Following the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery and HBO assets, Netflix has reportedly made another major deal that will see the streaming giant team up with studio MAPPA. The studio behind massive anime hits like Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen has made a number of major, groundbreaking behind-the-scenes moves in recent years, and appears to be doing so once again.
The partnership will likely shake up the landscape of the ongoing anime streaming wars in a major way. Over the last five-or-so years, the world’s top streaming services have battled in an effort to add more anime to their selections, and with their newest MAPPA partnership, it seems Netflix has gained an upper hand on its competition.
Netflix and Studio MAPPA Have Entered a New Strategic Partnership
Both Netflix and MAPPA Look to Benefit from Working in Unison
On January 21st, Netflix and MAPPA announced they would be entering a partnership in which the two companies would co-distribute, produce, and merchandise a number of anime titles which will begin streaming exclusively on Netflix around the world in coming years.
MAPPA has earned itself a reputation as a forward-thinking presence in the anime industry, recently opting to self-fund the production of the Chainsaw Man anime, a move that was unprecedented at the time in 2022. Anime production is typically committee-based, but by investing its own resources, MAPPA has been able to profit greatly from one of anime’s biggest franchises.
Netflix has already been the exclusive landing spot for MAPPA’s 2024 reboot of Ranma 1/2, and it appears the series will be joined by a number of others in the future.
In December 2024, it was announced that Netflix was acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery and HBO assets, including the HBO Max streaming service, which is home to nearly the entire Studio Ghibli catalog of films.
Netlix’s New Partnership Poses a Threat to Other Anime Streaming Services
Though Netflix has hosted more than a few of the anime industry’s biggest titles on its service, its competition in the anime streaming wars has remained strong. Crunchyroll continues to air numerous shows the same time they air in Japan, making it the preferred service of countless fans around the world.
However, with the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery and its newest partnership with MAPPA, Netflix is quickly proving itself a top option for anime fans. With shows like Attack on Titan, Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisen, Hell‘s Paradise, and more under their belt, MAPPA has become a household name among anime fans, and Netflix couldn’t have chosen a better partner.
- founded
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January 16, 2007
- founders
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Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph
- first original series
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Lilyhammer
- notable shows
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Stranger Things, Squid Game, House of Cards, Wednesday
- notable movies
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KPop Demon Hunters, Bird Box, Red Notice
Netflix is a global streaming service offering on-demand access to movies, TV shows, documentaries, and original content. Founded in 1997 as a DVD rental service, it transitioned to streaming in 2007 and now operates in over 190 countries.
