Dragon Ball Hits Record 25 Billion Yen in 2025 Amid A.I. Changes

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.

For the financial year spanning from April 2024 to March 2025, Toei Animation recently published its report, where “Dragon Ball” surpassed a new earnings record. Every year, around April or May, Toei shares full-year financial reports detailing their top-performing series for the past quarters. Consistently strong performers in these reports include “Dragon Ball” and “One Piece”.

It was anticipated that the “Dragon Ball” series would be among the top-selling collections of the year, particularly considering the launch of Dragon Ball Final, the last installment in the franchise penned by Akira Toriyama. Even without fresh anime productions, “Dragon Ball” usually performs exceptionally well, leading to high anticipation for the final series.

Dragon Ball Crossed A Huge Milestone

In the forecast, it was believed that Dragon Ball would achieve remarkable results, but its success surpassed all expectations. To put it simply, during the 2025 fiscal year, Dragon Ball generated more than 25 billion yen (approximately 171.3 million dollars) through domestic licensing, overseas film licensing, and overseas merchandising. For the first time ever, a franchise has managed to reach this impressive milestone in just one fiscal year.

As a passionate fan, I often get asked why Dragon Ball ranks at the top two in overseas film licensing, even without a fresh movie release. The impressive numbers encompass licensing movies to streaming platforms as well as traditional theater screenings. So, while the series’ success this fiscal year doesn’t guarantee an imminent new movie premiere – truth be told, there hasn’t been any official announcement about it yet, and it appears that we won’t see a new release this year.

Toei Will Start Using A.I. in Anime Production

As I stand by, Toei Animation unveils their intention to significantly increase their reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) moving forward. According to the official statement, this technology will be implemented in various aspects of production, including storyboard creation, coloring, auto-frame correction, and generating backgrounds from photos. Given their past investments in AI, this development is hardly surprising for those keeping a keen eye on Toei Animation. Yet, it’s bound to stir debates among both fans and industry professionals alike.

In contrast, some production companies argue that there’s a scarcity of labor within the anime industry, whereas numerous animators assert they are undercompensated for extended periods of work. While companies propose that AI could alleviate workforce shortages by streamlining workflow through automation of tedious tasks, many animators express concerns that it might adversely affect their future job prospects and working conditions in the long term.

Dragon Ball Daima is available to stream on Crunchyroll, Netflix and Hulu.

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2025-05-16 23:43