Why is "Touken Ranbu" Loved Worldwide? Nitroplus President Takaki Kosaka Talks about His Philosophy of IP
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Touken Ranbu※ continues to capture the hearts of fans worldwide, both in Japan and beyond. Yet, Takaki Kosaka, President of Nitroplus, remarks, "We never intentionally targeted the global market." Still, the company's creations have undeniably transcended borders, captivating a big fan base. In this article, we delve deep into the unique philosophy of IP at Nitroplus that fuels their ability to produce one hit after another.
※Touken Ranbu is a popular Japanese IP and a free-to-play simulation, strategy, and RPG browser game where players collect and strengthen male characters, who are the personifications of historical swords, to battle against historical enemies.
Contents
Our Philosophy: Pursuing "Compelling" for the Home Market
Each Player's Unique Citadel Ignites Fans' Passion
The Strengths of Japanese Content that Resonate Globally and the Unique Position of Nitroplus
The Key to Grow an IP: Discerning Between Change and Immutability
Our Philosophy: Pursuing "Compelling" for the Home Market
― ― Thank you for speaking with us. Our theme today is "world-class IP strategy." With Touken Ranbu marking its 10th anniversary, did you have global expansion in mind from the initial stage?
During the planning stages, we did not specifically focus on global expansion. If we had fixated on it, we would have been forced to divide our energy between business areas and creative strengths.
Instead, our primary focus was to create something truly "compelling" with integrity, aiming to resonate with our target audience in Japan. The outcome suggests a core principle: by trusting our instincts, sincerely engaging with our audience and the spirit of the times, and focusing on creation, we can achieve organic global growth.
My goal in content creation is to create something I can stand behind, something that can enrich someone's life, even if only a little. Because I've encountered content that changed my own life, and now, as a creator, I want to evoke someone's emotion.
I am also deeply interested in the idea that those who encounter our work could have the same emotions I do, creating a lasting chain of inspiration. This belief is rooted in my fundamental experiences, such as learning the joy of creation and connecting with fans through "doujinshi" (self-published works) activities during my high school years, which directly shaped the corporate culture of Nitroplus today.
Each Player's Unique Citadel Ignites Fans' Passion
― The cycle of fans becoming creators is vital for spreading passion. What do you emphasize to maintain and expand this fan enthusiasm?
First, we pour all our energy into our work, committing wholeheartedly to being sincere in it. Then, we treat the finished work as one of its fans ourselves. We believe this stance is the foundation of our brand that earns our fans' trust.
With this in mind, for Touken Ranbu, we place great importance on "leaving room for imagination." This allows players the joy of exploring character relationships or motivations, and imagining the stories that exist in the narrative gaps.
We believe this freedom is the origin and power of creation. This philosophy is best embodied in the game's concept of "each player's unique citadel."
Since every player has a different collection of characters, different units, and different battlefields, no two citadels are the same.
After engaging in various creative roles in the entertainment industry, including illustrator, book editor, toy designer, and game designer, he founded Nitroplus in 2000.Together with internal and external creators, including Vice President and scriptwriter Gen Urobuchi, he has produced a wide range of content and given rise to numerous original IPs.
Our diverse media mix—including anime, stage plays, and live-action films—serves as an extension of this, offering new perspectives by suggesting, "Here is another possible citadel."
Just as the Japanese swords that serve as our theme are long-lived, we hope for Touken Ranbu to become a long-lived IP as well. Based on the concept of "each player's unique citadel," we believe the media franchise can expand its offerings and support the IP's longevity.
Much like how different cooking methods can reveal new flavors from the same ingredients, we aim to continually provide fresh surprises to our fans while enjoying the process of discovery ourselves.
While our expansion might seem scattered, we meticulously evaluate and refine each project, carefully broadening our production capabilities. Through this approach, even if fans step away temporarily, their passion may be rekindled by a new development. In this way, we strive to ensure our IPs remain widely and enduringly loved, fostering long-term value creation.
The Strengths of Japanese Content that Resonate Globally and the Unique Position of Nitroplus
― Nitroplus content has garnered a large following both in Japan and overseas. How do you perceive these results?
We are confident that Japanese content possesses a universal appeal that resonates with people worldwide. For example, if 3% of Japan's population are fans of Nitroplus, then I feel that the same percentage of people around the world can be our fans.
In fact, through works like Puella Magi Madoka Magica and PSYCHO-PASS, written by our Vice President, Gen Urobuchi, we received offers to attend events all over the world. We were amazed to meet fans who had learned Japanese to play our games—which we hadn't even released overseas—and to see cosplayers of our characters in every country we visited.
The fact that such a powerful driver for fan activity has emerged from works we created without specifically targeting overseas markets is remarkable. This made me realize that love is universal and transcends borders.
― In your view, what are the underlying strengths that allow Japanese content to be so widely accepted overseas?
I believe the primary strength of Japanese content lies in its long, uninterrupted history of cultural maturation. Extended periods of peace allowed entertainment to develop deeply, leading to modern forms of expression like manga and anime.
Furthermore, I feel that Japanese people excel at imagining others' intentions and "reading between the lines." This imaginative skill is crucial for content creation, as it is essential for envisioning characters' emotions and objectively driving the story forward.
Japan's approach to content creation is quite unique on a global scale. The country is home to a wealth of diverse, complex, and profound content. Among these, many of our works at Nitroplus establish their individuality by taking unexpected angles or by uniquely reinterpreting and applying contexts from past content. With the spread of the internet and streaming services, we believe people overseas are beginning to discover and appreciate this depth and its appeal.
― Your action game Dolls Nest, released in April 2025, has ranked high on Steam's sales charts and earned excellent user reviews*1.
We kept in mind Steam's nature as a global platform. Still, we released "Dolls Nest" with the belief that the unique worldview crafted by its creator and director, Ota, would resonate with people regardless of borders.
We are thrilled that the game is highly praised for its robot-girl customization and the sheer volume of content as an exploration game. Above all, we're glad that its somewhat hardcore gameplay has also been well-received by many players.
As it turned out, the title gained even stronger support in Japan than we anticipated, and we see significant room for growth overseas. While our international promotion is still in an exploratory phase, we will leverage the high user praise to forge an effective strategy in collaboration with CyberAgent's marketing function.
*1 Ranked 5th on Steam's top sales in Japan (as of April 24, 2025)
The Key to Grow an IP: Discerning Between Change and Immutability
─ It's been about a year since you joined the CyberAgent Group.
We've always collaborated with various partners, like working with Nelke Planning on the "Touken Ranbu musicals." Since joining the group, however, we've received tremendous support in our business development.Also, we hope to complement each other by helping the group create new IP.
By combining our creative capabilities with the group's diverse strengths, we can deliver excitement and joy to the world on an even greater scale. I am genuinely thrilled about that potential.
─ Finally, could you share your outlook for the future?
We are committed to nurturing our content, including "Touken Ranbu," into IPs that will be loved for years to come—not only by our existing fans, but by new fans worldwide.
The key to achieving this long-term growth is to protect the immutable essence of a work while accurately identifying the elements that must be flexibly adapted to changing times.
To this end, our team is constantly attuned to the subtle currents of society, seeking ways to respond to change. We intend to balance a variety of approaches skillfully—sometimes aligning with the times, sometimes deliberately not, and at other times taking a counter-strategy.
─ As you advance your global expansion, are there any countries or regions that you strategically prioritize?
We do not limit ourselves to specific cultural spheres. Instead, we pursue universal appeal and explore approaches to reach the broadest possible audience. We believe this strategy will lead to sustainable, long-term growth for our IPs.
And on a personal level, beyond my business role, I sincerely hope that our stories can reach those who find themselves in unsettling circumstances. The human heart sometimes seeks out darker narratives, but those should only be enjoyed safely within the realm of fiction.
I believe that by experiencing diverse stories—rather than seeing people harmed in the real world—we can become kinder and find the strength to live our own lives. If the content we create can offer even a moment of peace or hope to those in difficult situations, there is no greater joy for us as creators.
Share this story
Follow us!
Bringing Japanese Entertainment to the World: Nelke Planning and BABEL LABEL Presidents Discuss Global Strategy and a Vision for the Future
CyberAgent is committed to creating world-class products. We recently hosted a discussion with Shoko Nogami, President of Nelke Planning, a leader in the global expansion of 2.5D musicals, and Hisato Yamada, President of BABEL LABEL, a creator of new trends in filmmaking. We explored their global strategies and the potential for Japanese entertainment to captivate the world, focusing on long-term growth and innovation.
What future do these two pioneers see for entertainment born in Japan?
