Toei Company

Toei Company, Ltd. (東映株式会社) is a Japanese entertainment company. Headquartered in Ginza, Chūō, Tokyo, it is involved in film and television production, distribution, video game development, publishing, and ownership of 34 movie theaters. Toei also owns and operates studios in Tokyo and Kyoto and holds shares in several television companies. The company is renowned for its production of anime and live-action dramas known as tokusatsu, which incorporate special visual effects. It is also known for producing period dramas. Internationally, Toei is the majority shareholder of Toei Animation and is recognized for its franchises such as Kamen Rider and Super Sentai.

Toei is one of the four members of the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (MPPAJ 日本映画製作者連盟), and is therefore one of Japan's Big Four film studios, alongside Kadokawa Daiei Studio, Shochiku and Toho.

History
Toei's predecessor, the Toyoko Eiga Company, Ltd. (東横映画), was incorporated in 1938. It was founded by Keita Goto, CEO of Tokyo-Yokohama Electric Railway, the direct predecessor to the Tokyu Corporation. It had erected its facilities immediately east of the Tōkyū Tōyoko Line; they managed the prewar Tōkyū Shibuya Yokohama studio system. From 1945 through the Toei merger, Tokyo-Yokohama Films leased from the Daiei Motion Picture Company a second studio in Kyoto.

On October 1, 1950, the Tokyo Film Distribution Company was incorporated as a subsidiary of Toyoko Eiga; in 1951 the company purchased Ōizumi Films. The current iteration of Toei was established on April 1, 1951. Through the merger, they gained the combined talents and experience of actors Chiezō Kataoka, Utaemon Ichikawa, Ryunosuke Tsukigata, Ryūtarō Ōtomo, Kinnosuke Nakamura, Chiyonosuke Azuma, Shirunosuke Toshin, Hashizo Okawa, and Satomi Oka.

In 1955, they purchased the Kyoto studio from Daiei. In 1956, Toei established an animation division, Toei Animation Company, Limited at the former Tokyo-Ōizumi animation studio, purchasing the assets of Japan Animated Films (日本動画映画), founded in 1948. Toei was a pioneer in the use of "Henshin"/"character transformation" in live-action martial-arts dramas, a technique developed for the Kamen Rider, Metal Hero and Super Sentai series; the genre currently continues with Kamen Rider and Super Sentai.

In September 1964, Toei leaves the Tokyu Corporation.

In 1972, Toei started to distribute foreign films in Japan.

In 1975, they opened a theme park at Kyoto Studio, the Toei Kyoto Studio Park.

Toei films
Toei started producing films in 1953. This list compiles the films by their original release date, their common English titles and Japanese titles. The Japanese titles are not necessarily direct translations of their English counterparts.

For feature films, Toei established itself as a producer of B-movies, that were made to fit into double bills and triple bills. It is predominantly known in the west for its series of action films and television series.

Shows created with Shotaro Ishinomori

 * Nebula Mask Machineman
 * Android Kikaider
 * Kikaider 01
 * ''Henshin Ninja Arashi
 * Inazuman
 * Robotto Keiji
 * Akumaizer 3
 * Sarutobi Ecchan

Video games

 * Ninja Hayate (1984)
 * Time Gal (1985)
 * The Masked Rider: Kamen Rider ZO (1994)
 * Chameleon Twist (1997)
 * Chameleon Twist 2 (1998)

Saburo Yatsude
Saburō Yatsude (八手 三郎) is a collective pseudonym used by Toei Company television producers, and formerly Toei Animation producers, when contributing to their various anime and tokusatsu series; similar to Bandai Namco Filmworks' Hajime Yatate. The use of the pen name began with The Kagestar and has been used throughout the Super Sentai (in the adapted Power Rangers series starting with Ninja Storm, the credits list Saburo Hatte. Before this, the credits listed "Original Concepts by Saburo Yatsude") and Metal Hero Series as well as for Spider-Man, Choukou Senshi Changéríon, Video Warrior Laserion, Chōdenji Robo Combattler V, Chōdenji Machine Voltes V, Tōshō Daimos, Daltanius, Space Emperor God Sigma, Beast King GoLion and Kikou Kantai Dairugger XV. The name is also used as a contributor to the soundtracks for the series.

Toei Animation stopped using Saburo Yatsude in 1999, and they began to use Izumi Todo instead. The first anime that was created by Izumi Todo was Ojamajo Doremi.

In the Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger series, Saburo Hatte is an actual person who is godlike within the fictional reality that the show takes place in. In fact, his hand appears at the end of the first half of the series to cover the camera lens and end the show, later having the second half be made under Malseena's influence while in the hospital in the real world.

In the Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger spinoff, Super Animal War's third episode, he is portrayed by Jun Hikasa.

On April 3, 2016, an unknown Toei staff member going by Saburo Yatsude was interviewed while wearing a "Giraffe Zyuman" mask in reference to Zyuohger.

Live action

 * The Kagestar (1976-1977)
 * Ninja Captor (1976-1977)
 * Spider-Man (1978-1979)
 * Kamen Rider (1971-present)
 * Super Sentai (1979-present)
 * Metal Hero Series (1982-1999)
 * Choukou Senshi Changéríon (1996)
 * Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger (2012-2013)

Anime

 * Robot Romance Trilogy (1976-1979) (Animated by Nippon Sunrise)
 * Future Robot Daltanious (1979-1980)
 * Space Emperor God Sigma (1980-1981) (Animated by Academy Productions)
 * Beast King GoLion (1981-1982)
 * Armored Fleet Dairugger XV (1982-1983)
 * Lightspeed Electroid Albegas (1983-1984)
 * Video Warrior Laserion (1984-1985)

Television

 * Sore Kara no Musashi (1964-1965)
 * Mito Kōmon (1964-1965)
 * Tensou Sentai Goseiger (2010)
 * Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger (2021)
 * Avataro Sentai Donbrothers (2022)

Web series

 * From Episode of Stinger - Uchu Sentai Kyuranger: High School Wars (2017)
 * Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger Spin-Off: Zenkai Red Great Introduction! (2021)
 * Avataro Sentai Donbrothers Meets Kamen Rider Den-O: Aim! Don-O (2022)

Director

 * Nebula Mask Machineman (1984)