First formed in 1988, and officially established in 1993 by Tokuhiro Hiragi, Studio Bihou
(美峰) is a Japanese studio specializing in background artwork and in recent years, 3D printing, with secondary studios in Vietnam and Thailand. Their clients have included Studio Shaft, TMS Entertainment, David Production, MAPPA, Studio Gainax, Studio TRIGGER, Asahi Production, Production I.G, Toei Animation, Sunrise, Madhouse, Studio Pierrot, A-1 Pictures, White Fox and GoHands. Between 2016 and 2025, the studio's main offices were located in what was once the headquarters of one of their first clients, AIC.
In May 2024, citing financial and scheduling issues brought about by the COVID-19 Pandemic, Bihou would enter a strategic partnership with fellow client CoMix Wave Films (of Your Name fame) to increase domestic production. Promoting long-time employees Masanobu Nomura and Shunichiro Yoshihara as the new heads of the studio in the process. Hiragi remains as a part-time director with CoMix Wave's Noritaka Kawaguchi also serving as part-time director.
The studio would spin off two companies of its own, Bamboo and Totonyan in 2005 and 2006 respectively, more of the company's credits can be found here.
Credits include:
Animated productions- 86 -EIGHTY SIX-
- Ah! My Goddess (OVA, movie and series)
- Aim for the Top! GunBuster ("Cosmic Space Battle" and "Sizzler Project" shorts)
- Akame ga Kill!
- AKIRAnote
- Akudama Drive (episodes 1-8 only; uncredited supervision for episodes 9-12)
- All You Need Is Kill (2026) (with Deho Gallery, Studio Recess and Toei Animation)
- Aquarion Evol
- Argento Soma
- Armored Trooper VOTOMS (episode 7 of Pailsen Files onward)
- Ascendance of a Bookworm (Ajia-Do seasons only)
- Astro Boy (2003 series)
- Attack on Titan (First 4 seasons, OVAs and movies; replaced by Kusanagi for The Final Season)
- Bakuon!!
- Batman: Gotham Knight ("Have I Got a Story for You" and "Crossfire")
- Batman Ninja
- The Big O
- Black Clover (2016 Jump Fiesta Special)
- Black Lagoon (episodes 11 & 12 only)
- Bleach*
- Blend-S
- Blood: The Last Vampire
- Blue Box
- Blue Drop
- Blue Lock
- BNA: Brand New Animal
- Boogiepop Phantom
- Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk (Episode 7 with Orange)
- Brain Powerd (with Design Office MECHAMAN and Kyoto Animation)
- Broken Blade (also did In-Between Animation)
- Bubble (with Studio Fuga)
- Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill (Season 2)
- Case Closed (Seriesnote and Episode One: The Great Detective Who Shrank' special)
- Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc (for Bamboo; also provides Art management)
- Charger Girl (Thailand branch for episode 1; main and Vietnam branches for subsequent episodes)
- Chrono Crusade
- Coppelion
- "Creating Anime" - Volume 9 of Graphic-sha Publishing's How to Draw Manga book seriesnote
- Cromartie High School
- Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
- Cyborg 009 (2001 series)
- The Darwin Incident
- DAYS
- Deltora Quest
- The Devil is a Part-Timer! (season 1 only)
- D.I.C.E. (2005) (also handled CGI production for episodes 16 and 22)
- Digimon
- Dr. STONE
- Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods
- Dragonar Academy
- Earth Maiden Arjuna
- Expelled from Paradise
- Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture
- Fate/strange Fake (Art Board with Kusanagi)
- Fire Force
- First Squad
- Forest of Piano
- The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity
- Full Metal Panic! (Original series and Invisible Victory)
- Fusé: Memoirs of a Huntress
- G-On Riders
- Gad Guard
- Ganbare Douki-chan
- GaoGaiGar FINAL
- GeGeGe no Kitarō (2018 series)
- Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
- Giant Robo (episode 3 onward)
- Gintama
- Girls Band Cry (Series and music videos; Cooperation)
- Gravion (Season 1; replaced by Studio Tulip for Zwei)
- The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
- Golden Boy
- GUN×SWORD (episodes 25 and 26)
- Gundam
- After War Gundam X (episode 1 only, replaced by Baku Productions)
- Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe
- Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (with Baku and Studio Easter)
- Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury (for Studio Naya; Episode 24)
- Hakyu Hoshin Engi
- Halo Legends ("The Duel", uncredited)
- He Is My Master
- Hero Bank
- The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious
- Heroic Age
- The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter
- Hinamatsuri
- His and Her Circumstances (alternating with Echo)
- The iDOLM@STER
- Infinite Stratos
- Initial D ("Extra Stage" and "Third Stage")
- Interstella 5555
- The Irregular at Magic High School: Yotsuba Succession (with Studio Naya, Goofy and GKV Studio)
- Ixion Saga DT
- Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (with Studio Fuga and Kusanagi)
- Joseph: King of Dreamsnote
- Jormungand
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (All TV seasons up to Golden Wind, also provided two Eyecatch Illustrationsnote ; superseded by KLAS and Athena Art Studio)
- Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan (episodes 1, 2 & 5 only)
- Joker Game
- Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
- Kaiju No. 8 (Season 2 with Creative Freaks, MAPPA and others; also provides Art management)
- Kakegurui
- Kanokon
- Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
- Kiznaiver
- Knight Hunters (First opening only, also provided titles)
- K.O. Beast (Episodes 4 and 7)
- Kung Fu Love
- Kurokami: The Animation
- Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland note
- Little Witch Academia
- Listeners
- Lupin III
- Lupin III: Princess of the Breeze
- The Immortal Bloodline
- Macross 7: The Galaxy's Calling Me
- Macross Frontier (Series, movies, Nyan Cli, and several illustrations)
- Macross Plus
- Macross Zero
- Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi
- Mardock Scramble
- MARRIAGE TOXIN
- Medalist (Season 2)
- mono (2017)
- Moriarty the Patriot (Season 1 solo; Season 2 with Makaria)
- Negima!? (second season)
- Neon Genesis Evangelion (series with Green, Death & Rebirth, End of Evangelion; Archive Cooperation for the 30th anniversary short)
- Rebuild of Evangelion ("You Are (Not) Alone" and "You Can (Not) Advance")
- New Cutey Honey
- Night Raid 1931
- Now and Then, Here and There
- Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror
- On the Way to a Smile - Episode Denzel: Final Fantasy VII
- One Piece
- Pani Poni Dash!
- Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
- Pet Shop of Horrors
- Photo Kano
- Princess Nine (also provided the titles)
- Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva (with Bamboo, Moon Flower and Telecom Animation Film)
- Project Blue Earth SOS (first episode only, replaced by Studio Tenjin)
- Pokétoon ("Riding the Gogoat" and "Anger Observation Diary")
- Psycho-Pass (with Studio Easter; episode 9 only)
- Puzzle & Dragons X
- PazuDora
- Real Bout High School
- Re:Zero
- Reideen (2007 series)
- Rio -Rainbow Gate!-
- The Rolling Girls (episode 1 only)
- Ruri Rocks (uncredited)
- Sakura Wars Franchise
- Sakura Wars: The Movie
- Sakura Wars 2: Thou Shalt Not Die (anime sequences)
- Sakura Wars 3: Is Paris Burning? (anime sequences)
- Sakura Wars 4: Fall in Love, Maidens (anime sequences)
- Sands of Destruction
- Sentenced to Be a Hero (for ENGI; also provides Art Production)
- Serial Experiments Lain (with Baku Production)
- SHY (Episodes 3-12 with Team Till Dawn)
- Slayers (Movies only)
- SoltyRei
- Space Battleship Yamato 2199
- Spice and Wolf (First two seasons and Wolf and the Amber-colored Melancholy; Art Setting for Marunaga Shoten for Season 3)
- SPY×FAMILY (Season 4)
- Star Wars: Visions (The Twins and The Elder)
- Strike Witches (Season 1)
- Summer Pockets
- Super Robot Wars: Original Generation: The Inspector (uncredited after episode 3)
- Super Sonico The Animation
- Sword of the Stranger
- Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
- Terminator Zero
- The Testament of Sister New Devil
- Tokimeki Memorial: Hajimari no Finder
- Tokyo ESP
- Toriko
- Train to the End of the World
- Triage X
- Ultraman Tiga: The Final Odyssey (CGI services)
- Urusei Yatsura All-Stars
- Uncle from Another World
- VIRGIN PUNK (with Cre-p Co., Ltd., Buemon, Nam Hai, and Ogura Kobo; Art Production with Nam Hai and Buemon)
- Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer (OVA)
- Wagnaria!!
- WWW.WORKING!! (Art Setting, backgrounds by Ishigaki Production)
- WIND BREAKER (Season 2)
- Witch Hunter Robin
- With You and the Rain (Episode 8 with CoMix Wave, Studio Fuga and Yostar Pictures)
- World Trigger
- WXIII: Patlabor The Movie 3
- Yokai Watch
- Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (Episodes 1-2)
- You're Under Arrest! (OVA, The Movie, Visual Novel and mini-specials)
- Yowamushi Pedal
- Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
- Zegapain
- Zetman
- Ace Combat 3 (Cutscenes)
- Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana
- Chaos Rings I (Development Cooperation)
- Cross Ange: Rondo of Angels and Dragons tr.'*
- Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (uncredited)
- Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club
- Etrian Odyssey (Image Board)
- Fighters Destiny (uncredited)
- Final Fantasy VIII (Stage Modelling)
- Final Fantasy IX (CGI and Art)
- Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon (Opening Movie, uncredited)
- Grand Kingdom (Battle grid backgrounds)
- Indivisible (Opening cutscene backgrounds for Titmouse)
- Jeanne d'Arc (with Studio Easter)
- Kakuto Chojin (Stage Modelling)
- KOF: Maximum Impact (uncredited)
- La Pucelle (uncredited)
- LBX: Little Battlers eXperience (Both the game series and the Anime)
- Macross 30: The Voice that Connects the Galaxy
- Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (Cooperation)
- Namco × Capcom (Cutscenes)
- Omega Strikers (Opening Animation)
- Persona 3 (World Art Designs)
- Professor Layton and the Last Specter (with Bamboo and Telecom Animation Film)
- Robot Alchemic Drive (also given a "Special Thanks" credit)
- Rumble Roses XX (Environment designs and Image Board)
- Scandal (PlayStation 2 game)
- Shadow Hearts: Covenant (with Kusanagi; Cooperation)
- Street Fighter IVnote
- Street Fighter X Tekken (Cooperation)
- Tales Series
- Tekken 5 (Stage Concept Illustrations)
- Touhou Cannonball (Opening Movie)
- Trauma Center: Second Opinion (World Art Designs)
- Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception (Opening Movie)
- Yarudora series
- Yo-kai Watch (Opening Movies and Cutscenes)
Tropes associated with Bihou:
- Scenery Porn: Their specialty, and is often combined with Bizarrchitecture or Scenery Gorn on their more outlandish projects like Fire Force and Eizouken.
- Signature Style: Their clouds are often far more detailed and varied when compared to most other studios, even in their more stylistic efforts. Sunset backdrops are likewise a common occurrence in their work, with at least one episode of a given title taking advantage of it.