Bandai

Bandai Co., Ltd. <tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align:center; padding:16px 0 16px 0;"></td></tr>
Type	Private
Founded	July 5 1950
Headquarters	Tokyo, Japan <tr><th style="text-align:right; padding-right:0.75em;">Key people</th><td>Kazunori Ueno, President</td></tr><tr><th style="text-align:right; padding-right:0.75em;">Industry</th><td>Toy Maker, Software & Programming, film production</td></tr><tr><th style="text-align:right; padding-right:0.75em;">Products</th><td>Gundam models, Super Sentai models, Tamagotchi, Digimon, Ben 10</td></tr><tr><th style="text-align:right; padding-right:0.75em;">Employees</th><td>973 (as of March 31, 2005)</td></tr><tr><th style="text-align:right; padding-right:0.75em;">Subsidiaries</th><td>Namco Bandai)</td></tr><tr><th style="text-align:right; padding-right:0.75em;">Website</th><td>Bandai Japan Bandai UK Bandai US Bandai Europe Bandai Asia</td></tr>

This article is about the Japanese toy manufacturer. For the town in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, see Bandai, Fukushima.

Bandai Co., Ltd. is a Japanese toy making company, as well as the producer of a large number of anime and tokusatsu programs. It is the world's third largest producer of toys.

After the merger with video game developer and producer Namco, Bandai Co., Ltd. is now under the management of Namco Bandai Holdings Inc.

1 History
2 Subsidiaries
3 Handheld systems
4 Games Produced by Bandai
5 Manga produced by Bandai Entertainment
6 See also
7 External links
8 Categories

History

Bandai was founded in 1950. Some of the early tin plate toys are highly collectible; the pictured model will sell for around US$150.

Since the 1980s, Bandai has become the leading toy company of Japan, and to this day, has the main toy licenses in Japan to popular properties including Daikaiju, Ultraman, Super Robot, Kamen Rider, the Super Sentai Series (which they took part in creating), Gundam and many others.

Saab 96 tin plate toy car by Bandai

Subsidiaries

Bandai has many subsidiaries. Further detail:

Bandai Visual

Main article: Bandai Visual

Bandai Visual, Co. Ltd, produces and distributes many popular anime and tokusatsu titles. These titles include Cowboy Bebop, Big O, Outlaw Star, Please Teacher!, Escaflowne, the Mobile Suit Gundam, Pilot Candidate franchise and Witch Hunter Robin. The company logo is the Moai, a statue found on Easter Island.

Bandai America

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Bandai America is the American distribution arm of Bandai that makes toy products for the U.S. market, distributes Bandai games, and distributes many of Bandai Visual's anime titles (in addition to animes licensed from other animation studios, such as .hack//SIGN) in the United States through its Bandai Entertainment arm headquartered in Cypress, California and in Canada through Bandai Entertainment Canada, which is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario.

At times fans of the Super Sentai and Power Rangers series complain about Bandai America's some-what inferior versions of Japanese Super Sentai toys when brought to the Power Rangers line. Several complaints raised by fans revolve around the Sentai "Henshin Devices" and the fact that they've either: been scaled down, stripped of many of their original electronic features, have certain parts removed or replaced and that the toys lack the paint detail of the original toys. A notable complaint is the near-constant absence of at least one item from the show each year.

Other complaints revolve around the Sentai "Mecha"/Power Rangers "Zords". These complaints include the replacing of die-cast metal parts with plastic, weapons being rounded rather than sharpened at the ends of the blades, large "Power Rangers" stickers being placed on the toys, less paint being used that the original toys and many "chromed" parts being coloured much duller than their original colours.Bandai also maufactures Ben 10 toys.

Other complaints stem from the sometimes sexist handling of the Power Rangers toyline. In nearly every season, Bandai makes "souped-up" versions of the male characters, and not for the females. Most female villains and mentors get skipped over altogether.

Bandai Games

Bandai Games produces and distributes video games based on Bandai properties including Mobile Suit Gundam: Zeonic Front, Gundam Wing: Endless Duel, and Mobile Suit Gundam: Journey to Jaburo. Bandai Games most recently opened a United States office.

Carddass

Carddass is the Bandai subsidiary responsible for releasing trading card games based on popular Bandai franchises. This includes games such as the Gundam War Collectible Card Game based on the Gundam metaseries, as well as a Gash Bell (Zatch Bell!) TCG, and their newest TCG, Rangers Strike (Sentai).

Sunrise

Main article: Sunrise (company)

Handheld systems

Bandai has also released a series of handheld game consoles including the WonderSwan, WonderSwan Color, and Swan Crystal. The systems were only released in Japan.