It shouldn’t be surprising to hear just how lucrative Dragon Ball is these days. After a long lull, the series made a comeback in 2015 with Dragon Ball Super that revived all of Goku’s best parts. Earlier this year, that TV series came to a close, but Toei Animation still has plans in store for the franchise — and it is not hard to see why.
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No, seriously, all you have to do is look at Bandai Namco’s sales from 2018. To say Dragon Ball brought in some bank would be to undersell the buying power of a Super Saiyan.
Not long ago, Bandai Namco released its earnings for 2018, and fans were quick to sort through its figures. Of course, anime lovers were interested in seeing how the Dragon Ball IP fared in 2018, and audiences were not disappointed with what they found.
And now for the chart! Big money for big franchise. pic.twitter.com/8Kad0G84Tw
— Ethan Law (@ArchedThunder) May 9, 2018
As you can see above, Dragon Ball brought in all kinds of cash for Bandai Namco in 2018. The fiscal year, which ranged from April 2017 to March 2018, saw Dragon Ball rake in nearly 98,000,000,000 yen.
Yes, that is nearly 100 billion yen. Convert that to USD, and you will find that Dragon Ball‘s IP sold about $888,256,418 which is nothing to sneeze at.
The 2018 fiscal year saw a sharp rise in profits from even the 2017 records as it brought in about 62 billion yen. 2016 was marked at about 35 billion yen, and Dragon Ball was only clocking in at 6.4 billion yen before Dragon Ball Super got its debut. So, you can see what kind of cash the revival brought to Bandai Namco since the company does oversee all of the series’ merchandise.
Not only did Dragon Ball bring in serious cash for Bandai Namco, but it did what many thought was impossible. In 2017, Mobile Suit Gundam still outsold Dragon Ball thanks to its massive Gunpla market, but the Saiyan series managed to beat out the mecha franchise in 2018. Dragon Ball sold nearly 98 billion yen in 2018 which eclipsed the 68.3 billion yen Mobile Suit Gundam brought in. And, if Bandai Namco did all its forecasting correct, then Dragon Ball will beat out Mobile Suit Gundam once more in 2019.
With the Dragon Ball IP at the top of Bandai Namco and Toei Animation’s charts, it is easy to see why there is an interest in continuing the franchise. Son Goku and the gang are more profitable than ever, and Dragon Ball Super will prove that when its first film goes live this December. If these companies want to continue raking in cash, they will most definitely find a way to keep Saiyan on the big- or small-screen for as long as fans will have them.
Did you realize how much money Dragon Ball was making? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!
