Top 15 Anime Manufacturers Who Sell Figures and Merchandise

If you’re just starting out as an Anime collector, you won’t be familiar with this list yet. And that’s OK.

When you’re shopping for Anime figures, PVC Statues, Nendoroid or Anime merch, it’s a smart thing to know who manufactured it.

Or else you’ll end up dealing with a fake or counterfeit Anime product. And unfortunately, there are tons of counterfeit Anime products being sold to the public. On sites like eBay and Alibaba.

Which benefits nobody and only hurts the Anime industry.

That being said, these are the top 15 manufacturers of Anime merchandise and figures. And you can expect to come across them frequently as an Anime collector.

1. Good Smile Company

Founded in 2001, Good Smile Company has been manufacturing Anime goods for 16 years. Good smile is based in Tokyo, Japan.

One of the products they’re most known for are Nendoroid action figures, figma and PVC Statues.

Example:

If there’s a Nendoroid figure on your wishlist, it’s a safe bet that Good Smile is the manufacturer behind it.

At least in a lot of cases. And they’re popular across social media, too.

148,000+ likes on Facebook should tell you how well known they are in the Anime merchandise community.

If you’re a fan of Nendoroid‘s, Good Smile’s got your back!

2. Megahouse

Similar to Good Smile Company, Megahouse works on Nendoroid‘s, as well as PVC Statues and action figures.

Example:

Megahouse is operated under Bandai, and they also work with Good Smile on many of their products.

They’re well-known in the Anime collectables community and create high-quality figures consistently.

3. Kotobukiya

With over 150,000+ likes on their Facebook page, Kotobukiya is a well known Japanese manufacturer of figures and toys.

Example:

Would you believe the company first started as early as the year 1947!

A man named Jusaburo Shimizu founded Kotobukiya in the early days.

Kotobukiya models and creates figures from the Anime community and Marvel and DC characters. And the quality of their figures never disappoints.

4. Max Factory

Founded April 24th, 1987. Max Factory is an Anime manufacturer of action figures, figma‘s and statues.

Example:

Max Factory, like Megahouse, has business connections with the likes of Good Smile Company, Hobby Japan and others.

They’re also based in Tokyo, Japan, like many other Anime merch and toys manufacturers.

5. Alter

Founded March 1st 2005, Alter is a manufacturer of Anime figures and toys.

And have been in business for over 12 years now (as of 2017).

A lot of Alter’s toys are PVC Statues, taken from Anime’s like Idolmaster, Love Live, Hyperdimension Neptunia + others.

Examples:

Alter’s a great company to look out for when buying officially licensed Anime figures.

6. Banpresto

Founded 40 years ago in 1977, Banpresto specializes in the video game industry. Creating figurines and toys.

But it also sells Anime figures from shows like Dragon Ball Z.

Example:

Banpresto merged with Bandai in April 2011, and is now run under their brand.

7. Phat!

Phat is an Anime figure manufacturer, first established in 2007. Just 10 years ago today!

They’re known for really high quality PVC Statues and figurines—many taken from female Anime characters from various shows.

Example:

Phat! is based in Tokyo, Japan. Like other Anime manufacturers on this list.

8. Bioworld

Unlike others on this list, Bioworld specializes only in Anime merchandise as a manufacturer of goods.

Anything from baseball caps, hats, Pokemon Jumpers, scarfs, and clothing.

Example:

According to Bioworld’s LinkedIn, they founded Bioworld in 1999.

And have warehouses all over the world from the UK, US, India and more.

9. FREEing

While not as big as others on this list, FREEing manufactures some really great figurines and statues.

From Anime characters like Ryuko Matoi, Miho Nishizumi, and other female/male characters.

Example:

FREEing was founded in 2006, and been making cool Anime figures ever since!

10. Orange Rouge

Orange Rouge is a brand dedicated to Male Anime characters. And that’s what separates them from other Anime manufacturers on this list.

Good Smile Company and Max Factory created orange rouge to fill the Male character-gap.

Examples of figurines Orange Rouge creates:

So when you want male Anime characters as a collector, Orange Rouge is your best bet. As that’s their core focus, and they don’t disappoint!

11. Ques Q

Founded back in March 2004, Ques Q deals with figurines and quality statues. From characters like Darjeeling, God Hand Aogiri, Alice Cartelet and other top-notch products.

Example:

Ques Q manufactures a unique set of figurines you won’t find with any other Anime manufacturer. Making them a go-to manufacturer when you’re shopping for Anime figures.

12. Stronger

Stronger haven’t been around as long as you’d think. The Anime manufacturer was founded in 2014, February.

And have gained respect in the Anime community for their high quality figures and statues. From characters like Mami Tomoe, Homura Akemi, Tsumugi Kotobuki and more.

Examples:

Stronger is another Japanese anime manufacturer who’s based in Tokyo, Japan.

Stronger should be on your list if you want something different and are into PVC Statues!

13. Aniplex

Aniplex hardly needs an introduction.

They’re a massive Anime brand that makes figurines and is the company behind shows like Asterisk War, Full Metal Alchemist and God Eater.

Not to mention shows like Charlotte, the new SAO Movie, Your Lie in April… And the list goes on.

Figurine example:

When shopping for official merchandise and figurines, you can rest assured when buying Aniplex products.

14. Bandai Namco Arts

Nekowear sells officially licensed Anime merchandise and clothing. From your favorite shows like – Dragon Ball Z, Fairy Tail and Attack on Titan.

Example:

Nekowear is based in Europe. Or to be more specific – France.

Which separates them from the usual manufacturers who are based in Japan.

15. Pulchra

Pulchra is the Anime manufacturer behind figures like Kurumi Tokisaki, Darjeeling, Super Sonico and Cocoa.

Example:

Pulchra is a Japanese Anime manufacturer focused on figurines exclusively.

Other official Anime merchandise manufacturers:

Broccoli.
Union Creative.
Medicom Toys.
NAPO.
Aqua Marine.
Amakuni.
Bandai.
Tomy.
Flare.
Chara-Ani.
Bellfine.
Di Molto Bene.
ThreeZero.
Griffon Enterprises.
Plum.
Orca Toys.
Medicos Entertainment.

Of course, the full list of Anime manufacturers is too large to fit into a post. But these are some of the best who manufacture official Anime merchandise and figures.

And when new figures or merch is released, you can bet one of these companies is behind the product.

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