Every year, Toei Animation, home to many Shonen-animes, publishes its revenue figures. Two animes stand out, and now there is a new number 1.
Who won the race this year? In a report (available to read with Adobe Acrobat), Toei Animation published the revenues earned in the fiscal year 2026, which ran from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026. Among the many data sheets, there is a slide showing the revenues of the largest anime franchises.
Here is a comparison from 2022 to 2026. It is noticeable that One Piece and Dragon Ball have been in a close race for the top two spots every year.
And this year, One Piece has actually managed to surpass Dragon Ball for the first time in four years in the “Overseas Licensing Top 4” category. In the “Overseas Film Top 4” and “Domestic Licensing Top 4” categories, One Piece also leads. Thus, it is the anime that wins in all three categories for the first time in 2026 and has generated the highest revenue.
One Piece and Dragon Ball dominate by far
How successful are the two animes? Although Dragon Ball ranks only second in the categories, it does not need to hide behind One Piece. The two anime franchises have generated by far the most revenue:
- One Piece earned approximately 150.6 million Euros in the fiscal year 2026.
- Dragon Ball is close behind with 112.5 million Euros.
- With a huge gap, Digimon comes in third place. The franchise earned 16.9 million Euros in the fiscal year.
- Pretty Cure takes fourth place. Here, there is a somewhat larger jump, as the franchise could generate around 4.7 million Euros in the fiscal year.
Shortly thereafter, other franchises like Saint Seiya and Sailor Moon follow. In direct comparison, it is clear that One Piece and Dragon Ball are simply ahead. Even if one of the two animes doesn’t always land in first place among the highest-grossing franchises, they both still hold significant value for Toei Animation.
What counts as part of licensing? Different areas are counted under licensing for the franchises. These include:
- Film and TV rights
- Merchandising
- Video game licenses
- Home video releases
Indeed, Pokémon is currently the largest anime franchise of all time, but there was a time when Toei Animation could celebrate greater successes with Digimon: For 27 years, Pokémon has been the largest anime franchise, but there was a time when Digimon was ahead
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