Studio Zero (anime company)

Studio Zero (スタジオ・ ゼロ) was a Japanese animation studio founded in 1963 by animator Shinichi Suzuki from Otogi Production and mangaka Shotaro Ishinomori, Fujiko Fujio, Jirō Tsunoda and Fujio Akatsuka in the Tokiwa-sō apartment.

It was founded in 1963 as a collective of mangaka for job security which would then take up animation production as its occupation.^[1] As soon as it was established, Mushi Production outsourced the animation of episode 34 of Tetsuwan Atom to the company. However, Shinichi Suzuki was the only member to have any experience in animation, having been an animator working for Otogi Production. Hence, the final product ended up being wonky and unfit for airing and the animation was heavily reworked before being set to air. ^[2]

Throughout the 1960s, Zero expanded and was responsible for numerous anime adaptations like Osomatsu-kun, Kaibutsu-kun, Sabu to Ichi Torimono Hikae as well as original anime productions like Rainbow Sentai Robin^[3](conceived by Shotaro Ishinomori and Motoo Abiko) and Hoshi no Ko Chobin.

At its peak, it employed 100 animators. But by the onset of the 70s, Zero's strategy failed to work and it became bankrupt in 1971. As a result, Shinichi Suzuki fired all staff and privatised the company before finally ending it in 2003. Zero's last production, Hoshi no Ko Chobin, was produced 3 years after the bankruptcy.