‘One Piece’ Producer Fujimura Charts Japanese IP’s Rise From Manga Magazines to Hollywood Mega-Franchises

Tetsu Fujimura, the CEO of Japanese IP consultancy and production company Filosophia Inc. and a producer on Netflix’s “One Piece” live-action series, delivered a data-intensive keynote at the Cannes Film Market, presenting a comprehensive account of the booming global market for Japanese intellectual property adaptations and cataloguing a Hollywood development pipeline that stretches across every major studio.

The session – part of Japan’s Country of Honor designation at this year’s event and organized by the Executive Committee for Japan Country of Honor 2026, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Japan External Trade Organization – was titled “The Future of Japanese IP in Global Adaptations.”

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Fujimura opened by establishing the commercial context. He presented 45 years of box office data showing IP-based films growing from roughly 10%-20% of the global top 30 in the 1970s and 1980s to more than 80% today. Every title in the 2024 worldwide top 10 was IP-based, with “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” in the eighth and tenth spots. “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yabu Infinity Castle” placed seventh in the 2025 global top 10.

To illustrate Japan’s standing as an IP superpower, Fujimura cited Titlemax data showing 10 Japanese franchises ranking in the global top 25 by all-time IP revenue. Pokemon leads at $92.1 billion in estimated lifetime revenues; Hello Kitty follows at $80 billion, Anpanman at $60.3 billion, Super Mario at $36.1 billion and Shonen Jump at $34.1 billion. The “Fandom Franchise Top 25” fan-vote ranking placed “One Piece” third globally.

A slide citing Nikkei’s June 2025 reporting highlighted what Fujimura framed as a structural economic shift: the combined market capitalization of Japan’s top nine entertainment companies – Sony Group, Nintendo, Bandai Namco, Konami Group, Nexon, Capcom, Sanrio, Toho and Square Enix – temporarily surpassed that of Japan’s top nine automakers, reaching approximately JPY53.8 trillion (approximately $359 billion) against the automotive sector’s JPY48.1 trillion (approximately $321 billion). Grand View Research projections showed the global anime market reaching $77.3 billion by 2033, up from $26.5 billion in 2021, while the manga market is forecast to climb from $7.3 billion in 2021 to $43.9 billion by 2033. The global gaming market is projected to hit $505.2 billion by 2030.

Filosophia’s own research tracked the volume of global Japanese IP adaptations by decade: 25 in the 1990s, 52 in the 2000s and 101 in the 2010s, with the current decade already registering 88 and still climbing. Asia – led by South Korea, which accounts for 46% of the region’s adaptation activity – drives overall volume and skews toward television, with TV making up 62% of Asian adaptations. The U.S. and European markets run the inverse, with films representing 65% of projects. Source formats diverge sharply by region: novels and manga dominate in Asia at 34% and 32% of adaptations respectively, while games account for 48% of projects in the U.S. and Europe.

The Hollywood section of the presentation was notable for its breadth. Among feature films currently in development: J.J. Abrams’ adaptation of “Your Name” at Paramount, “Mobile Suit Gundam” at Legendary, “One Punch Man” and “Astro Boy” at Sony Pictures, “Naruto” at Lionsgate, “Attack on Titan” at Warner Bros., “My Hero Academia” at Netflix, and “Elden Ring” at A24. The game-to-screen pipeline adds “Metal Gear Solid” and “Ghost of Tsushima” at Sony Pictures, a live-action “Death Stranding” at A24, and an animated “Death Stranding: Mosquito” in development at Line Mileage. On the series side: “Claymore” at CBS Studios and Propagate, “Rashomon” at HBO Max via Amblin Television, “Speed Racer” at Apple TV+ with Abrams executive producing, “Samurai Champloo” at Tomorrow Studios, “Steins;Gate” at Skydance Television, “Pokemon” at Netflix and “God of War” at Amazon Studios.

Fujimura – who founded Gaga Corp. four decades ago before establishing Filosophia 20 years later to connect Japanese IP holders with Hollywood producers – drew on his own career to illustrate the dynamics at play. He and Marvel Studios founder Avi Arad spent 10 years developing “Ghost in the Shell,” which arrived at Paramount in 2017. Through his partnership with producer Marty Adelstein’s Tomorrow Studios, Fujimura was also involved in Netflix’s “One Piece.” The show debuted in 2023, ranked No. 1 in 86 countries and accumulated 54 million views and 410 million hours watched within its first 25 days. Season 2 earned a 100% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes; Season 3 is in production for a 2027 release.

Fujimura also pointed to the expansion of Japanese IP beyond screen into stage and music. A Japanese-language West End production of “Spirited Away” in 2024 – performed by a Japanese cast at a venue of roughly 2,300 seats – drew 300,000 attendees in London, one of the largest overseas runs of Japanese-language theater on record. A 2026 tour across Shanghai and Seoul attracted a combined audience of more than 250,000. On the music side, Spotify data showed anime-related streams grew 395% between 2021 and 2024, and YOASOBI’s “Idol” – the opening theme for anime “Oshi no Ko” – became the first Japanese-language song to top the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart in June 2023.

A data point specific to the Chinese market drew particular attention: the No. 1 film at China’s box office in 2024 was “YOLO,” a Chinese remake of Japanese film “100 Yen Love,” which grossed RMB3.46 billion – approximately $486 million.

Fujimura acknowledged that the most prominent Japanese IP titles have largely been committed to studios and platforms. “Attention is starting to shift toward the next tier of IPs,” he said. “These are titles that might not be as well known yet, but they’ve got incredible potential. And the scope is widening. We’re seeing momentum across novels, light novels, and even indie games.”

“I truly believe a remarkable future lies ahead for Japan’s IP, which contains some of the richest creative resources in the world,” Fujimura said. “With the power of these IPs, I’m confident we can create entertainment that resonates with audiences everywhere – whether in live action, animation, stage productions, or music.”