Advertising agency Dentsu has announced a new partnership with Japanese publisher Kodansha Ltd., establishing itself as the primary contact for brands in the Americas seeking to leverage Kodansha’s intellectual property portfolio. The agreement covers major anime and manga franchises, including “Attack on Titan,” “Ghost in the Shell,” and “Blue Lock,” with Dentsu providing clients access to these properties for sponsorships, promotional tie-ins, live events, and fan-engagement initiatives.
Dentsu is integrating Kodansha’s IP catalog into its Dentsu. Connect data and identity platform, combining the publisher’s intellectual property with the agency’s proprietary Japanese market research capabilities. The company is positioning this as a competitive advantage for brand clients seeking to establish cultural credibility within anime and manga fan communities.
The partnership reflects broader industry momentum around anime’s expanding commercial reach. Market analysts project the global anime sector will reach $60.27 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual rate of 9.8 percent from 2025 through 2030. Within the United States specifically, the market was valued at $2.58 billion in 2024 and is forecast to expand to $7.93 billion by 2033, representing a 13 percent compound annual growth rate over the 2025-2033 period. Dentsu’s internal research indicates that 36 percent of U.S. consumers watch anime on at least a weekly basis.
Caroline Hughes, global integrated client partner at Dentsu, characterized anime as having “evolved from a niche to a mainstream cultural phenomenon,” framing the Kodansha partnership as an opportunity to connect brands with this expanding audience. Moriguchi Tomoki, director of Kodansha’s rights merchandising department, expressed enthusiasm for expanding the publisher’s commercial presence in the Americas region through the collaboration.
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