Naruto is a legendary shonen series by creator Masashi Kishimoto, who kickstarted this iconic story on September 21, 1999, in Issue #43 of Weekly Shonen Jump. The Naruto series would go on to continue serialization for 15 more years in the magazine before reaching its conclusion in 2014. The anime followed suit a few years later and ended in 2017.
It has been almost a decade since this masterpiece ended, and even with limited content release, it has now proven itself to still be the King among various anime. In an official yearly revenue report that came out this month, Naruto was officially crowned as TV-Tokyo’s highest-earning anime series, despite not having an anime series for almost a decade now. By edging out other competitors and staying at the very top, Naruto has officially proven that it is unbeatable.
TV Tokyo’s Latest Revenue Report Confirms Naruto As The #1 Earning Anime Series Without An Anime
TV Tokyo is a major Japanese television station, owned by TV Tokyo Corporation. It first started broadcasting on April 22, 1964, and today, it still continues to be one of the most-watched channels in Japan. TV Tokyo is especially known for broadcasting to Japanese audiences many major anime series, including the likes of Naruto, Boruto, Pokémon, and even newer shows like Black Clover. On May 9, 2026, TV Tokyo revealed its most recent fiscal year report, which spanned from Apr 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026. In this report, the channel officially confirmed its biggest anime moneymakers, and among them, a clear top performer emerged. TV Tokyo’s highest anime sales revenue came through none other than Naruto.
Naruto is an iconic series originally created by Masashi Kishimoto in 1999, and later animated in 2002 by Studio Pierrot, with TV Tokyo. When talking about anime sales revenue, what’s being specifically included is income generated from a few outlets, such as streaming, merchandise, games, and others. TV Tokyo didn’t release exactly how much Naruto generated, but undoubtedly, it was a significant amount for it to top the charts. This is especially impressive as Naruto ended almost a decade ago and yet remains an extremely profitable IP.
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Naruto topped the charts for TV Tokyo, and this becomes even more impressive when looking at the rest of the top 5. In second place for the channel was actually Boruto, which is Naruto’s very own sequel. In a way, the Naruto franchise as a whole has taken over the two top spots in money generation, which goes to show the potential revenue generation of this IP. This is with Boruto being currently on hiatus as well, making it even more impressive.
After Naruto and Boruto, Yu-Gi-Oh! made it into third spot. Yu-Gi-Oh! is an extremely popular anime, yet it was still beaten out by Naruto and its sequel. Pokemon was also in the top 5, but only 4th overall. We were definitely shocked to see Pokemon this low in comparison to other series, as it would seem to be a top profitable series. Finally in 5th spot was Black Clover, the manga for which ended recently. This doesn’t come as a surprise, as everyone knows Black Clover never reached the levels of popularity of Naruto.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
TV Tokyo To Expand Naruto Franchise Globally
The Naruto anime is about to celebrate a massive milestone very soon thanks to its 25th anniversary next year. Since the Naruto anime first started airing in 2002, next year marks its 25th year. Of course, TV Tokyo will not let this anniversary go by without announcing new projects. Due to Naruto’s overwhelming success, TV Tokyo wants to use the popularity to create a global Naruto boom. In southern France, a Naruto-themed park was opened in Parc Spirou. This could be just the beginning of an expansion that will continue rapidly in the months to come.
Why Naruto Could Potentially Get New Anime Content Soon
While theme parks and global recognition are always welcomed by Naruto fans, most of us want to see the return of the Naruto anime more than anything. Previously, Studio Pierrot had promised 4 Naruto special episodes, and with their production over, these should be released sometime in 2026. An exact release date remains unconfirmed, however. The closest thing fans have to a Naruto return is the Boruto anime comeback, which is anticipated to be soon.
A full-fledged Naruto remake has yet to be announced, but seeing the likes of One Piece and Dragon Ball already getting a remake and remaster respectively, it’s not impossible for Naruto to get one as well. With its immense global popularity and great global support, Naruto's revival seems to be on the cards, and we absolutely cannot wait to see what's in store for us next year, with its 25th anniversary.
Source: TV Tokyo Fiscal Report 2026