Top 10 Most Successful Anime Franchises

You're looking at the ultimate showdown of anime legends. This isn't just another list. It's where fandom clout meets cold, hard facts. It's your chance to back the series you believe belong at the summit.

People from around the globe have already thrown in their votes, and now it's up to you to add your voice.

Think about the juggernauts that moved mountains in manga sales, anime episodes, merch mania, box office gold, and cultural buzz. Now weigh in on which ones you want leading the charge here. Your vote boosts franchises to the spotlight they deserve. No fluff. Just pure fan-powered rankings. Time to make your pick.

The Top Ten

Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation and based on the manga of the same name by Akira Toriyama. It helped popularize anime in the United States and was dubbed in English on Cartoon Network's Toonami block. The franchise has remained highly influential, spawning... read more

Dragon Ball is the best franchise in every field. Some are good at games, some are good at anime, and some at manga, but Dragon Ball rules in all fields.

Dragon Ball has earned a special place in my heart. It's such a good anime. In my opinion, it's the best anime ever made.

This anime is still going strong to this day, despite its dark years (i.e., Dragon Ball GT).
Pokémon

Pokémon, abbreviated from the Japanese title Pocket Monsters and currently marketed in English as Pokémon: The Series, is a Japanese anime television series adapted for international audiences. It was first broadcast in Japan on April 1, 1997, and in the United States on September 8, 1998.... read more

There is no competition to the international phenomenon that is Pokemon, and it doesn't look like there will be any time soon! With one of the longest-running anime series, as well as a vast array of video games and merchandise, Pokemon is the most successful anime franchise of all time!

Who doesn't know about Pokemon!
Naruto

Naruto is an anime and manga franchise created by Masashi Kishimoto. The manga was adapted into a television anime series produced by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex. It premiered on TV Tokyo and other TX Network stations on October 3, 2002.... read more

I know I will be pissing off some One Piece fans because One Piece is more successful in Japan than Naruto. However, on an international level, Naruto is far more successful.

This is the best franchise for sure.

Dragon Ball and Naruto are and will forever remain the most popular anime ever.
One Piece

One Piece is a manga franchise created by Eiichiro Oda. The manga was adapted into an original video animation produced by Production I.G in 1998. The anime series produced by Toei Animation began broadcasting in Japan in 1999 and has aired more than 1,100 episodes.

I love One Piece. I've been watching it for almost 20 years now. Nothing compares to this anime.

The best! It's long but worth watching. The world-building, character development, and storyline - everything is good!
Death Note

Death Note is a Japanese anime television series based on the manga created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. The story follows Light Yagami, a gifted high school student with a strong sense of justice who discovers a notebook that allows him to kill anyone by writing their name in it. His actions as... read more
Attack on Titan

Attack on Titan, known in Japan as Shingeki no Kyojin, is a widely acclaimed anime series created by Hajime Isayama. The series premiered in Japan in April 2013 and debuted in English in the United States in 2014. It is recognized for its emotional storytelling, post-apocalyptic setting, and thrilling... read more

AoT is a series that is not nice to its viewers. It is a series that is not afraid to be controversial, writing out characters as they are killed off one by one. It encapsulates the meaning of "survival." That is essentially what all life is: a struggle to survive and to fight. Fight. FIGHT!

This is an anime that I go back to and rewatch over and over again, despite the death. But isn't that what makes the story interesting? Season 2 exceeded my expectations!
Fate series

Name any other visual novel franchise that has achieved as much success as Type-Moon's biggest series. It's incredible to think that what started as an eroge visual novel has turned into a series of manga, light novels, anime, movies, video games, and arguably the biggest cash cow among them, the hit mobile game Fate/Grand Order. Did I forget to mention its high popularity in its home country, Japan?

What an amazing world. I look forward to every new season of this series. After my first experience, I became a fan for life.
Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion, commonly referred to as Evangelion or Eva, is a Japanese animated television series produced by Gainax and Tatsunoko Production. It was directed by Hideaki Anno and originally aired in Japan from October 1995 to March 1996. The series is known for its psychological depth, complex... read more
Bleach

Bleach is a Japanese anime series based on Tite Kubo's manga of the same name. The anime adapts the first 54 volumes of the manga and includes four anime-original arcs that aired alongside and between the main story arcs.
The story follows Ichigo Kurosaki, a high school student with the ability... read more

My second favorite anime (behind Naruto).

I think Bleach is even better than Naruto when it comes to action and TV ratings.
Gundam

The Gundam franchise offers a series for every type of viewer. It has a high success rate and innovates with each passing generation. With multiple timelines existing in parallel, there's a strong sense of freedom in the animations of Gundam. I have great respect for this series and hope that its positive trend will continue.

The Gundam franchise, as usual, has a series to appeal to each different user or viewership. It is really good at depicting what is cool and reinvents itself with each passing generation. Plus, the timelines are also not the same in each Gundam-based series. They've done a really nice job with it and should garner respect at some point.

The Newcomers

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Shakugan no Shana

Shakugan no Shana is an anime series that includes three television seasons, original video animation episodes, and bonus shorts. It is based on the light novel series written by Yashichiro Takahashi and illustrated by Noizi Ito. The anime was produced by J.C.Staff and aired between 2005 and 2012.
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Danganronpa

Danganronpa: The Animation is a 2013 anime television series based on Spike Chunsoft's video game Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc. The story follows a group of high school students trapped in a deadly game of mutual killing at Hope's Peak Academy. The anime adaptation condenses the plot of the original... read more

The Contenders

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is a manga and anime franchise originally written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. It centers on the perilous journeys of members of the Joestar bloodline. The series is known for its distinctive art style, creative battles, and supernatural themes.
Sailor Moon

Sailor Moon is a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. The series was originally serialized in Nakayoshi magazine from 1991 to 1997. The story was collected into 18 tankōbon volumes containing 52 individual chapters.... read more

As a shoujo title, it deserves a place in the top 10.
Monogatari series

Airing initially in 2009, this anime series is based on light novels by Nisio Isin. The series employs unconventional storytelling techniques to narrate the experiences of a high school student encountering various supernatural oddities. Known for its distinctive visual style and dialogue-heavy episodes... read more

Fantastic series with very clever writing. The character interactions are fantastic, and the animation is absolutely beautiful. This is my favorite series, hands down.
Fullmetal Alchemist

Fullmetal Alchemist is an anime series adapted from the manga of the same name by Hiromu Arakawa. It follows two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who use alchemy in a quest to restore their bodies after a failed attempt to resurrect their mother. The original series aired in 2003, and a more faithful... read more

Watching Brotherhood is still, to this day, one of my fondest experiences. What an amazing vision brought to life.
Gintama

Gin Tama, also styled as Gintama, is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Hideaki Sorachi, serialized beginning on December 8, 2003, in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump. The series is known for its blend of comedy, action, and science fiction set in an alternate-history Edo period. It was adapted... read more
Fairy Tail

Fairy Tail is a manga franchise created by Hiro Mashima. It was adapted into an anime series produced by A-1 Pictures and Satelight, which first aired in Japan on October 12, 2009. The franchise also includes several original video animations and a feature film titled Fairy Tail the Movie: Phoenix Priestess... read more
Inuyasha

InuYasha is a manga franchise created by Rumiko Takahashi. It was adapted into two anime television series produced by Sunrise. The first aired for 167 episodes on Yomiuri TV in Japan from October 16, 2000, to September 13, 2004.... read more
Love Live!
One-Punch Man

One-Punch Man is a webcomic created by ONE in 2009 that was later adapted into both a manga and an anime series. It gained widespread popularity and went viral in 2012, amassing millions of views. The story follows Saitama, who is named after Saitama Prefecture, as he seeks an opponent strong enough... read more
Yu-Gi-Oh!

Yu-Gi-Oh! aired from 2000 to 2004 in Japan and from 2001 to 2006 in the United States. It continues the story where the original Toei anime left off. When 10th grader Yugi Muto solves the Millennium Puzzle, a spirit named Yami Yugi emerges and helps him protect his friends. In Duel Monsters, much of... read more

It's a Japanese-American card game where they use specific game rules. For generations, they have added more cards for duels.
K-On!

K-ON! (けいおん!, literally Light Music) is a Japanese slice-of-life and comedy four-panel comic strip manga created by Kakifly. The manga was serialized from 2007 to 2012 and was compiled into six volumes.
Kyoto Animation produced an anime adaptation that aired in 2009 and 2010, spanning two seasons... read more
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha is a Japanese anime television series directed by Akiyuki Shinbo, with a screenplay written by Masaki Tsuzuki and produced by Seven Arcs. The series premiered in Japan in 2004 and is a spin-off from the visual novel Triangle Heart. It has since expanded into a multimedia franchise... read more

I find it hard to believe that one of the most successful and popular magical girl anime franchises of all time was actually spun off from an eroge game series, Triangle Heart.
Macross
Cardcaptor Sakura

Cardcaptor Sakura, abbreviated as CCS and also known as Cardcaptors, is a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by the manga group Clamp. The series follows Sakura Kinomoto, a young girl who discovers magical powers after accidentally releasing a set of magical cards. It was first published... read more
Senki Zesshō Symphogear