Toei, the Japanese studio giant behind “Kamen Rider” and the Super Sentai series that became “Power Rangers,” has drawn up rules for generative AI and started using AI in its film and video production, president and CEO Yoshimura Fumio said at the Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) in Taipei. A dedicated team at the company is testing how far AI can be used in actual content production, and Toei is building an AI system that helps less experienced producers estimate budgets. Yoshimura pointed to “Dreams of Violets,” a live-action feature made entirely with generative AI that was selected for the Tribeca Festival in June.
The 75-minute film was reportedly made by two creators for around $2,000. Toei also put a timeline on its move into games. Toei Games, the label launched this year to mark the company’s 75th anniversary, will release “Hino” in early 2027, with “Killa” and “Debug Nephemee” following from spring 2027.
All three are original titles from outside creators rather than adaptations of Toei IP, and will launch on Steam before rolling out to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox. The keynote also mapped out how Toei is taking “Kamen Rider,” which turned 55 this year, beyond Japanese TV. Yoshimura held up the franchise as his main example of what the company calls the “evergreening” of IP.
The first series premiered in 1971, and the Showa-era shows that ran until 1988 built its core fanbase. The Heisei-era series that began in 2000 handed the franchise down from parents to children, while events, merchandise, manga, anime and stage shows have since carried it to a third generation. The current series, “Kamen Rider Zeztz,” was rolled out almost simultaneously around the world, including Taiwan, the rest of Asia and North America, which Yoshimura called a big step for the group.
Toei is also pushing into India. Its first project teams the studio with Aniplex, the company behind “Demon Slayer,” and Shirogumi, which worked on Yamazaki Takashi’s “Godzilla Minus One,” on a new “Kamen Rider” property with a scale and style of action only animation can deliver. A live-action label, The Kamen Rider Premium, will make full-scale hero action films for a wider audience, including international viewers and people who don’t follow the TV shows.
Under its Toei New Wave 2033 medium- to long-term plan, the company aims to raise the share of its sales that comes from overseas from 30% to 50%, with Asia the current focus. Yoshimura cited estimates that the global entertainment and media market is growing by an average of 3.4% a year. He added that streaming now lets K-pop, Japanese anime, Indian films and Chinese microdramas travel the world without being changed.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
