Bandai Namco’s latest FY2026 financial highlights revealed something that honestly feels unreal even for longtime fans. Gundam officially became the company’s top-performing franchise, surpassing both Dragon Ball and One Piece in revenue under Bandai Namco’s operations.
According to the report, Gundam generated approximately 254.3 billion yen during FY2026. In comparison, One Piece generated 139.3 billion yen, while Dragon Ball reached 138.0 billion yen. This marks the highest revenue Gundam has ever achieved in franchise history and officially places it at the top of Bandai Namco’s IP lineup.
The result becomes even more impressive when looking at the franchise’s previous performance. During FY2025, Gundam generated 153.5 billion yen, meaning the series grew by roughly 100 billion yen year-over-year, representing around 65% growth overall. For a franchise now over 45 years old, that kind of jump is massive and shows just how aggressively Gundam expanded throughout the year.
Bandai Namco also continued emphasizing its “IP synergy” strategy throughout the report, where anime, games, merchandise, exhibitions, streaming, card games, arcades, and live events all work together to strengthen a franchise. Gundam was repeatedly highlighted as one of the company’s strongest examples of that strategy succeeding at a global level. The company even specifically mentioned the Gundam Next Future Pavilion in Osaka as one contributor to the franchise’s explosive growth.
GunPla and hobby sales were also a major factor behind the franchise’s momentum. Bandai Spirits’ hobby business, including GunPla and collectible products, helped drive record-breaking performance for the company’s Toys and Hobby division. With nonstop Premium Bandai releases, anniversary projects, collaborations, and increasing worldwide demand, Gundam’s presence in the hobby market continues to grow larger every year.
One of the biggest driving forces behind the surge was Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, which launched right at the start of FY2026. During the first quarter alone, Gundam revenue reached 65.4 billion yen, up 81.2% year-over-year, making it one of the strongest commercial quarters in franchise history. The anime’s timing, combined with the massive push in GunPla and merchandise, helped propel Gundam into an entirely different commercial tier.
What makes this even crazier is that Gundam did not just barely edge past Dragon Ball or One Piece. Gundam’s revenue increase alone, approximately 100.8 billion yen, was nearly as large as One Piece’s entire yearly revenue. While One Piece largely stayed flat year-over-year and Dragon Ball saw a notable decline from FY2025, Gundam exploded forward at a completely different pace.
For Gundam fans, the message from Bandai Namco’s latest report is pretty clear. Gundam is bigger than ever right now, and with new anime projects, expanding GunPla lines, worldwide events, and anniversary celebrations continuing nonstop, the franchise shows absolutely no signs of slowing down.
GOOGLE ACCOUNT IS REQUIRED TO POST ON OUR COMMENT SECTION.