After the anime classic “Dragon Ball” was once again at the top of Toei Animation’s most successful brands in the 2024 financial year, “One Piece” took over the leading position again a year later. We summarize.
“One Piece” back at the top
Toei Animation’s latest financial report shows that Eiichiro Oda’s “One Piece” was the company’s highest-grossing franchise from April 2025 to March 2026.
With “One Piece,” the studio generated around 27.84 billion yen (the equivalent of around 151 million euros), over 7 billion yen more than with “Dragon Ball,” which came in at around 20.8 billion yen (around 113 million euros).
“One Piece” developed particularly strongly in the international licensing business as well as in the areas of streaming and video exploitation. In particular, the “Egghead” arc, the high global demand for the “One Piece Card Game” and the strong presence outside of Japan have contributed significantly to this growth.
The franchise also achieved significant growth in the international merchandising business, while “Dragon Ball” recorded noticeable declines.
The future of “Dragon Ball” remains promising
Despite current developments, “Dragon Ball” remains one of Toei Animation’s most important brands. The franchise led the studio’s sales charts for decades before “One Piece” took over the lead for the first time in 2023.
In 2024, “Dragon Ball” managed to return to the top thanks to “Dragon Ball DAIMA” and new video game licenses. However, since there were no major new projects in 2025, this could be a key reason for the significant decline in sales.
With “Dragon Ball Super: Beerus” and “Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol,” new anime projects are now in the works, which should ensure growth, particularly in the international streaming business.
In addition to “One Piece” and “Dragon Ball”, “Digimon” (3.12 billion yen), “Pretty Cure” (866 million yen), “Saint Seiya” (696 million yen) and “Sailor Moon” (667 million yen) are also among the studio’s highest-grossing brands in the 2025 financial year – but very clearly behind the two front runners.
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Via Toei Animation Financial Report
©1999 Toei Animation Co., Ltd. ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, Toei Animation