Inside MAPPA: Tom Cruise gets a rare peek at Jujutsu Kaisen's grueling animation
A major movie star just got a crash course in how Jujutsu Kaisen gets made — and it’s a name you probably didn’t see coming.
On a tour of Studio MAPPA ’s 15th-anniversary exhibition in Tokyo, Tom Cruise pressed animator Tadashi Hiramatsu for the nuts and bolts: how long does it actually take to finish one episode of the hit anime Jujutsu Kaisen?
“When you take everything into consideration, it’s around two to three months,” Hiramatsu replied.
Cruise then zeroed in on how that work gets done today, asking whether animators still start with hand-drawn artwork or have moved fully digital. Hiramatsu said he trained on paper and still believes beginning on paper is a crucial step for young artists, even as more of the next generation leans into digital tools.
From sorcerers to Digger
The visit came as Cruise and Alejandro G. Iñárritu were in Japan promoting their new film Digger, and the conversation quickly turned into a broader craft exchange.
- Tom Cruise — visiting during the promotional push for Digger
- Alejandro G. Iñárritu — director of Digger
- Tadashi Hiramatsu — veteran animator at Studio MAPPA and a key creative voice on Jujutsu Kaisen
Hiramatsu said he’d already seen Digger twice and praised its cinematography, color palette, score, and sound design, adding that the performances and overall scale make it the kind of movie built for a theater.
Cruise talked about the impact of projecting meticulously captured practical footage onto a massive screen, saying the sense of depth can rival a 3D experience. Iñárritu, pleased by Hiramatsu’s reaction, remarked that having another creator truly grasp their intent made the team’s hard work feel worth it.
MAPPA’s 15th-anniversary exhibition in Tokyo runs through December 7, 2026 .