The debate over the working conditions of animators in the Japanese anime industry always turns into a heated discussion between the fans. Everyone knows that overwork & low pay are the common enemies for the people working in the anime sector. But, how much do the animators actually make?

Well, not every animation studio working out there tells all the secrets about its staff & members and how much they really make? But, there are some of the popular studios whose basic monthly salary per animator has been disclosed to the public on several occasions.

And, in this article, we’re going to decode the monthly salary of an animator working in some big animation studios in Japan. So, without wasting more of your time let’s get started.

• Salary Of Animators Working In Toei Animation

Toei Animation is one of the oldest animation studios in Japan established way back in 1948. The studio has created some very classic & legendary anime which includes Dragon Ball, Slam Dunk and One Piece.

In terms of employees status, Toei is the only animation studio with the highest number of full-time employees (1266) working in the company. Meanwhile, a big production company like Toei Animation offers a base monthly salary of 233,900 yen (US$2,027) to its newly hired employees.

• Salary Of Animators Working In Studio Ghibli

Studio Ghibli offers an estimated total of 200,000 yen (US$1,733) to its employees and it is subject to change depending on the designated post & experience of the animator. However, the bonus and other commuting charges are also provided by the company.

The studio is best known for its animated feature films and has also produced several short subjects, television commercials, and one television film. It has produced several awards winning anime films including the 2001 Oscar Award Winner ‘Spirited Away’.

• Salary Of Animators Working In Kyoto Animation

In the Japanese anime industry, Kyoto Animation is hailed to be the best studio in terms of providing its staff & animators with a good wage and proper workplace environment. Additionally, the company offers a base salary of 172,000 yen (US$1,490) per month.

Although, the salary could be higher depending on the work hours and increases to 202,000 yen (US$1,750) for full-time employees. However, it should be noted that Kyoto Animation is in Uji near Kyoto, which has a much lower cost of living than Tokyo, where the other studios are located.

• Salary Of Animators Working In Ufotable

Ufotable is currently involved with the animation production of the most popular anime franchise in Japan, Demon Slayer. The studio has delivered some great works in the past as well which includes the top-notch series like Fate.

But, how much do the animators of a profitable series like Demon Slayer really make? Well, despite the implausible success of the franchise the animators still make less. The trainees earn an estimated total of 50,000 yen (US$433) while the contract based employees receive 150,000 yen (US$1,300) per month.

When the former president of Ufotable was charged with Tax evasion he mentioned to the judge that most of the animators working in Ufotable are usually freelancers, and are paid by the job rather than by a salary, which comes with benefits in Japan such as healthcare, pension payments, and bonuses.

• Salary Of Animators Working In Madhouse

Madhouse became a very popular face in the 2000s because of its quality direction and tremendous works. During its golden era the studio produced shows like Beyblade, Death Note, Hunter x Hunter, Parasyte, and One Punch Man (S1).

The starting salary of the animators working in Madhouse is around 245,000 yen (US$2,123) which includes the other allowances and fixed overtime pay. Bonus is paid according to the company’s performance & employees’ experience. Holiday vacations and other insurances are also covered by the company.

However, in 2019 Madhouse was accused of violating the labour code of Japan. In a horrible incident reported by a news agency, one of its employees worked for nearly 400 hours in a month and went 37 consecutive days without a single day off.

• Salary Of Animators Working In Studio Pierrot

Pierrot has handled the production work of some of the worldwide popular anime series, such as Naruto and Bleach. Although, it has also been criticised many times for its excessive amount of fillers in a series and the failure of anime like Tokyo Ghoul.

As of 2019 recruitment details provided by the company, the monthly salary of newly hired contract employees is 175,000 yen (US$1,516) with a trial period of 3 months before the recruiting. A 25-hours fixed overtime fee of 31,250 yen (US$270) is also paid separately.

• Salary Of Animators Working In Studio WIT

Studio WIT started its journey in 2012 and in just a year of its establishment the company handled one of the popular shōnen series, Attack On Titan. After that, the studio didn’t stop and produced back to back hits with Vinland Saga, Great Pretender and Seraph of the End.

The basic monthly salary of animators working in Studio WIT is between 210-250,000 yen (US$1,820-$2,166). Other allowances and commuting expenses are also covered by the company with a yearly increase in income based on performance evaluation.

• Salary Of Animators Working In CloverWorks

CloverWorks is a Japanese animation studio that was rebranded from A-1 Pictures. It is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan’s anime production firm Aniplex. The studio was established in 2018.

Horimiya, The Promised Neverland and My Dress-Up Darling are some of the notable works of CloverWorks. Talking about the salary of the animators, the company provides the contract based employees with a monthly salary of 200,000 yen (US$1,733) or more depending on the designated post.

• Salary Of Animators Working In Production I.G.

Production I.G. offers its newly hired employees a basic salary of 1,020 yen (about US$9) per hour. As a normal employee work for a minimum of 8 hours thus, at the end of the month the employee gets around 240,000 yen (US$2080).

Transportation expenses and holidays on weekends are also provided by the company. Production I.G. is currently handling the projects of Haikyuu and upcoming anime Aoashi.

• Salary Of Animators Working In Studio MAPPA

In the past couple of years, MAPPA has made their name quite well in the anime industry and among the fans. In just a span of two years, the company acquired big projects like Attack On Titan Season 4, Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man and Jigokuraku: Hell’s Paradise.

A full-time employee in MAPPA receives a monthly salary of 187,000 yen (US$1,620) including the overtime pay. However, for the upcoming anime Chainsaw Man, which is scheduled to release in 2022, MAPPA is changing its employment policies and providing the animators with the best monthly wage possible.

According to the new recruitment details, the starting salary of 230,543 yen (US$2,102) per month with raises once a year in July based on performance. All national social security, pension, and insurance are offered along with other allowances (up to 45,000 yen). The allowances are usually on top of the monthly payments.

A 2019 survey by the Japan Animation Creators Association found that anime workers aged 20-24 earned an average of 1.55 million yen (US$13,434) per year. Why is the payment so low? One reason is that there are many middle-companies in the anime industry that take significant margins leaving so little for animators who work on the field.

Even after lack of skilled animators in Japan, the studios rely on a large pool of essentially unpaid freelancers who are passionate about anime. As a result, due to high competition and low production budget, the freelancers earn around 200 yen per drawing – less than $2 which is considered to be very low.

All this data related to the salary of employees working in different animation studios is collected from the legal sources (like Crunchyroll) and official websites of the mentioned production houses. The companies has listed all the recruitment details on its website with all the required job vacancies and monthly allowance.

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