Who Pays Best: Animator Salaries
- Tokyo - Recent data indicates a positive shift in animator salaries across various Japanese anime studios, though challenges remain.
- As of March 2025, studios under Anlex (Sony), specifically A-1 Pictures and CloverWorks, lead in base monthly pay for animators, offering 274,000 yen (approximately 1,674 euros).
- while the base figures may appear modest, thay reflect notable improvements compared to data from two years prior.
Japanese Anime Studios Show Promising Wage Growth for Animators in 2025
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Tokyo – Recent data indicates a positive shift in animator salaries across various Japanese anime studios, though challenges remain. The improvements come after reports of poor working conditions in the anime industry, which even drew the attention of the United Nations.
top Paying Anime Studios
As of March 2025, studios under Anlex (Sony), specifically A-1 Pictures and CloverWorks, lead in base monthly pay for animators, offering 274,000 yen (approximately 1,674 euros). These figures represent base salaries and do not include potential overtime or additional compensation.
Other studios with competitive base salaries include:
- Twin Engine: 260,000 yen (around 1,588 euros)
- CygamesPictures: 256,055 yen (around 1,564 euros)
- Yostar Pictures: 252,000 yen (approximately 1,539 euros)
- Kinema citrus: 224,000 yen (around 1,368 euros), with an increase to 253,900 yen (about 1,551 euros) after six months.
Significant Salary Increases Observed
while the base figures may appear modest, thay reflect notable improvements compared to data from two years prior. Manny studios have increased salaries in the range of 10,000 to 30,000 yen (approximately 61 to 183 euros). Some studios have shown particularly strong growth.
A-1 Pictures and cloverworks stand out with salary increases of 55,000 yen (around 335 euros).C2C also demonstrated a substantial increase of 50,000 yen (305 euros).
Further significant salary adjustments include:
- OLM: approximately 42,500 yen (around 259 euros)
- Kinema Citrus: 34,000 yen (approx. 207 euros) with an additional 29,000 yen (around 177 euros) after six months
- CygamesPictures: approximately 32,721 yen (approximately 199 euros)
- Trigger: approximately 32,500 yen (around 198 euros) with another 24,240 yen (around 147 euros) after six months
The upward trend suggests a positive development for animators, though further improvements are still needed to ensure fair compensation and lasting working conditions within the anime industry.
Japanese Anime Animator Salaries in 2025: What’s the Latest?
Are you curious about the current state of animator salaries in Japan? This Q&A-style blog post dives into the details, providing insights based on recent data. We’ll explore which studios offer the best pay, examine recent salary increases, and discuss the improvements in the anime industry.