KADOKAWA announced on January 30 that six of its anime studios are recruiting 60 new graduates for April 2027, a significant jump from last year’s 47 positions.
The recruitment drive, officially titled “KADOKAWA Group Anime Studio New Graduate Recruitment 2027”, kicks off in February and marks the company’s second attempt at solving one of the anime industry’s most pressing problems: keeping fresh talent from walking away.
Studios fighting to stay staffed
The participating studios read like a who’s who of modern anime production: ENGI, Studio KADAN, Kinema Citrus, Chiptune, Doga Kobo, and Bellnox Films.
These aren’t minor players. Kinema Citrus gave us Made in Abyss and The Rising of the Shield Hero, while Doga Kobo recently dominated with Oshi no Ko and has been churning out hits like Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian.
KADOKAWA acquired Doga Kobo back in July 2024, and the studio’s expertise in slice-of-life comedies and character-driven narratives has made it a cornerstone of the company’s production strategy.
Positions span production management, animation, background art, 3DCG, finishing, photography, and illustration. But here’s the thing: KADOKAWA isn’t just throwing numbers at the problem.
They’re backing up the recruitment with shared training programs across all six studios and a unified corporate infrastructure designed to give newcomers the support they actually need.
Last year’s inaugural recruitment brought in 47 new hires who joined in April 2026, and feedback showed that the cross-studio approach helped them understand the different production environments and connect with peers across the group.
The numbers behind the crisis
KADOKAWA’s move comes as the anime industry bleeds talent at an alarming rate. Around 40% of animators quit before hitting their five-year mark, unable to survive on the notoriously low pay and brutal hours.
A 2024 survey by the Nippon Anime & Film Culture Association found that 40% of industry workers earned less than 2.4 million yen annually, roughly $15,400, well below Japan’s national average of about $49,000.
Meanwhile, studios are scrambling to fill positions while global demand for anime continues to explode, with the market hitting a record 3.8 trillion yen in 2024.
KADOKAWA produces approximately 60 anime titles each year and established a Studio Business Bureau in April 2025 to coordinate production across its group studios.
The company bumped salaries by 15% in 2025 and has been working to create what executive Kikuchi describes as “environments where creators can concentrate on their work without worries.”
With annual revenues exceeding 200 billion yen, KADOKAWA’s strategy focuses on controlling the entire production chain, from publishing light novels to final animation, using shared resources like 3DCG software and freelancer pools to optimize output.
The February recruitment launch includes job fairs scheduled for March, with applications open through the company’s dedicated recruitment site.
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