Summary
- Dragon Ball broke a record by earning over 25 billion yen in the 2025 fiscal year.
- Toei Animation will use artificial intelligence for storyboard creation and more in anime production.
- Dragon Ball's success in licensing doesn't confirm a new movie release, despite high earnings.
Toei Animation just released its report for the 2025 fiscal year (which took place from April 2024 to March 2025), in which Dragon Ball broke a new record. Toei periodically releases financial reports for previous quarters, and a full-year report comes out around April or May every year, with the top 4 series in terms of earnings during each year. Series like Dragon Ball and One Piece typically perform well in these reports.
Dragon Ball was expected to be one of the company's best-selling series of the year, especially due to the release of Dragon Ball Daima, the final series in the franchise created by Akira Toriyama. Dragon Ball typically performs well, even without new anime releases, so expectations were high for Daima.
Dragon Ball DAIMA's English Dub Finale Hits Crunchyroll on May 16
Both episodes 19 and 20 will be released simultaneously.
Dragon Ball Crossed A Huge Milestone
While it was expected that Dragon Ball would have a great performance, its success went beyond anyone's imagination. Summing up domestic licensing, overseas film licensing, and overseas licensing, Dragon Ball earned over 25 billion yen (about 171.3 million dollars) in the 2025 fiscal year. This is the first time a franchise has crossed this number in a single fiscal year.
Some may wonder why Dragon Ball is the top two in overseas film licensing despite not releasing any new movies. These numbers include licensing movies to streaming services as well as theatrical releases. Thus, the series' performance this fiscal year doesn't necessarily mean a new movie is coming out soon — in fact, no new movie has been announced yet, and it seems unlikely that one will be released this year.
Toei Will Start Using A.I. In Anime Production
In addition to the report, Toei announced that it will start using more artificial intelligence (A.I.) In the future. According to an official document, the company plans to use artificial intelligence for storyboard creation, coloring, automatic frame correction, and background generation from photos. This is not unexpected for those who have been following the company closely, as Toei has been investing in A.I. For a few years. However, it is likely to spark controversies among fans and professionals.
Many production companies claim that there is a labor shortage in the anime industry, while many animators claim that they are underpaid for long hours of work. While companies claim that A.I. Is a solution to workforce shortages and a way to improve workflow by dealing with time-consuming processes, many animators fear that it will negatively impact their working conditions and opportunities in the long run.
Source: X (formerly Twitter)
Dragon Ball Daima is available to stream on Crunchyroll, Netflix and Hulu.
- Created by
- Akira Toriyama
- First TV Show
- Dragon Ball
- Latest TV Show
- Dragon Ball DAIMA
- First Episode Air Date
- February 26, 1986
- TV Show(s)
- Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball DAIMA
- Upcoming TV Shows
- Dragon Ball DAIMA
Dragon Ball is a franchise by Akira Toriyama which follows the adventures of Goku, a powerful warrior who protects the earth with his group of friends. A recent title from the series is Dragon Ball: The Breakers, an action style game where 7 players have to survive being hunted by the Raider.
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