Although there were many sequels of the best animes from the current time in early 2026, a newcomer was able to soak up all the hype. But that has not spared its creators from financial ruin.
Which studio is it about? The studio Kai is an animation studio from Japan, founded in 2019. The first animes were released in 2021, and you may know many of the series:
- One of the first animes was the second season of Umamusume Pretty Derby. The anime and the video games experienced a huge hype last year.
- The animation studio is also responsible for the sequel of Captain Tsubasa. It released the Junior-Youth-Arc in October 2023.
- Additionally, there’s Sentenced to Be a Hero, which managed to stand out against many strong anime sequels in early 2026 and created a real hype.
Moreover, three series from the studio have just started, which you might know from the original mangas. They are called The Ramparts of Ice, Snowball Earth, and Mistress Kanan is Devilishly Easy. However, the future of the studio remains uncertain for now, as even the hype anime from 2026 could not save the creators.
Studio faces financial collapse, but still has possibilities for rescue
Why now the financial ruin? According to the studio’s financial results, a net loss of 565 million yen was reported for the fiscal year 2025, which amounts to about 3 million euros. The company is currently in bankruptcy.
There was also a significant loss in the previous fiscal year. Here, a net loss of 248 million yen was recorded, which still amounts to over a million euros.
With such large sums, it is understandable that not a single anime can offset the losses of the past years. However, there are still ways for the studio to continue to exist.
What options does it have? The studio can pursue a civil restructuring process to negotiate with its creditors and initiate a restructuring.
A more drastic measure would be a corporate reorganization. This would result in the management being called off and a transfer of control of the company to a court-appointed administrator.
Lastly, there remains the possibility of a takeover by a large corporation that can pay off the debts. But at this moment, the future is uncertain.
Even though Sentenced to Be a Hero was a big success, it did not please every anime fan. According to some viewers, there’s an annoying main character that needs to be dealt with first: For many, a new hype anime would be “finally watchable” if the annoying main character were actually gone
Your opinion is important to us!
Do you like the article? Then let us know!