Arms Corporation
(アームス) was a Japanese animation studio originally established in 1996 by former Studio Signpost staffer Osamu Shimizu.
On July 22, 2020, Arms announced that it filed for bankruptcy. The studio was officially shut down on August 4 of that year and became a production brand for Studio Signpost. Their final project, Shin Ikki Tousen, was released in 2022, two years after the studio's shutdown.
The company also went by these other names: Dandelion (ダンディ・ライオン; no relation to CG company Dandelion Animation Studios), Garyu Studio (呀龍スタジオ), and Triple X.
Not to be confused with the Nintendo Switch video game ARMS.
Shows and OAVs produced by Arms (excluding hentai):
- Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero
- Brynhildr in the Darkness
- Elfen Lied
- Genshiken (TV series)
- Haidao Miling Zuizhong de Qiannian Ji (aka Kotora on the Run) (with Portico Films in Taiwan)
- Girls High
- Himawari!
- Ikki Tousen (2nd-4th seasons)
- Isuca
- Kite (1998)
- Kite Liberator
- Maoyu
- Master of Martial Hearts
- Mezzo DSA
- Nakoruru: Ano Hito kara no Okurimono (OVA adaptation of the visual novel)
- Queen's Blade
- Sabagebu!
- Samurai Girls
- Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid
- Wanna Be the Strongest in the World!
- Wizard Barristers
Supporting studio:
- Active Raid (inbetween animation)
- Beyblade Burst (production assistance)
- Bleach (production assistance for Hell Verse and Fade to Black)
- Blood Blockade Battlefront (inbetween animation)
- Heavy Object (2nd key animation)
- The Legend of Korra (1 episode, The Southern Lights, with Hanjin, led by Studio Pierrot)
- Mob Psycho 100 (inbetween animation)
- Naruto the Movie: Road to Ninja (animation cooperation)
- Sword of the Stranger (inbetween animation)
- Toloveru (production assistance for episode 6)
Tropes Associated with Arms:
- Art Evolution: The first season of Ikki Tousen was produced by J.C. Staff, but the second season and beyond were produced by Arms, and also replaced the first season's character designer, Shinya Hasegawa, with Rin Shin (and later, Junji Goto). Obviously, both of these factors would lead to a different art/animation style.
- Fanservice: Virtually all of their series, the biggest cases being Ikki Tousen (Dragon Destiny and Great Guardians), Master of Martial Hearts, Samurai Girls and Queen's Blade. It mostly has to do with the fact that they originally produced hentai.
- Lighter and Softer: Arms was originally Studio Pierrot's hentai division, but would branch out into non-adult material over the last few years.
- Panty Fighter: A laundry list of them, most notable are Ikki Tousen, Samurai Girls, and Master of Martial Hearts.
