiro Takemoto13 Sequel to the 2002 anime television series by Gonzo. 2006 The Melancholy of Haruhi SuzumiyaChiba TV Tatsuya IshiharaYutaka Yamamoto14 Adaptation of the Haruhi Suzumiya light novels by Nagaru Tanigawa. 2006–2007 KanonTBS Tatsuya Ishihara24 Adaptation of the visual novel by Key. 2007 Lucky StarChiba TVYutaka Yamamoto Yasuhiro Takemoto 24 Adaptation of the manga by Kagami Yoshimizu. 2007–2008 ClannadTBS Tatsuya Ishihara22 Adaptation of the visual novel by Key. 2008–2009 Clannad After StoryTBS22 Sequel to Clannad. 2009 Sora o Miageru Shōjo no Hitomi ni Utsuru SekaiChiba TVYoshiji Kigami9 Sequel to Munto 2: Beyond the Walls of Time. The Melancholy of Haruhi SuzumiyaChiba TVTatsuya IshiharaYutaka Yamamoto28 Rebroadcast of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya with fourteen new episodes. K-On!TBS Naoko Yamada12 Adaptation of the manga by Kakifly. 2010 K-On!!TBS24 Sequel to K-On! 2011 NichijouTV AichiTatsuya Ishihara26 Adaptation of the manga by Keiichi Arawi. 2012 HyoukaChiba TVYasuhiro Takemoto22 Adaptation of the Classic Literature Club novels by Honobu Yonezawa. Love, Chunibyo & Other DelusionsTokyo MXTatsuya Ishihara12 Adaptation of the light novels by Torako. 2013 Tamako MarketTokyo MXNaoko Yamada12 Original series from the team who worked on K-On!. Free! Iwatobi Swim ClubABC AsahiHiroko Utsumi12 Sequel to the light novel High Speed! by Kōji Ōji. Collaboration with Animation Do. Beyond the BoundaryTBS, Tokyo MXTaichi Ishidate12 Adaptation of light novels by Nagomu Torii. 2014 Love, Chunibyo and Other Delusions! Heart ThrobTBS, Tokyo MXTatsuya Ishihara12 Sequel to Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions. Free! Eternal SummerABC AsahiHiroko Utsumi13 Sequel to Free! Iwatobi Swim Club.Collaboration with Animation Do. Amagi Brilliant ParkTBSYasuhiro Takemoto13 Adaptation of the light novels by Shoji Gatoh. 2015 Sound! EuphoniumTokyo MX Tatsuya IshiharaNaoko Yamada13 Adaptation of the novel by Ayano Takeda. 2016 Myriad Colors Phantom WorldTokyo MX Tatsuya Ishihara13 Adaptation of the light novel by Sōichirō Hatano. Sound! Euphonium 2Tokyo MX Tatsuya IshiharaNaoko Yamada13 Sequel to Sound! Euphonium. 2017 Miss Kobayashi's Dragon MaidTokyo MXYasuhiro Takemoto13 Adaptation of the manga by Coolkyousinnjya. 2018 Violet EvergardenTokyo MX, NetflixTaichi IshidateHaruka Fujita13 Adaptation of the light novel by Kana Akatsuki. Free! Dive to the FutureABC AsahiEisaku Kawanami12 Sequel to Free! Eternal Summer.Collaboration with Animation Do. TsuruneNHKTakuya Yamamura13 Adaptation of the light novel by Kotoko Ayano. 2021 Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid SABC AsahiTatsuya IshiharaYasuhiro Takemoto12 Sequel to Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. 2023 Tsurune: The Linking ShotNHKTakuya Yamamura13 Sequel to Tsurune. 2024 Sound! Euphonium 3NHK ETatsuya Ishihara13 Sequel to Sound! Euphonium 2. 2025 City the Animation Tokyo MXTaichi Ishidate13 Adaptation of the manga by Keiichi Arawi. 2026 Sparks of TomorrowTokyo MXMinoru Ōta13 Adaptation of the light novel 20 Seiki Denki Mokuroku by Hiro Yuki. scope="row" RuriDragon Adaptation of the manga by Masaoki Shindo.
Anime films Year Title Director(s) Note(s) 2009 Tenjōbito to Akutobito Saigo no TatakaiYoshiji Kigami83m Summary of Sora o Miageru Shōjo no Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai. 2010 The Disappearance of Haruhi SuzumiyaTatsuya IshiharaYasuhiro Takemoto162m Continuation of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. 2011 K-On! The MovieNaoko Yamada110m Original side story to the second season of K-On! 2013 Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions: Rikka VersionTatsuya Ishihara96m Summary of the first season of Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions. 2014 Tamako Love StoryNaoko Yamada83m Continuation of Tamako Market. 2015 Beyond the Boundary: I'll Be Here – Past Taichi Ishidate 86m Recap of Beyond the Boundary. Beyond the Boundary: I'll Be Here – Future 89m Sequel to Beyond the Boundary. High Speed! Free! Starting DaysYasuhiro Takemoto110m Prequel film based on the second volume of the original light novel, High Speed! 2016 Sound! Euphonium: The Movie – Welcome to the Kitauji High School Concert BandTatsuya Ishihara103m Compilation of the first season of Sound! Euphonium. A Silent VoiceNaoko Yamada130m Adaptation of the manga by Yoshitoki Ōima. 2017 Free! Timeless Medley: The Bond Eisaku Kawanami94m Summary of the second season of Free! focused on Haruka. Free! Timeless Medley: The Promise99m Summary of the second season of Free! focused on Rin. Sound! Euphonium: The Movie – May the Melody Reach You!Tatsuya IshiharaTaichi Ogawa105m Compilation of the second season of Sound! Euphonium. Free! Take Your MarksEisaku Kawanami105m Continuation of Free! 2018 Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! Take on MeTatsuya Ishihara90m Continuation of the second season of Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions. Liz and the Blue BirdNaoko Yamada90m Spin-off of Sound! Euphonium. 2019 Sound! Euphonium: The Movie – Our Promise: A Brand New DayTatsuya Ishihara100m Continuation of the second season of Sound! Euphonium. Free! -Road to the World- DreamEisaku Kawanami99m Summary of the third season of Free! Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory DollHaruka Fujita93m Spin-off of Violet Evergarden. 2020 Violet Evergarden: The MovieTaichi Ishidate140m Continuation of Violet Evergarden. 2021–2022 Free! The Final StrokeEisaku Kawanami90m (1)106m (2) Two-part series. Continuation of Free! 2022 Tsurune: The Movie – The First ShotTakuya Yamamura102m Compilation of the first season of Tsurune with new scenes. 2025 Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants to Be LovedTatsuya Ishihara105m Continuation of the second season of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. 2026 Sound! Euphonium: The Final MovieTatsuya IshiharaTaichi Ogawa120m (1)127m (2) Two-part compilation of the third season of Sound! Euphonium. 2027 The Credits Roll into the SeaTaichi Ishidate Adaptation of the manga by John Tarachine.
Original video animations Year Title Director(s) Note(s) 1991 Shiawasette Naani Tatsuya Ishihara 1 Based on novels by Ryuho Okawa 2002Nurse Witch KomugiYasuhiro TakemotoYoshitomo Yonetani5.5Parody of both The SoulTaker and the magical girl anime genre. Co-produced with Tatsunoko Production 2003 Munto Yoshiji Kigami1 Original work 2005 Munto 2: Beyond the Walls of Time1Sequel to Munto 2008 Lucky Star: Original na Visual to AnimationYasuhiro Takemoto1 Side story to Lucky Star 2011 Nichijou: Nichijou no 0-waTatsuya Ishihara1 Side story to Nichijou 2013 Hyōka: Motsubeki Mono waYasuhiro Takemoto1 Side story to Hyōka 2017 Baja no Studio Yoshiji Kigami1 Original work 2020 Baja no Studio: Baja no Mita Umi1 Sequel to Baja no Studio 2023 Sound! Euphonium: Ensemble ContestTatsuya Ishihara1 Side story to Sound! Euphonium
Original net animations Year Title Director(s) Note(s) 2009 The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan SuzumiyaYasuhiro Takemoto25 Adaptation of the spin-off Haruhi Suzumiya manga by Puyo. Nyorōn Churuya-san13 Adaptation of the spin-off Haruhi Suzumiya manga by Eretto.
Published light novels
International distribution A number of titles that are produced by Kyoto Animation are distributed in North America such as Crunchyroll LLC (Funimation), ADV Films, Sentai Filmworks, Central Park Media, Netflix and Bandai Entertainment. Kanon and Air were originally licensed by ADV Films but the licenses were transferred to Funimation in 2008; whilist Bandai Entertainment previously distributed KyoAni titles such as The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Lucky Star, K-On! and Nichijou. However, Bandai Entertainment closed in 2013, and three of the four of its titles were transferred to Funimation while K-On! was moved to Sentai Filmworks where it dubbed the second season and a movie.
In Australia, where Crunchyroll Store Australia (previously known as Madman Anime) is based, they licensed a handful of KyoAni titles such as Clannad, Hyouka and Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions.