Toei Animation is responsible for some of the most popular anime around, but sadly several series have been postponed after the studio was recently hacked. Toei Animation was initially established way back in 1948 under the name 'Japan Animated Films' and has since dominated the anime production industry. The studio has worked on Sailor Moon Crystal, Digimon, Saint Seiya, Mazinger Z, Dragon Ball, and Yu-Gi-Oh to name but a few. They have also dabbled in several successful western animation series, including Inspector Gadget, The Snorks, Miraculous Ladybug, Transformers, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987). However, tragedy struck the reputable studio and several fan-favorite anime have been delayed as a result.
“We confirmed that our network was illegally accessed by a third party on March 6, this year, and have suspended part of our internal system.”
After the intruders gained access to both the website and internal systems, certain files were deleted, altered, or corrupted during the security breach. The official announcement was only made on 11 March (five days later), so it is unclear when the hackers were discovered and how long they had access to the systems. The crew at Toei Animation are working tirelessly to recreate the necessary content to fill in the gaps. When Toei Animation discovered that they had been hacked, the studio immediately went offline, temporarily delaying the creative process further but preventing more data from corruption. To be safe, the studio also temporarily closed their online store, in case the hackers had somehow found a backdoor through the shop's systems.
Dragon Quest
Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai appears to have drawn the short end of the stick, as the show began airing re-runs almost immediately after the systems were shut down in response to the hacking.
Episode 73 was due to air the day after the studio announced the security breach, and they were therefore forced to re-broadcast episode 31 The Rescue Mission for Leona instead. Toei Animation aims to have fresh content for viewers by 9 April 2022, after running three weeks' worth of re-runs in the interim (as of March 17).
One Piece
This popular Shonen-anime was missed by viewers on Fuji TV following the studio's hack, although the timing coincidentally lined up with a Nagoya Women's Marathon coverage event which took place in One Piece's usual timeslot. Unfortunately, fans will have had to wait even longer for Straw Hat Luffy - The Man Who Will Become Pirate King, which was due to air on March 20.
One Piece has been officially postponed, with no details regarding when new episodes will air. Luffy's fans will have to be content with re-watching the Wano Country arc while they wait for the studio's issues to be resolved. Thankfully, the Manga has not been interrupted and is still on course for the latest chapter's release in Japan on March 28.
Digimon
The tenth installment of the Digimon franchise has only been on air since October 3, 2021, but production has already been put on hold. Fans eagerly awaited episode 22 titled "Nightmare", which Toei Animation had planned on releasing the same day as One Piece, however, the hackers thwarted these plans.
Fuji TV decided to replay episode 1 of Digimon Ghost Game on March 20, followed by a re-broadcast of previous episodes of the first season. As with One Piece, this delay is indefinite, although Toei Animation has promised to provide updates on the show's progress once they have a better handle on things. There are allegedly at least 24 episodes of Ghost Game, with "Moaning Insects" and "Distorted Love" still (hopefully) to come.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
The Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie has been building hype since the first trailer was released on October 7, 2021, with numerous fans pre-ordering tickets. The film was initially expected to release on April 22, 2022, however, there is now no certainty as to when Gohan, Piccolo, and the gang will make a come back.
“Toei Animation... has experienced unauthorized access to its network by a third party. This has made it difficult to produce the film. As a result, we have no choice but to postpone the release of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. We apologize to those looking forward to the release of the film. However, we will announce a new release date in the near future. Thank you for your understanding.”
The first auto-translations of the Japanese statement suggested that the hackers had gotten their hands on a copy of the film intending to leak it. It has not been confirmed if there was an error in translation or if these facts are correct, but nothing has yet to surface regarding any leaked footage.
Delicious Party Pretty Cure
Fans were sorely disappointed as they anxiously awaited episode 6 of Delicious Party Pretty Cure (aka PreCure) on March 13, but were met with episode 4 Growing Desire... Birth of Cure Spicy! instead.
There will apparently be a three-week setback regarding the release of future episodes of the new cooking anime, but it appears that Delicious Party Pretty Cure will have a short season, as only 8 episodes were originally confirmed - so hopefully, there is not too much to be fixed on this anime. TV Asahi split Hugtto! Precure Futari wa Precure All Stars Memories into three parts, to be shown in place of the CooKingdom story. The first installment aired on March 20, and the second two are due on March 27 and April 3.
Why Did This Happen?
Before the news of the hacking scandal broke, Toei Animation had already spent a considerable amount of time in the spotlight. Being one of the top anime production companies, Toei Animation is responsible for some of the most popular series of all time, which obviously comes with a substantial fan base. Fan artists dedicated their skills to creating artworks from these inspirational anime, but Toei has have made some questionable decisions when it comes to fan projects.
With almost as much severity as Disney Studios, the animation company used copywriting laws in their favor, closing down the popular YouTube Channel of Totally Not Mark and more in the process. Toei Animation's questionable tactics enraged countless fans who themselves enjoy creating fan art, and a strike was held in solidarity for the YouTube star. It's possible that the hackers might have used these recent scandals as justification for their attack. Until the culprits are apprehended, one will never know for sure.
Source: Toei-Animation and DBS.com