Content from Japan should not be created with foreigners in mind

In an industry increasingly pressured by global trends and the demands of international streaming platforms, Takeshi Natsuno, CEO and president of KADOKAWAhas sent a message about Japanese content: The content must be focused on the local audience, without thinking that it can be sold abroad.

In an interview conducted by the Japanese portal Nikkei to Takeshi Natsunospoke about the content that is created in Japan and his way of seeing the industry: «If you create content that sells in Japan, it will sell abroad. You can create unique works without promoting yourself with the mentality of 'Let's make a manga that sells globally.' “There is a need to create a wide variety of intellectual property without compromising quality.”

Natsuno maintains that the authenticity of works like manga and anime is what really attracts the rest of the world. According to his vision, trying to “design” a work to be successful on a global level only weakens its identity.

Other industry figures who think the same as the CEO of KADOKAWA

This way of seeing the situation is not isolated and in recent days we have seen how other figures have spoken about Japanese productions, taking a “purist” position on the subject:

• Hideaki Anno (Creator of Evangelion) stated that it is the foreign audience who must adapt to the culture and narrative of Japanese works, not the other way around.
• Tomohiko Ito (Director of Sword Art Online) noted that going crazy with global appeal is a recipe for failure, since Japanese tastes often differ from foreign opinion.

These statements of Natsuno mark a very different perspective from that expressed by Daijo Kudo in August 2025. Back then, Kudo He commented that the company “needed to produce anime with themes that seek to be liked by audiences abroad.” This clash of visions reflects the internal debate in the industry: while some producers seek a balance by incorporating the tastes of foreign audiences, others advocate maintaining Japan's own narrative purity.

For those who want to know more about the topic, the complete interview is available on the portal Nikkei. In the note released by Nikkei, Natsuno It also analyzes critical operational challenges, such as the need to reduce return rates in bookstores and the pillars of the new global strategy of KADOKAWA.