Top 8 Highest Grossing Anime Franchises!! These Revenue Reports Will Make You Swoon

There’s a good chance that if you watched cartoons as a child, you’ve seen one or more anime series.

Although anime is very popular in Japan, it took some time for the art to gain popularity among viewers outside of Japan.

The value of anime franchises has reached the billion-dollar mark, and several of them are well-known.

Even the most devoted anime fans find it difficult to keep up with everything that is published due to the apparently never-ending supply of series and tales. Some programs should be forgotten, while others have established themselves as some of the best in the genre’s history.

There are many various ways to evaluate a franchise’s performance, but its commercial success and financial revenue stand out as the most important ones.

So, today we are here with a list of highest grossing anime franchises. Here is all we know…

Highest Grossing Anime Franchises

Table of Contents

Here is the list of Highest grossing anime franchises:

1. Pokémon

The adventures of a young boy named Ash and his devoted Pokémon Pikachu are chronicled in the Pokémon animated series.

In order to earn the title of “Pokémon Master,” which requires acquiring and training Pokémon to earn eight badges, Ash traverses the Pokémon universe. A second pair, made up of a little boy and a young girl, frequently joins the first couple.

It should come as no surprise that Pokémon is the most successful anime franchise of all time, with over $99 billion in sales to date.

The anime is so well-liked that it is still in production, and Nintendo regularly releases new Pokémon video games. They also have their own trading card game. The real cause of Pokémon’s enormous sales, however, has nothing to do with these.

The main source of revenue for the Pokémon brand is officially sanctioned merchandise.

Since practically everyone recognises Pikachu when they see him, he is likely the most well-known anime mascot in history, making his products simple to market.

2. Anpanman

One of the most well-known children’s superheroes in all of Japan is Anpanman. He is known as Anapanman because of his head, which is formed of the red bean paste pastry known as a “anpan.” Anpanman is renowned for taking on villains like Baikinman, a perverse being from the Baikin Planet.

This franchise has progressively increased to a net worth of about $60 billion between all of the books, games, food, apparel, toys, and other products it has produced.

3. Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball, one of the most well-known and well-loved anime series ever, debuted in the middle of the 1980s and is still going strong today. The Son Goku character is followed from childhood to adulthood in the popular Dragon Ball franchise of shonen anime.

The mysterious Dragon Balls, which, when all seven are gathered, may grant wishes, give the franchise its name.

Fans who saw the show imagined themselves as the characters in computer games, and their fantasy came true. Dragon Ball’s revenue today consists largely of video games, and this trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Over $27 billion in revenue has been generated by Dragon Ball.

4. Gundam

It was Yoshiyuki Tomino who invented this mecha franchise in 1979. It is one of the most well-known mecha franchises ever and is credited with inspiring numerous mecha developers. In this imaginary universe, people control enormous robotic armor known as Gundam.

The franchise grew to encompass products, toys, follow-up series, and particularly figurines made for piece-by-piece assembly.

This anime is worth seeing if you want grim, serious anime with awesome gigantic robot fights. It is simple to understand how it obtained a spot on this list. Merchandise and retail sales, which total more than $26 billion, account for the majority of the revenue.

5. Fist of the North Star

Highest Grossing Anime Franchises — Credit – MUBI.com

The groundbreaking series Fist of the North Star, which debuted in the 1980s, was instrumental in establishing anime in other countries. The tale, which is set in a post-apocalyptic world, centers on Kenshiro, a lethal martial artist who embarks on a quest to defend the helpless and innocent from various enemies.

Fist of the North Star is a successful example of a shonen anime that captures the essence of the subgenre while also revealing the macho protagonist’s fragility by having him cry. Pachinko and arcade games account for the majority of the company’s financial success, yet it has nevertheless earned almost $22 billion.

6. One Piece

Eiichiro Oda, the creator of this series, was inspired by popular monster-of-the-week series like Dragon Ball. It first appeared in a 1997 issue of Shonen Jump, and by 1997 it had been serialized into an anime. With the regular release of new mangas, One Piece’s popularity has continued into the present day.

The narrative centers on the endearing and eccentric Monkey D. Luffy, who is on a mission to overthrow the current pirate lord. After consuming a devil fruit, which is known to endow its consumers with a variety of powers, he gained super stretching abilities.

While Eiichiro Oda encounters even more inventive ways to make money, Luffy and his crew travel the globe and meet a tonne of characters known for their inventive designs. With almost $20 billion in annual earnings, the manga series and retail sales are the two main sources of earning for one piece.

7. Yu-Gi-Oh!

It was inevitable that a franchise centered around a card game would have an advantage over its other anime rivals, and this is where Yu-Gi-Oh! excels.

The storyline actually takes a huge backseat in the series, which is around Yugi Muto, who solves one of the venerable Millenium Puzzles. The anime is much more focused on spreading awareness of Duel Monsters.

It’s not surprising that the majority of Yu-Gi-Oh Revenue comes from the card game given the uninteresting nature of a world where the outcome of a few people using a deck of cards. It has sold more than $20 billion worth of copies and it remains incredibly well-liked today.

8. Neon Genesis Evangelion

One of Gainax’s most well-known works is this television series. This Hideaki Anno-directed anime film follows adolescent Shinji through a coming-of-age mecha spectacular. He learns about himself, his relationships, and the reality of the bleak future he was born into as he controls the enormous robotic suit known as the Evangelion.

Due to the popularity of this series, numerous video games, products, figurines, and other items have been produced throughout the years. Neon Genesis Evangelion has made $16.6 billion since its 1995 release.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1) What is the rich anime franchise?

Ans – As per reports, One Piece is the richest anime franchise with total revenue of $13.9 million.

Q2) Is Pokemon the biggest anime franchise?

Ans – Pokemon is one of the highest-grossing anime franchises.

Q3) What is the most watched anime in the USA?

Ans – As per reports, the most watched anime shows are – Naruto, Demon Slayer, Pokemon, Jujutsu Kaisen, and so on.

Conclusion

So, this was our article on the highest grossing anime franchises. Did the revenue of the franchises shock you? Tell us in the comment section. Make sure to stay tuned and follow us for more interesting articles…