Shin Japan Heroes Universe
The  is an ongoing Japanese collaborative project between Toho, Khara, Tsuburaya Productions, and Toei. Developed by Hideaki Anno, it unites four of his critically-acclaimed films that were reimaginings of renowned science fiction franchises, all bearing the katakana title "Shin" (シン). Hideaki Anno began the Shin series with the kaiju film Shin Godzilla (2016), which he co-directed with Shinji Higuchi. Serving as a reboot of the Godzilla franchise, it offered a contemporary and politically charged take on the iconic monster by emphasizing the social and bureaucratic response to the creature's rampage. Next, Anno moved on to co-direct, write and produce Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021), the final Rebuild of Evangelion installment. Like Shin Godzilla, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time would become the second-highest-grossing Japanese film of the year and the highest-grossing film in its franchise. That same year, all four companies agreed to form a joint venture for the Shin Japan Heroes Universe, with Anno's assistance. In February 2022, the Shin Japan Heroes Universe was officially announced, with Anno reported as its creator. Later that year, the third film, Higuchi's superhero film Shin Ultraman, became a box office hit in Japan and received several festival screenings overseas. Similar to Shin Godzilla, it reimagines the Ultraman series, which features a giant alien superhero who defends Earth from giant monsters and other aliens. The fourth Shin film, Shin Kamen Rider (2023), was a reimagining of the 1971 television series Kamen Rider. History

Development

In 2021, Toho, Khara, Tsuburaya Productions, and Toei held a meeting and unanimously agreed to create the Shin Japan Heroes Universe, with the assistance of Hideaki Anno. Regarding the fruition of the project, Anno stated that it "was conceived in the discussions of the related companies, from the idea of combining characters that are proud of Japanese culture, in a collaborative way, to further expand them around the world and stimulate fun. [...] Originally, projects with a wide range of copyright sources are difficult to adjust, and the commercial benefits are not significant. So it's a plan that can only be made by content holders who prioritize fan service over business cooperation itself." Back in 2016, Khara and Toho had previously collaborated on similar cross-over projects uniting Rebuild of Evangelion and Shin Godzilla such as Godzilla vs. Evangelion and Godzilla vs. Evangelion: The Real 4D. On February 14, 2022, all four companies jointly announced that the collaborative project unites properties that Anno had worked on bearing the title "Shin", such as Shin Godzilla, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, Shin Ultraman and Shin Kamen Rider. That same day, the official logo by Yutaka Izubuchi and the promotional visual teaser image by Mahiro Maeda were revealed. The ensuing day, Anno announced that "it is a project that uses a common item called Shin as an expedient. In the future, the word Shin will be removed...we hope that the development of SJHU will please our fans as a new pleasure that transcends the boundaries of the character(s) worlds." In July 2022, Shinji Higuchi stated that the project is intended only for merchandise, special events, and tie-in events and that the films are meant to be individually separate rather than replicating the Marvel Cinematic Universe formula. Projects 
In May 2022, Bandai Namco Holdings announced the first SJHU project titled Shin Japan Heroes Amusement World, an amusement park set to debut for opening between July and November 2022 in the Bandai Namco Cross Stores located in Yokohama, Osaka, Umeda and Hakata. In July of the same year, GungHo Online Entertainment added the Shin Godzilla incarnation of Godzilla and the Shin Ultraman incarnations of Ultraman, Neronga, Gabora, Zarab, Mefilas, and Zetton to their mobile puzzle video game Puzzle & Dragons. In October, a pachinko game titled Godzilla vs. Evangelion: G Cells Awakening was announced, which features an Evangelion mutating into Godzilla. That following month, a Shin Japan Heroes Amusement World commemorative wristwatch was announced and became available for pre-order from Premium Bandai on November 25 for ¥33,000. That same month, Tamashii Nations announced a new line of figures based on the designs of Eva-01, Godzilla, Kamen Rider and Ultraman. In January 2023, two SHHU products were announced: snack food company Befco announced a special campaign promoting an SJHU-themed bakauke pack and Uniqlo announced a new line of T-shirts for March 2023. In March, an izakaya inspired by Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time and Shin Kamen Rider opened in Tokyo's Kabukicho district from March 10 to May 28. The ensuing month, the video game SD Shin Kamen Rider Rumble, featuring a season pass with three DLC packs was revealed. In May, Bandai Toy Division released "S.J.H.U.PROJECT Shin Universe Robo," a toy consisting of the title characters from each film at the price of ¥23.100. Hiroshi Butsuda directed a promotional video featuring the "Shin Universe Robo", released the same month, which a mecha formed by the combination of Godzilla, Ultraman, Evangelion Unit-01 and Kamen Rider No. 1's motorcycle, the Cyclone. Films

Recurring cast and characters

  Voice acting role. Box office performance

Critical response

Potential further films 

Hideaki Anno has proposed sequels to all three of his live-action Shin Japan Heroes Universe installments. Near the completion of Shin Godzilla (2016), Anno proposed a sequel to that film titled Shin Godzilla's Counterattack, which would be directed by Shinji Higuchi. In 2018, however, Toho's "Chief Godzilla Officer" Keiji Ōta told The Nikkei that there is no possibility of a sequel to Shin Godzilla and Toho instead desired to produce a shared universe akin to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, despite Godzilla already appearing in the MonsterVerse. In Shin Ultraman Design Works, Anno stated that he initially wrote a proposal for a trilogy of films in January 2018, beginning with Shin Ultraman (2022) and continuing with an untitled sequel and a remake of the 1967 television series Ultraseven, titled Shin Ultraseven. Anno revealed on April 9, 2023, that he had deliberately left the possibility of a Shin Kamen Rider sequel open. He stated that he is prepared to make one if Toei requested it, and had begun planning such a film while writing Shin Kamen Rider, which he titled Masker World. See also
 Compati Hero
 MonsterVerse
 Rebuild of Evangelion
 Ultraman vs. Kamen Rider

Notes

References

External links
  
 Shin Godzilla 
 Evangelion 
 Shin Ultraman 
 Shin Kamen Rider 
  

Collaborative projects
Fictional universes
Giant monster films
Godzilla films
Kaiju films
Kamen Rider films
Neon Genesis Evangelion films
Reboot films
Toei Company films
Toho animated films
Toho films
Ultra Series films