These days, the anime industry is making bank. While wage issues persist for workers, the industry itself is growing like mad. As streaming makes anime more accessible globally, all eyes are on top-performing anime and manga in Japan. And now that 2023 is done, Oricon has released its list of top-earning IPs of the last year.
For those who don’t know, Oricon is one of the top tracking services in Japan as it ranks everything from music to DVD sales. Each year, the site puts out a list of Japan’s top-selling franchises based on its local sales data. Of course, the totals from Oricon aren’t complete as they do not account for some digital sales or any international pull. Even so, the list gives a good picture of what anime is big in Japan, and it seems One Piece eked out a win this year against Blue Lock.
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Yes, you read that right! One Piece is on top of the sales list with 6.3 billion yen. It managed to beat Blue Lock which came in second place at 6.1 billion yen. In third place, Jujutsu Kaisen took its spot with 4.94 billion yen, and Oshi no Ko was at its heels with 4.90 billion yen. Finally, Slam Dunk wrapped the top five list with 4.2 billion yen.
As you can see, the tie for first and third places were very close this year. Blue Lock had a major bump in sales last year thanks to the FIFA World Cup. Oshi no Ko also had a huge year in 2023 as its anime premiere broke records, and its theme song “Idol” became one of the biggest hits on global charts. Still, One Piece managed to hold on to first place, and the victory comes on the heels of a very busy year for the Straw Hat crew.
If you want to check out the full list of best-selling series, Oricon’s picks can be read below:
- One Piece
- Blue Lock
- Jujutsu Kaisen
- Oshi no Ko
- Slam Dunk
- My Happy Marriage
- Bocchi the Rock
- Love Live
- Spy x Family
- Kingdom
- Chainsaw Man
- The Apothecary Diaries
- The Time I Got… Slime
- Tokyo Revengers
- Detective Conan
- Pokemon
- Mobile Suit Gundam
- The Idolmaster Series
- Chikawa Something Small and Cute
- My Hero Academia
- Neon Genesis Evangelion
- Demon Slayer
- Touken Range
- Sousou no Frieren
- Trillion Game
- Silent
- Idolish7
- The Black Swindler
What do you think about this latest Oricon report? Did you check out any of these series in 2023? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!
