MAPPA's Chainsaw Man Bet Leads Change in Committee Structure

Studio MAPPA reportedly holds the copyrights to ten different anime IPs, according to information circulating across the anime industry in early May 2026. MAPPA already owns Chainsaw Man, one of the most commercially successful anime IPs among modern titles.

The report comes after a session featuring CoMix Wave Films' Chairman Kawaguchi, MAPPA's President Otsuka, and Production I.G's Chairman Ishikawa. It reignites the debate around workforce-related issues in Japan’s anime industry. The industry predominantly uses a ‘production committee’ structure that fragments the workflow and revenue, often leading to workforce distress and payment issues.

According to reports, studios like  CoMix Wave Films, MAPPA, and Production I.G are trying to hold the copyrights of the anime IP they work on, instead of subcontracting them. Previously, a Production I.G executive stated during Anime India Kolkata, that “there’s a big change coming” within the anime industry. According to him, not just MAPPA, but other studios are looking for different options to scale business as well.

Now, Chairman Ishikawa has stated that the company is trying to raise production producers instead of chasing talent with an aim of “creating an environment that produces talent.” CoMix’s Kawaguchi has openly stated that he has decided not to do subcontract work at all.

The Chainsaw Man Bet: How MAPPA Led the Change

MAPPA has been at the center of the anime industry’s recent global expansion, producing high-profile titles Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, and Attack on Titan: The Final Season. The road started with investing in Yuri!!! on ICE in 2016, and slowly building Chainsaw Man into a renowned franchise as a 100% studio-funded project.

Otsuka stated that as the president of MAPPA, he wanted to do “good things” in the company, and now his focus has shifted to the company environment and workforce. Chairman Kawaguchi echoed similar concerns and stated that he would rather borrow money than be used by someone else while producing an anime.

All three of their concerns centered on the staggered work model of subcontracting and the workforce crisis in the anime industry. Kawaguchi stated how CWF creators were only interested in Annie Awards, a platform that recognizes a finishing artist to a cinematographer, instead of Tokyo-based awards that are highly dominated by committees.

Otsuka previously stated how the company reinvested the profits from Chainsaw Man into the betterment of the studio’s production ecosystem. With similar concerns, the other two studios are also trying to consolidate profit within the studios, and ease concerns that profits are not reaching creators who work at the grassroots level.

MAPPA has been building the institutional capacity to sustain this studio-focused model, breaking away from committee structure. The studio houses a Rights department responsible for copyright, merchandise, events management, and advertising of related intellectual property. In 2025, MAPPA launched a record label, “mappa records,” further expanding its IP monetization infrastructure.

Nonetheless, MAPPA's Chainsaw Man production model remains one of the clearest proof-of-concept for a studio breaking from the production committee structure and profiting from it. On the other hand, conglomerates like Bandai Namco and KADOKAWA have been investing to consolidate their business with a company-led studio and creator ecosystem, trying to offer a sustainable work model for animators and professionals.