TV Tokyo ranks Pokémon fourth in anime IP revenue for April-September 2026
Yu-Gi-Oh! moved past Pokémon into third on strong merchandise sales, while TV Tokyo's anime segment grew 11% year over year.
TV Tokyo has ranked Pokémon fourth among its anime intellectual properties by revenue for the six months from April 1 to September 30, 2026, according to the broadcaster's fiscal year ending March 2027 report cited by cbr.com. Naruto, Boruto and Yu-Gi-Oh! took the top three places ahead of it, with Bleach completing the top five.
Pokémon kept the fourth position it has held in earlier reports. Yu-Gi-Oh! moved past it into third place, lifted by strong merchandise sales.
TV Tokyo's anime business brought in 6,347 million yen (about US$42.3 million) in the second quarter of FY2027, down 2.8% from 6,531 million yen (about US$43.5 million) in the first quarter. Year over year, anime revenue grew 11% against the second quarter of FY2026, making it the broadcaster's strongest-performing segment. Anime rights revenue rose 3.6%, up 452 million yen (about US$3 million), in the first half of FY2027 compared with the same period a year earlier.
China was the largest overseas market for TV Tokyo's anime IPs at 30.8% of sales, followed by North America at 25.7% and Japan at 14.7%.
Naruto push ahead of 25th anniversary
TV Tokyo is putting weight behind Naruto ahead of the anime's 25th anniversary in 2027, including a four-episode crossover with Ninku and a new manga written and drawn by original creator Masashi Kishimoto. A Naruto trading card game from Bandai Card Games is set for a simultaneous worldwide launch in June 2027, and a global release is confirmed for the Naruto Mobile game.
A Pokémon: Wild Card movie is slated for sometime in 2027, with no specific release date confirmed. The Pokémon anime began broadcasting in April 1997 and will mark its 30th anniversary in April 2027.
Quick answers
Where did Pokémon rank in TV Tokyo's anime IP revenue for April to September 2026?
Pokémon placed fourth, behind Naruto, Boruto and Yu-Gi-Oh!, with Bleach in fifth.
How much did TV Tokyo's anime business earn in the second quarter of FY2027?
It earned 6,347 million yen (about US$42.3 million), down 2.8% from the first quarter but up 11% year over year.
When is the Pokémon: Wild Card movie coming out?
It is slated for sometime in 2027; no specific release date has been confirmed.