Sunrise (studio)

Sunrise (Japanese: サンライズ, Hepburn: Sanraizu; stylized in all caps and also branded as Sunrise Studios) is a Japanese animation studio, serving as the flagship division and the trade name for the IP Production Group unit of Bandai Namco Filmworks, a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. The division is responsible for the Sunrise label, focusing on animation production. Prior to 2022, Sunrise operated as a separate company with its production offices being under one roof. Sunrise started its operations as a company in September 1972 under the Sunrise Studio name. After its split from Shoeisha and film distributor Tohokushinsha in 1977, it was rebranded to Nippon Sunrise and took its current name in 1987. After 22 years as an independent studio, it was acquired by toy manufacturer Bandai in 1994 before merging with video game publishing company Namco to form Bandai Namco Holdings in 2005. The studio has been involved in many critically acclaimed anime television series from original works to manga adaptations, including the Gundam series, the Mashin Hero Wataru series, the Brave and Eldran series, Code Geass, the City Hunter series, The Vision of Escaflowne, Aura Battler Dunbine, Blue Comet SPT Layzner, the Inuyasha series, the Love Live! series, Crest of the Stars among others. Following the formation of Bandai Namco Filmworks in 2022, the Sunrise name was relegated to a division of the company (officially known as a "brand"), focusing on animation production while the general production offices were consolidated under BNF. The consolidation was structured as a rebrand of the existing Sunrise company. Haro, from the Gundam series serves as the studio's mascot.