Sol International
The industry's invisible partner, serving 16+ major manufacturers from Tokyo
At a glance
- Status
- Active. A behind-the-scenes planning and manufacturing partner since 2001.
- Based in
- Taito, Tokyo, Japan.
- Known for
- production work behind major brands like Good Smile Company and Kotobukiya, plus its own scale figures from Date A Live and Is the Order a Rabbit?.
- Good fit
- collectors curious about who actually builds the industry's figures; fans of its own compact licensed lineup.
- Before buying
- mostly a business-to-business company; its own-brand releases are the part you can buy, so check the maker line on the listing.
- Research coverage
- Solid
TL;DR
- Sol International is a Tokyo company that plans and manufactures figures for brands including Alter, Good Smile Company, and Kotobukiya. Many collectors may have encountered its work without seeing Sol's name.
- Own-brand releases cover Date A Live, Dragon Maid, and PSO2, produced by the same company that handles contract work for Alter, Good Smile Company, and Kotobukiya.
A Contract Manufacturer Builds Its Own Brand
Incorporated in 2001 in Taito-ku, Tokyo under president Ikeda Shin’ichiro, Sol International spent two decades as a pure B2B service provider before launching its own consumer-facing brand. The company handles planning and manufacturing for clients including Alter, GSC, Kotobukiya, SEGA, Kadokawa, and MegaHouse, and most collectors have encountered its work without ever seeing the name.
Contract Credits with Alter, Good Smile Company, and Kotobukiya
Sol’s own-brand releases include Khorshid from PSO2, Kurumi from Date A Live, and Tohru from Dragon Maid. The studio maintains two X accounts for its dual B2B and consumer identities.
Figures land in the 12,000 to 25,000 yen ($80-$165 USD) range. Two decades of contract production for established manufacturers provide relevant experience, though finished results should still be assessed release by release.
Date A Live, Dragon Maid, and PSO2
Figures released under Sol's own label carry limited name recognition because the company rarely appears on retail shelves under its own name. For collectors of Date A Live, Dragon Maid, or Phantasy Star Online 2, Sol's contract history offers useful context while each release still merits its own comparison.
Sol maintains two X accounts, one for B2B services and one for consumer releases, which gives a sense of how the company sees its own dual identity.