| Pierrot Co., Ltd. | |
| Native Name: | 株式会社ぴえろ |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Romanized Name: | Kabushiki-gaisha Piero |
| Type: | Kabushiki gaisha |
| Former Names: | Studio Pierrot Co., Ltd. (1979–2002) |
| Founder: | Yuji Nunokawa |
| Location: | Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan |
| Key People: | Michiyuki Honma (CEO) |
| Num Employees: | 158 (as of November 2019) |
| Industry: | Media and entertainment |
| Products: | Anime, film, television, OVA, video games |
| Divisions: | Studio Pierrot Pierrot Films[1] [2] |
| Subsid: | Studio Signpost |
| Homepage: | en.pierrot.jp |
, previously known as until 2002, is a Japanese animation studio established in May 1979 by Yuji Nunokawa, previously an animator and director for Tatsunoko Production. Its headquarters are located in Mitaka, Tokyo.[3] Pierrot is renowned for several worldwide popular anime series, such as Naruto, Bleach, Tokyo Ghoul, Yu Yu Hakusho, Black Clover, , Ghost Stories, Great Teacher Onizuka, and Saiyuki.
The company's logo is the face of a clown. "Piero" is a Japanese loanword for clown, adopted from the classical character of Pierrot.
Yu Yu Hakusho and Saiyuki, two of the company's anime series, won the Animage Anime Grand Prix Award in 1994 and 1995, and 2000, respectively.
| Title | Years | Network | Director(s) | Eps. | Note(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Wonderful Adventures of Nils | Jan. 1980–Mar. 1981 | NHK | Hisayuki Toriumi | 52 | Adaptation of the 1906 novel The Wonderful Adventures of Nils by the Swedish author Selma Lagerlöf.[4] | |
| Miss Machiko | Oct. 1981–Oct. 1983 | TV Tokyo | Masami Anno | 95 | Adaptation of the manga by Takeshi Ebihara. | |
| Urusei Yatsura | Oct. 1981–Mar. 1986 | Fuji TV | Mamoru Oshii Kazuo Yamazaki | 194 | Adaptation of the manga by Rumiko Takahashi. Episodes 1-106 only, Studio Deen took over the animation role starting with episode 107. | |
| Esteban, Child of the Sun (The Mysterious Cities of Gold) | Jun. 1982–Jun. 1983 | NHK Antenne 2 | Hisayuki Toriumi | 39 | Very loosely based on the 1966 novel The King's Fifth by Scott O'Dell.[5] Co-produced with DIC. | |
| Mrs. Pepper Pot | Apr. 1983–Mar. 1984 | NHK | Keiji Hayakawa | 130 | Adaptation of children's books by Alf Prøysen. Co-produced with Studio Gallop. | |
| Creamy Mami, the Magic Angel | Jul. 1983–Jun. 1984 | Nippon TV | Osamu Kobayashi | 52 | Original work. | |
| Chikkun Takkun | Apr. 1984–Sep. 1984 | Fuji TV | Keiji Hayakawa (eps. 1-14) Masami Anno (eps. 15-23) | 23 | Adaptation of the manga by Shotaro Ishinomori. | |
| Persia, the Magic Fairy | Jul. 1984–May. 1985 | Nippon TV | Takashi Anno | 48 | Adaptation of the manga Persia ga Suki! by Takako Aonuma. | |
| Star Musketeer Bismark | Oct. 1984–Sep. 1985 | Masami Anno | 51 | Original work. Dubbed and rewritten in the United States by World Events Productions under the name Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs.[6] | ||
| Magical Emi, the Magic Star | Jun. 1985–Feb. 1986 | Takashi Anno | 38 | Original work. | ||
| Ninja Robot Tobikage | Oct. 1985–Jul. 1986 | Masami Anno | 43 | Original work. | ||
| Pastel Yumi, the Magic Idol | Mar. 1986–Aug. 1987 | Akira Shigino | 26 | Original work. | ||
| Anmitsu Hime | Oct. 1986–Sep. 1987 | Fuji TV | Masami Anno | 51 | Adaptation of the manga by Shosuke Kurakane. A remake of the manga by Izumi Takemoto is serialized simultaneously with the anime adaptation. | |
| Ganbare, Kickers! | Oct. 1986–Mar. 1987 | NTV | Akira Shigino | 23 | Adaptation of the manga by Noriaki Nagai. | |
| Kimagure Orange Road | Apr 1987–Mar. 1988 | Osamu Kobayashi | 48 | Adaptation of the manga by Izumi Matsumoto. | ||
| Norakuro-kun | Oct. 1987–Oct. 1988 | Fuji TV | Masami Anno | 50 | Second television adaptation of the manga Norakuro by Suiho Tagawa, with the first being in 1970 by TCJ. | |
| Osomatsu-kun | Feb. 1988–Dec. 1989 | Akira Shigino | 86 | Second television adaptation of the manga by Fujio Akatsuka, with the first being in 1966 by Children's Corner and Studio Zero. | ||
| The Burning Wild Man | Mar. 1988–Sep. 1988 | Nippon TV | Osamu Kobayashi | 24 | Adaptation of the manga by Tadashi Sato. | |
| Magical Hat | Oct. 1989–Jul. 1990 | Fuji TV | Akira Shigino | 33 | Adaptation of the manga by Yōji Katakura. |
| Title | Years | Network | Director(s) | Eps. | Note(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heisei Tensai Bakabon | Jan. 1990–Dec. 1990 | Fuji TV | Hiroshi Sasagawa | 46 | Third television adaptation of the manga Tensai Bakabon by Fujio Akatsuka, previously adapted twice by TMS Entertainment in 1971 and 1975 respectively, the second series being titled as Ganso Tensai Bakabon. | |
| Musashi, the Samurai Lord | Oct. 1990–Sep. 1991 | NTV | Akira Shigino | 50 | Original work. | |
| Tasuke, the Samurai Cop | Oct. 1990–Mar. 1991 | TV Tokyo | Takeshi Mori | 22 | Adaptation of the manga by Manavu Kashimoto. | |
| Chokkaku, the Stubborn Samurai Boy | Jan.–Oct. 1991 | Fuji TV | Masami Anno | 36 | Adaptation of the manga by Yu Koyama. | |
| Little Ghosts, There, Here and Where | Apr. 1991–Apr. 1992 | NTV | Osamu Kobayashi | 50 | Adaptation of children's picture books by Eiko Kadono and Yoko Sasaki. | |
| Marude Dameo | Nov. 1991–Sep. 1992 | Fuji TV | Akira Shigino | 47 | Adaptation of the manga by Kenji Morita. | |
| Nontan | Oct. 1992–Mar. 1994 | 263 | Adaptation of children's picture books by Sachiko Kiyono. | |||
| Yu Yu Hakusho | Oct. 1992–Jan. 1995 | Noriyuki Abe | 112 | Adaptation of the manga by Yoshihiro Togashi. | ||
| Tottemo! Luckyman | Apr. 1994–Mar. 1995 | TV Tokyo | Osamu Nabeshima | 50 | Adaptation of the manga by Hiroshi Gamo | |
| Ninku | Jan. 1995–Feb. 1996 | Fuji TV | Noriyuki Abe | 55 | Adaptation of the manga by Koji Kiriyama. | |
| Fushigi Yûgi | Apr. 1995–Mar. 1996 | TV Tokyo | Hajime Kamegaki | 52 | Adaptation of the manga by Yuu Watase. | |
| Midori no Makibaō | Mar. 1996–Jul. 1997 | Fuji TV | Noriyuki Abe | 61 | Adaptation of the manga by Tsunomaru. | |
| Gon, the Stone-Age Boy | Apr. 1996–Jan. 1997 | NHK | Yutaka Kagawa | 39 | Adaptation of the manga by Shunji Sonoyama. | |
| Baby and Me | Jul. 1996–Mar. 1997 | TV Tokyo | Takahiro Omori | 35 | Adaptation of the manga by Marimo Ragawa. | |
| Hyper Police | Apr. 1997–Sep. 1997 | 25 | Adaptation of the manga by Minoru Tachikawa. | |||
| Clamp School Detectives | May. 1997–Oct. 1997 | Osamu Nabeshima | 26 | Adaptation of the manga by Clamp. | ||
| Flame of Recca | Jul. 1997–Jul. 1998 | Fuji TV | Noriyuki Abe | 42 | Adaptation of the manga by Nobuyuki Anzai. | |
| Takoyaki Mantoman | Apr. 1998–Sep. 1999 | TV Tokyo | Akira Shigino | 77 | Adaptation of children's picture book by Hiroo Takada and Yasutoshi Nakamura. | |
| Fancy Lala, the Magic Stage | Apr. 1998–Sep. 1998 | TV Osaka | Takahiro Omori | 26 | Original work. | |
| Neo Ranga | Apr. 1998–Sep. 1999 | WOWOW | Jun Kamiya Toshiyuki Tsuru | 48 | Original work. | |
| Dokkiri Doctor | Oct. 1998–Jun. 1999 | Fuji TV | Kazunori Mizuno | 26 | Adaptation of the manga by Fujihiko Hosono. | |
| Yoiko | Nov. 1998–Mar. 1999 | TBS | Takahiro Omori | 20 | Adaptation of the manga by Yugo Ishikawa. | |
| Microman, the Little Giant | Jan. 1999–Dec. 1999 | TV Tokyo | Noriyuki Abe | 52 | Adaptation of the manga by Hisashi Matsumoto. | |
| Power Stone | Apr. 1999–Sep. 1999 | TBS | Takahiro Omori | 26 | Adaptation of the video game by Capcom. | |
| I'm Gonna Be An Angel! | Apr. 1999–Sep. 1999 | TV Tokyo | Hiroshi Nishikiori | 26 | Original work. | |
| Great Teacher Onizuka | Jun. 1999–Sep. 2000 | Fuji TV | Noriyuki Abe | 43 | Adaptation of the manga by Tooru Fujisawa. | |
| Guru Guru Town Hanamaru-kun | Oct. 1999–Sep. 2001 | TV Osaka | Jun Kamiya | 101 | Original work. | |
| Rerere no Tensai Bakabon | Oct. 1999–Mar. 2000 | TV Tokyo | Hayato Date | 24 | Fourth television adaptation of Tensai Bakabon following Heisei Tensai Bakabon, which was already produced by Pierrot. |
| Title | Years | Network | Director(s) | Eps. | Note(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OH! Super Milk-chan | Jan. 2000–Apr. 2000 | WOWOW | Takahiro Omori | 12 | Sequel to Super Milk-chan. | |
| Gensomaden Saiyuki | Apr. 2000–Mar. 2001 | TV Tokyo | Hayato Date | 50 | Based on a manga by Kazuya Minekura. | |
| Ceres, Celestial Legend | Apr. 2000–Sep. 2000 | WOWOW | Hajime Kamegaki | 24 | Based on a manga by Yuu Watase. | |
| Ghost Stories | Oct. 2000–Mar. 2001 | Fuji TV | Noriyuki Abe | 20 | Based on a manga by Toru Tsunametsu. | |
| Super Gals! | Apr. 2001–Mar. 2002 | TV Tokyo | Tsuneo Kobayashi | 52 | Based on a manga by Mihona Fujii. | |
| Kaze no Yojimbo | Oct. 2001–Mar. 2002 | NTV | Hayato Date | 25 | Based on Akira Kurosawa's film Yojimbo. | |
| Hikaru no Go | Oct. 2001–Mar. 2003 | TV Tokyo | 75 | Based on a manga by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata. | ||
| Kogepan | Nov. 2001 | Animax | Hidekazu Ohara | 10 | Based on a media mix project by San-X. | |
| Tokyo Underground | Apr. 2002–Sep. 2002 | TV Tokyo | Hayato Date | 26 | Based on a manga by Akinobu Uraku. | |
| Tokyo Mew Mew | Apr. 2002–Mar. 2003 | TV Aichi | Noriyuki Abe | 52 | Based on a manga by Reiko Yoshida and Mia Ikumi. | |
| The Twelve Kingdoms | Apr. 2002–Aug. 2003 | NHK | Tsuneo Kobayashi | 45 | Based on a light novel by Fuyumi Ono and Akihiro Yamada. | |
| Naruto | Oct. 2002–Feb. 2007 | TV Tokyo | Hayato Date | 220 | Based on a manga by Masashi Kishimoto. | |
| E's Otherwise | Apr. 2003–Sep. 2003 | Masami Shimoda | 26 | Based on a manga by Satoru Yuiga. | ||
| Detective School Q | Apr. 2003–Mar. 2004 | TBS | Noriyuki Abe | 45 | Based on a manga by Shin Kibayashi and Fumiya Satō. | |
| Saiyuki Reload | Oct. 2003–Mar. 2004 | TV Tokyo | Tetsuya Endo | 25 | Based on Saiyuki manga sequel by Kazuya Minekura. | |
| Saiyuki Reload Gunlock | Apr. 2004–Sep. 2004 | 26 | Sequel to Saiyuki Reload. | |||
| Midori Days | Apr. 2004–Jun. 2004 | TV Kanagawa | Tsuneo Kobayashi | 13 | Based on a manga by Kazurou Inoue. | |
| Bleach | Oct. 2004–Mar. 2012 | TV Tokyo | Noriyuki Abe | 366 | Based on a manga by Tite Kubo. | |
| Emma – A Victorian Romance | Apr. 2005–Jun. 2005 | TBS | Tsuneo Kobayashi | 12 | Based on a manga by Kaoru Mori. | |
| Sugar Sugar Rune | Jul. 2005–Jun. 2006 | TV Tokyo | Yukihiro Matsushita | 51 | Based on a manga by Moyoco Anno. | |
| Feb. 2007–Mar. 2017 | TV Tokyo | Hayato Date Osamu Kobayashi Chiaki Kon Toshinori Watanabe Masahiko Murata | 500 | Sequel to Naruto. | ||
| Blue Dragon | Apr. 2007–Mar. 2008 | TV Tokyo | Yukihiro Matsushita | 51 | Based on a video game by Mistwalker and Artoon. | |
| Blue Dragon: Trials of the Seven Shadows | Apr. 2008–Mar. 2009 | 51 | Sequel to Blue Dragon. | |||
| Hanasakeru Seishōnen | Apr. 2009–Feb. 2010 | NHK | Hajime Kamegaki | 39 | Based on a manga by Natsumi Itsuki. |
| Title | Years | Network | Director(s) | Eps. | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level E | Jan. 2011–Apr. 2011 | TV Tokyo | Toshiyuki Kato | 13 | Based on a manga by Yoshihiro Togashi. Co-produced with David Production. |
| Kingdom | Jul. 2012–Feb. 2013 | NHK | Jun Kamiya | 38 | Based on a manga by Yasuhisa Hara. |
| Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals | Apr. 2012–Mar. 2013 | TV Tokyo | Masahiko Murata | 51 | Based on Naruto spin-off manga by Kenji Taira |
| Polar Bear Café | Apr. 2012–Mar. 2013 | Mitsuyuki Masuhara | 50 | Based on a manga by Aloha Higa. | |
| Kingdom Season 2 | Jun. 2013–Mar. 2014 | NHK | Akira Iwanaga | 39 | Season 2 of Kingdom. |
| Gaist Crusher | Oct. 2013–Oct. 2014 | TV Tokyo | Yoshihiro Takamoto | 51 | Based on a video game by Capcom. |
| The World Is Still Beautiful | Apr. 2014–Jun. 2014 | NTV | Hajime Kamegaki | 12 | Based on a manga by Dai Shiina. |
| Baby Steps | Apr. 2014–Sept. 2014 | NHK | Masahiko Murata | 25 | Based on a manga by Hikaru Katsuki. |
| Tokyo Ghoul | Jul. 2014–Sep. 2014 | Tokyo MX | Shuhei Morita | 12 | Based on a manga by Sui Ishida. |
| Yona of the Dawn | Oct. 2014–Mar. 2015 | AT-X | Kazuhiro Yoneda | 24 | Based on a manga by Mizuho Kusanagi. |
| Tokyo Ghoul √A | Jan. 2015–Mar. 2015 | Tokyo MX | Shuhei Morita | 12 | Season 2 of Tokyo Ghoul. |
| Baby Steps Season 2 | Apr. 2015–Sep. 2015 | NHK | Masahiko Murata | 25 | Season 2 of Baby Steps. |
| Mr. Osomatsu | Oct. 2015–Mar. 2021 | TV Tokyo | Yoichi Fujita | 75 | Based on Fujio Akatsuka's 1962 manga series, Osomatsu-kun. |
| Divine Gate | Jan. 2016–Mar. 2016 | Tokyo MX | Noriyuki Abe | 12 | Based on a smartphone game by Acquire. |
| Twin Star Exorcists | Apr. 2016–Mar. 2017 | TV Tokyo | Tomohisa Taguchi | 50 | Based on a manga by Yoshiaki Sukeno. |
| Puzzle & Dragons X | Jul. 2016–Mar. 2018 | Hajime Kamegaki | 89 | Based on a 3DS game by GungHo Online. | |
| Tsukiuta. The Animation | Jul. 2016–Sept. 2016 | Tokyo MX | Itsuro Kawasaki | 13 | Based on a media mix project by Movic. |
| Soul Buster | Oct. 2016–Dec. 2016 | Toshinori Watanabe | 12 | Based on a manhua by Bai Mao. | |
| ēlDLIVE | Jan. 2017-Mar. 2017 | Joji Furuta | 12 | Based on a manga by Akira Amano. | |
| Apr. 2017–Mar. 2023 | TV Tokyo | Hiroyuki Yamashita Toshiro Fujii Masayuki Kouda Noriyuki Abe | 293 | Based on Naruto manga sequel by Masashi Kishimoto and Mikio Ikemoto. | |
| Convenience Store Boy Friends | Jul. 2017–Sep. 2017 | TBS | Hayato Date | 12 | Based on a media mix project by Kadokawa. |
| Black Clover | Oct. 2017–Mar. 2021 | TV Tokyo | Tatsuya Yoshihara Ayataka Tanemura | 170 | Based on a manga by Yuki Tabata. |
| Dynamic Chord | Oct. 2017–Dec. 2017 | TBS | Shigenori Kageyama | 12 | Based on a visual novel by Honeybee Black. |
| Sanrio Boys | Jan. 2018–Mar. 2018 | Tokyo MX | Masashi Kudo | 12 | Based on a media mix project by Sanrio. |
| Puzzle & Dragons | Apr. 2018–present | TV Tokyo | Hajime Kamegaki | Based on a smartphone game by GungHo Online. | |
| Tokyo Ghoul:re | Apr. 2018–Jun. 2018 | Tokyo MX | Toshinori Watanabe | 12 | Based on Tokyo Ghoul manga sequel by Sui Ishida. |
| Tokyo Ghoul:re Season 2 | Oct. 2018–Dec. 2018 | 12 | Season 2 of Tokyo Ghoul:re. |
| Title | Years | Network | Director | Eps. | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingdom Season 3 | Apr. 2020–Oct. 2021 | NHK | Kenichi Imaizumi | 26 | Season 3 of Kingdom. Co-produced with Studio Signpost. |
| Akudama Drive | Oct. 2020–Dec. 2020 | AT-X | Tomohisa Taguchi | 12 | Original work. Co-produced with Too Kyo Games. |
| Kingdom Season 4 | Apr. 2022–Oct. 2022 | NHK | Kenichi Imaizumi | 26 | Season 4 of Kingdom. Co-produced with Studio Signpost. |
| Oct. 2022–TBA | TV Tokyo | Tomohisa Taguchi | Sequel to Bleach. | ||
| Play It Cool, Guys | Oct. 2022–Mar. 2023 | Chiaki Kon | 24 | Based on a manga by Kokone Nata. | |
| Kingdom Season 5 | Jan. 2024–Mar. 2024 | NHK | Kenichi Imaizumi | 13 | Season 5 of Kingdom. Co-produced with Studio Signpost.[7] |
| Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master | Apr. 2024–TBA | Yoshiaki Kyōgoku | Based on a novel by Chisato Abe. | ||
| Untitled Magical Girl series | Original work.[8] | ||||
| Year | Title | Director | Dur. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Mamoru Oshii | 89m | |
| 1984 | 97m | ||
| 1987 | Lullaby for Wednesday's Cinderella | Motosuke Takahashi | 52m |
| Bari Bari Densetsu | Osamu Uemura | 84m | |
| 1988 | Kimagure Orange Road: I Want to Return to That Day | Tomomi Mochizuki | 69m |
| 1989 | Osomatsu-kun: Greetings from the Watermelon Planet! | Akira Shigino | 24m |
| 1990 | Maroko | Mamoru Oshii | 90m |
| 1991 | The Earring of Moonlight | Takeshi Mori | 70m |
| 1993 | Yu Yu Hakusho: The Movie | Noriyuki Abe | 25m |
| 1994 | Yu Yu Hakusho: Poltergeist Report | Masakatsu Iijima | 93m |
| Ninku: Tomb of Knives | Noriyuki Abe | 34m | |
| 1995 | Ninku: The Movie | Noriyuki Abe | 25m |
| 1996 | Kimagure Orange Road: Summer's Beginning | Kunihiko Yuyama | 95m |
| 1999 | Daigekisen! Microman vs. Saikyou Senshi Gorgon | Noriyuki Abe | 30m |
| 2001 | Saiyuki: Requiem | Hayato Date | 95m |
| 2003 | Ryoukan-san | Masami Anno | 70m |
| 2004 | Tensai Okamura | 83m | |
| 2005 | Hirotsugu Kawasaki | 97m | |
| 2006 | Toshiyuki Tsuru | 95m | |
| Noriyuki Abe | 93m | ||
| 2007 | Naruto Shippuden the Movie | Hajime Kamegaki | 95m |
| Noriyuki Abe | 92m | ||
| 2008 | Hajime Kamegaki | 93m | |
| Noriyuki Abe | 94m | ||
| 2009 | Masahiko Murata | 95m | |
| 2010 | 99m | ||
| Noriyuki Abe | 94m | ||
| 2011 | Legend of the Millennium Dragon | Hirotsugu Kawasaki | 98m |
| Masahiko Murata | 94m | ||
| 2012 | Hayato Date | 110m | |
| 2014 | Tsuneo Kobayashi | 114m | |
| 2015 | Hiroyuki Yamashita | 96m | |
| 2019 | Mr. Osomatsu: The Movie | Yoichi Fujita | 108m |
| 2022 | Mr. Osomatsu: The Hipipo Tribe and the Glistening Fruit | Yoshinori Odaka | 75m |
| 2023 | Ayataka Tanemura | 113m | |
| Mr. Osomatsu: The Soul's Takoyaki Party and the Legendary Sleepover Party | Hikaru Yamaguchi | 59m |
Note: This may not be a complete list.
| Year | Title | Director | Note(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Hero Mask | Hiroyasu Aoki | 15 | Original work. Released on Netflix. | |
| 2019 | Hero Mask Season 2 | 9 | Season 2 of Hero Mask. Released on Netflix. | ||
| 2021 | Mr. Osomatsu: Valentine's Day Shorts | Yoichi Fujita | 3 | Short series of Mr. Osomatsu. Released on dTV. | |
| Mr. Osomatsu: White Day Shorts | |||||
| 2024 | WcDonald's[9] | 4 | In collaboration with McDonald's |
Note: This may not be a complete list.
| Title | Years | Publisher | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keio Flying Squadron | 1993 | JVC Musical Industries | Animated cutscenes | |
| TIZ: Tokyo Insect Zoo | 1996 | General Entertainment | Animated cutscenes | |
| Keio Flying Squadron 2 | 1996 | JVC Musical Industries | Animated cutscenes | |
| 1998 | Victor Interactive Software | Animated cutscenes | ||
| 2004 | Digital Fiction | Animated cutscenes | ||
| 2004 | Konami | Animated cutscenes | ||
| Battle Stadium D.O.N | 2005 | Bandai Namco Games | Animated cutscenes | |
| 2011 | Sony Interactive Entertainment | Animated cutscenes | ||
| 2012 | Bandai Namco Games | Animated cutscenes |
| Title | Years | Network | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun. 2011 | Warner Home Video | Co-animated with Studio 4°C and JM Animation | ||
| The Legend of Korra | Apr. 2012–Dec. 2014 | Nickelodeon | Eps. 13–18, 21 |