Bandai Namco shared its financial report for the first quarter of the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2026. The first quarter covers revenue earned in April, May, and June of 2025. The report reveals the total sales received, projected revenue for the full year, and compares data with the previous year’s fiscal report. Bandai also highlights its top-earning franchise, showcasing the total sales earned from its major franchises in Yen. The 2026 report features two tables showing the sales of each major franchise worldwide and in Japan. While series like Dragon Ball and One Piece continue to be top sellers for the company, Gundam has become the highest-earning franchise for Bandai in the first quarter of the current fiscal year.
Gundam has always been one of Bandai’s top sellers, yet the franchise has been even more on the rise lately. More recent projects, including Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedomand Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuXhave contributed to the franchise’s higher sales and popularity. The franchise has nearly doubled its sales from the first quarter of 2026, setting a record as one of the most profitable years for Gundam yet.
Bandai Namco’s Financial Report Reveals Gundam as the Company’s Best-Selling Franchise
Based on the data provided by Bandai Namco’s Financial Report, Gundam earned 65 billion yen in the first quarter of the fiscal year that ends on March 31, 2026, equivalent to over $ 440 million USD. The earnings are up from the previous years, where the Gundam franchise only earned 36 billion yen for the first quarter of the 2025 fiscal year. Bandai projects Gundam will earn around 115 billion yen in the first half of the current fiscal year and will ultimately reach 160 billion yen by the end of the fiscal year. If these projections end up accurate, Gundam would surpass its previous fiscal year’s 153 billion yen.
For comparison, the second and third highest selling Bandai properties of this first quarter, One Piece and Dragon Ballrespectively, have only earned 32 billion and 26.9 billion yen. Dragon Ballwhich was the top-selling franchise for Bandai in the previous fiscal year, is projected to sell 150 billion yen at the end of this current fiscal year, a drop from its 190 billion yen in 2025. In contrast, One Piece is on track to match its 139.5 billion yen sales from the previous year with a projected forecast of 140 billion yen for the end of the 2026 fiscal year.
Gundam’s Popularity Continues to Grow
It should be noted that Bandai owns the Gundam franchise outright through subsidiaries. The other franchises Bandai earns revenues from are series it licenses out from other rightsholders. While Bandai makes plenty of money through the sales of Dragon Ball, One Pieceand Narutothe full rights for those properties are reserved for the original creators, manga publishers, and anime studios. Those other properties receive profits through other means, including streaming rights, television ratings, manga sales, and other collaborations.
Nonetheless, that shouldn’t take away Gundam’s growing popularity among the worldwide masses. Witch from Mercury achieved record-breaking Gunpla sales, whereas films like Gundam Seed Freedom and Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- were box office hits. Bandai is currently ramping up promotion for the anniversary of Mobile Suit Gundam Wingone of its most popular anime overseas.
H/T: Bandai Namco Holdings Inc.
