The company was established with only ¥1 million in capital and initially focused primarily on trading-card-game development and sales before expanding into a broader entertainment business.

Bushiroad is an IP-driven entertainment company that uses TCGs, anime, games, music, live events, merchandise, and other media to develop and monetize franchises. It is not simply a card-game manufacturer; rather, it employs a “media-mix strategy” where a single IP is expanded across multiple forms of entertainment. This approach is identified as a foundation of the company’s growth.1

For example, BanG Dream! exists simultaneously as an anime, rhythm/mobile game, manga, fictional bands, real-world voice-actor bands, music CDs, concerts, merchandise, character goods, and events. Similarly, Cardfight!! Vanguard operates as a TCG alongside anime, manga, games, and merchandise.2

Bushiroad was established in May 2007 in Nakano, Tokyo, originally as a company centered on the trading card game business.

2008: Weiß Schwarz

One of Bushiroad’s earliest major successes was Weiß Schwarz, launched in 2008. Designed as a cross-IP platform rather than a single-universe game, it allows characters from various anime, games, and franchises to appear within the same card-game system. This model enabled collaboration with external IP owners and currently features more than 150 popular IPs.1

2009–2010

During this period, Bushiroad expanded into additional TCGs, voice-actor management, anime, games, music, physical retail, and overseas operations. The company established a Singapore office in 2010, marking an early step in its international expansion.

Launched in 2011, Cardfight!! Vanguard became a defining franchise for Bushiroad. The game combines collectible cards, competitive organized play, anime, manga, video games, character merchandise, tournaments, and international events.2 Designed deliberately as a multimedia IP, the TCG is now sold in more than 40 countries and regions in multiple languages.12

The success of Vanguard established a formula characteristic of Bushiroad: TCG → anime → characters → merchandise → games → events → international community. This formula has since been applied to other properties.

Throughout the 2010s and 2020s, Bushiroad rapidly diversified its portfolio. Key milestones include:

• 2012: New Japan Pro-Wrestling joined the Bushiroad Group; Bushimo digital-game service launched; U.S. operation established.
• 2013: Love Live! School Idol Festival launched as a mobile game with Bushiroad involvement.
• 2014: Future Card Buddyfight launched; NJPW World streaming service launched.
• 2015: Major overseas events began through CharaExpo.
• 2016: Corporate expansion related to STARDOM began.
• 2017: BanG Dream! anime premiered and BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! launched; Revue Starlight began stage performances.
• 2020: D4DJ expanded the multimedia strategy.
• 2022: Shadowverse: Evolve launched.
• 2023: Bushiroad Games and Bushiroad Works were established.
• 2024: New licensed TCG projects and Bushiroad Asia expansion followed.
• 2025: GODZILLA CARD GAME, Weiß Schwarz Rose, and Love Live! Series Official Card Game were among new launches recorded in corporate history.1

Trading Card Games

TCGs remain the company’s historical foundation. Major titles include:

• Cardfight!! Vanguard: The flagship original TCG.2
• Weiß Schwarz: A cross-IP TCG featuring numerous anime and game franchises.1
• Shadowverse: Evolve: A physical competitive TCG based on Cygames’ digital Shadowverse.
• Rebirth for you: An original Bushiroad TCG.
• Licensed projects: Includes hololive OFFICIAL CARD GAME, LoveLive! Series Official Card Game, GODZILLA CARD GAME, Palworld OFFICIAL CARD GAME, The Quintessential Quintuplets Card Game, and Weiß Schwarz Blau/Rose.1

Bushiroad operates both original IP-based TCGs and licensed-IP TCGs.

BanG Dream!

BanG Dream! exemplifies the media-mix philosophy by combining fictional characters, anime, real musicians, voice actors, music, games, live concerts, and merchandise. The central concept involves performers who voice characters also performing the associated music in real life. The mobile game BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! launched in 2017, and Bushiroad describes the project as combining anime, games, comics, and live performances.1

Revue Starlight

Revue Starlight is an original IP combining anime, stage musicals, voice acting, music, games, manga, and live performances. Beginning with stage performances in 2017, it demonstrates a strategy where different media forms reinforce each other rather than treating anime as the sole main product.1

Digital games

Operating under the Bushimo brand, Bushiroad plans, manages, and distributes mobile, online, and console games. Titles include BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!, Revue Starlight games, Cardfight!! Vanguard games, D4DJ Groovy Mix, and NJPW STRONG SPIRITS.1

Music and live entertainment

Through Bushiroad Music, the group handles music CDs, Blu-rays, music rights, concerts, live events, streaming/live viewing, and music-related IP management. For franchises like BanG Dream!, music performance is a core product rather than just promotional material, creating a feedback loop between anime, songs, live concerts, voice actors, fans, merchandise, and games.1

Professional wrestling

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), founded in 1972, became part of the Bushiroad Group in 2012. It operates as a major entertainment business involving wrestling events, talent, streaming, merchandise, international events, media production, fan clubs, and collaborations.1

World Wonder Ring STARDOM, generally known as STARDOM, is a women’s professional-wrestling promotion established in 2011 that joined the group in 2019. As of 2026, Bushiroad describes STARDOM as one of the world’s largest women’s professional-wrestling brands with around 40 wrestlers. The group’s portfolio thus encompasses both fictional entertainment and real-world athletes.

Merchandise

Through Bushiroad Creative, the group produces and distributes character goods, figures, capsule toys, prizes, concert merchandise, voice-actor products, promotional items, and event-exclusive goods. The PalVerse figure brand is one example. The company also operates a Bushiroad Global Online Store for international customers.1

Publishing and media

Bushiroad Works, established in 2023, focuses on IP creation, magazines, books, web comics, and publishing. The group historically published Monthly Bushiroad. Bushiroad Move handles advertising, event production, audio/TV production, and the HiBiKi voice-actor agency.1

Bushiroad Inc. sits alongside specialized subsidiaries and affiliated businesses, including:

• Bushiroad International
• Bushiroad USA
• Bushiroad Asia
• Bushiroad Music
• Bushiroad Creative
• Bushiroad Works
• Bushiroad Move
• New Japan Pro-Wrestling
• STARDOM
• Theater Company HIKOSEN
• gamebiz
• GORIN TECHNICAL INDUSTRY (Malaysia)

Each entity handles different portions of the group’s entertainment ecosystem.1

Bushiroad has maintained an international focus since early in its history.

• Singapore: Bushiroad International Pte. Ltd. was established in November 2010 (originally as Bushiroad South East Asia) to expand the overseas card game market, adopting its current name in 2017.1
• United States: Bushiroad USA was established in 2012 to serve the North American market.
• Asia and other regions: Expansion continues through tournaments, conventions, Bushiroad EXPO, regional offices, localized TCG releases, overseas concerts, and international online sales.

The international TCG portfolio includes products in English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Thai, and Bahasa Indonesia, depending on the title.1

Bushiroad’s strategic concept centers on an “IP ecosystem” where anime, TCGs, games, music, concerts, merchandise, manga, events, social media, and international products promote one another. The company operates two complementary models:

1. Original IP: Properties created and owned by Bushiroad, such as Cardfight!! Vanguard, BanG Dream!, Revue Starlight, D4DJ, NJPW, and STARDOM.
2. Platform/licensing IP: Collaborations with external franchises, most notably through Weiß Schwarz and licensed TCGs like hololive OFFICIAL CARD GAME, GODZILLA CARD GAME, Palworld OFFICIAL CARD GAME, and LoveLive! Series Official Card Game.1

Unlike conventional anime production companies, Bushiroad treats anime as one component of a larger commercial ecosystem, which explains its strong presence among TCG players, rhythm-game players, idol communities, and live-event audiences.

Bushiroad is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market (securities code 7803) as of July 29, 2019. Its fiscal year ends on June 30. For fiscal year 2025, the company reported consolidated sales of approximately ¥56.175 billion with 873 consolidated employees as of June 2025.1

Recent strategy emphasizes revitalizing existing IP, creating new IP, becoming the world’s number-one TCG company, and accelerating overseas expansion with a goal of reaching a 50% overseas sales ratio by 2030.1

In March 2026, Bushiroad announced a newly defined corporate Mission, Vision, and Value centered on a “LIVE-MIXED ENTERTAINMENT” vision, described as a refinement of its existing media-mix strategy. The international TCG portfolio continues to expand alongside entertainment development in wrestling, games, music, and merchandise.1

These represent only part of Bushiroad’s overall portfolio.

1. Company Overview｜Bushiroad Inc.
2. Cardfight!! Vanguard – Bushiroad