Eiichiro Oda’s beloved pirate adventure, One Piece, has become the highest-grossing franchise for Toei Animation.
In fiscal year 2024, from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2024, the One Piece anime raked in over JP¥22.2 billion yen (roughly US$140 million), thanks to sales from various sources.
This includes revenue from licensing the series within Japan, overseas film screenings, and international licensing deals.
This impressive achievement puts the One Piece anime ahead of another long-running Toei Animation classic, Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball. Both series are part of the popular shonen genre, targeting a young male demographic.
One Piece anime surpasses Dragon Ball as Toei Animation’s top-selling franchise for fiscal year 2024
While Akira’s work held the top spot for sales at Toei Animation for seven years straight, the company’s fiscal year 2024 report shows a shift.
The franchise brought in roughly JP¥19 billion yen (US$121 million), falling behind One Piece for the first time.
This could be due to a quieter year for Dragon Ball. No new anime series have been announced, and the latest series, Dragon Ball Super, ended in 2018.
However, fans can look forward to new content in 2024 with the Dragon Ball Daima anime series and the Dragon Ball Sparking Zero video game.
One Piece, on the other hand, has had a banner year. The anime continues with the exciting Egghead Arc, while a brand new movie, One Piece Film: Red, premiered globally in 2023.
The series’ highly anticipated live-action adaptation also debuted on Netflix in 2023 with a well-received first season.
These factors all contributed to One Piece’s impressive sales figures.
Both anime shows are titans of the shonen genre, produced by the animation powerhouse Toei Animation.
One Piece, penned by Eiichiro Oda, follows Monkey D. Luffy, a rubber-bodied pirate, on his quest for the legendary treasure “One Piece” and the title of Pirate King.
The vast world is filled with fantastical islands, unique devil fruit powers, and a rich tapestry of characters Luffy befriends and battles on his grand adventure.
Dragon Ball, created by the late Akira Toriyama, started as a comedic martial arts adventure.
It follows Goku, a martial artist with a monkey tail, on his quest to become the strongest fighter.
Goku encounters friends, foes, and powerful beings as he trains, competes in martial arts tournaments, and protects Earth from intergalactic threats.
READ MORE: Sand Land anime characters: Complete list of seiyuu and English voice actors
