Dragon Ball has reclaimed its spot atop the sales charts. Bandai Namco Entertainment released its financial report for the fiscal year of 2025, from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, reporting that Dragon Ball generated a record-breaking 190.6 billion yen (approximately $1.3B) in revenue during the 2024 fiscal year.
Not only does this figure mark the highest annual sales ever recorded for the franchise, but it's also the first ever IP to hit 190 billion yen in a single fiscal year.
Dragon Ball lost its No. 1 sales-ranking spot to Mobile Suit Gundam back in 2024. Prior to that, it had been the No. 1 best-selling franchise for six straight years. The franchise received a major boost in 2024 thanks to the release of Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero video game as well as the debut of the new anime series Dragon Ball Daima.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a 3D fighting game developed by Spike Chunsoft and released in October 2024. The game was met with record-breaking commercial success, becoming the fastest-selling game in the franchise's history with three million copies sold within the first 24 hours. By February 2024, sales had surpassed five million units worldwide. The game was praised for its expansive roster, featuring over 180 playable characters from across the different shows and movies, as well as for its dynamic combat and faithful representation of the Dragon Ball universe.
2024 also saw the launch of a new Dragon Ball anime series. Created by the late Akira Toriyama as one of his final projects, Dragon Ball Daima follows Goku and his friends as they are mysteriously transformed into childlike versions of themselves. The series received positive reviews for its narrative and high-quality animation. The series generated $123 million in revenue in the third quarter of 2024, surpassing One Piece for the first time in two years.
As of now, there's been no confirmation of a second season of Dragon Ball Daima, despite its popularity.It was reportedly designed as a standalone story, although fans have noted that certain narrative threads remain unresolved.
The record-setting revenue performance of Dragon Ball shouldn't take anything away from Bandai Namco's other two heavy hitters. Gundam, aided by the release of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, earned 153.5 billion yen in revenue, while One Piece earned 139.5 billion yen in revenue.
It will be interesting to see how 2025 shakes up, as it should be a big year for One Piece. The popular anime series recently resumedin April with the continuation of the Egghead story arc, while Netflix's live-action series is expected to premiere later this year.