Bandai Namco Fiscal Report: Dragon Ball Sales Plunge While One Piece Hits Record High
Dragon Ball has lost its number one spot after six years in first place.
The world of anime is growing by the minute. In the past decade, the industry has seen a resurgence like never before. With help from streaming and social media, anime has become a global phenomenon that younger audiences like Gen Z are jumping at. This means companies like Bandai Namco are making more bank than ever, and according to a new fiscal report, the company saw Dragon Ball lose hold of a six-year streak this past year.
The update comes straight from Bandai Namco as the company released its most recent financial report. The document breaks down the full return of the 2024 fiscal year. It turns out Mobile Suit Gundam took home first place overall, knocking down Dragon Ball to second place for the first time in six years.
According to the data, Mobile Suit Gundam earned nearly 146 billion yen in the last fiscal year; Much of that total came from hobby and merchandise licensing. After all, there is no overlooking the popularity of Gunpla, and Bandai Namco made bank on the model kit brand last year.
As for Dragon Ball, the IP grossed 140.6 billion yen in the 2024 fiscal year. This total is down a few billion yen from 2023 as the IP brought in 144.5 billion. While hobby sales were up for Dragon Ball, things were slow for the franchise as a whole. No new anime releases cropped up to bolster Dragon Ball, but this year, the IP will make a comeback. The TV anime Dragon Ball Daima will launch in Fall 2024, so Bandai Namco has high hopes for its 2025 fiscal forecast.
And perhaps most excitingly, One Piece hit a huge milestone with Bandai Namco. The IP grossed 112.1 billion yen, marking the IP's first time grossing over 100 billion yen at the company. The series saw a dramatic increase in overall IP licensure as it went from 86.2 billion to 112.1 billion this past year. Obviously, the anime helped boost One Piece as Toei Animation has been on fire with the series, and that doesn't even mention the One Piece manga. Plus, Netflix's adaptation of One Piece launched last August to critical success, so the Straw Hat crew is more famous than ever these days.
What do you think about this Bandai Namco update? Let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!
