Toei Animation has a number of franchises under its name that have kept it as one of the greatest animation studios. The studio has been narrating stories that have helped the anime industry to become a mainstream form of entertainment across the world.
From Sailor Moon to Digimon, each title is like a gemstone. However, none could match the allure of Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball and Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece. These two franchises are not only fan favorites but have also heavily contributed to Toei’s success.
With freshly baked reports coming right from the studio, showcasing their strong financial growth in both domestic and overseas markets. However, that’s not the main factor because a major shift in contribution has been noticed, where Goku’s Z-Fighters have toppled Luffy’s Straw Hat Pirates, despite DAIMA being a liability for the former franchise.
Dragon Ball overtakes One Piece as Toei Animation’s major contributor
Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball has long been considered one of the greatest series, which is built on the sacrifices and passion of the mangaka. Despite the original series finding it difficult for a solid footing. Once established, it did not have to look back, as it became the foundation for the Shonen genre, where budding artists looked up to the work.
The series narrates the lore of Goku, a Saiyan who aims to become the strongest fighter in Universe 7. While the franchise features several series, DBZ is the most popular of all that has given birth to several iconic moments and has contributed to modern pop culture.
Thus, establishing itself as an industry great, with its protagonist being the most recognized fictional face around the world. The only other series that can match its fame is Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece, which has been going strong since 1999.
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However, it was revealed in Toei Animation’s latest report that in the Domestic Licensing Segment, One Piece recorded a fall in their revenue, earning ¥4,853 million, which is less than the previous year’s ¥5,297 million. In contrast, their rival, Dragon Ball, generated ¥4,786 million, making a sharp recovery from ¥3,894 million.
The gap was harrowing in the domestic market and, to some extent, in the overseas film market as well, where Oda-Sensei’s work maintained its lead, going up from¥6,539 million to ¥6,731 million. The age-old series continued their momentum, earning ¥4,967 million after it had generated only ¥2,597 million in the same quarter last year.
While OP’s pirate world dominated the domestic and overseas film scenes, the real shift in revenue was noticed in the Overseas Licensing segment. Dragon Ball left its rival far behind, where it generated ¥9,238 million, followed by its rival ¥6,820 million.
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Thus, making the work of the Godfather of Anime the best in North America. What makes this feat more impressive is how they earned the top spot, despite DAIMA being a massive failure, where it made an honest attempt to go back to the grassroot level of the franchise.
DAIMA’s failure didn’t hinder the franchise from being Toei Animation’s prized property
DAIMA had kicked off strong, and everyone was thrilled to watch the last project Akira Toriyama was working on before he left us. The show had a promising beginning, where it focused more on hand-to-hand fights rather than the flashy Ki-attacks. The show constantly took inspiration from GT, where it tried to close the gap, making it a part of the canon timeline.
Fueling several theories, during its narrative, it could not remain consistent with its plot, creating a joke of a villain and a major misconception that followed Kakarot. What became a major concern was how the series struggled with its pacing and fights—the two sectors in which the franchise used to shine bright like a star.
While it was somewhat relieving to see how Vegeta was shown some love when he finally unlocked SSJ3. The show blatantly attempted to keep the viewers hooked by featuring some plot twists, but most of them failed to surprise the fans.
The sheer predictability of the storyline made it difficult for some fans to remember Toriyama-Sensei on a good note, as their favorite protagonist has been a shadow of his former self and could not meet the expectations that fans had of the series.
DAIMA can be streamed on Hulu.
