BandaiNamco have released their Q1 financial report for this year, including data on its biggest brands. So how have Kamen Rider Fourze and Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters stacked up compared to previous shows?

Before we get started, you’ll want to keep in mind that we’re looking at the Toys and Hobby Business / Net Sales by Character (Japan) section as this is what looks at the toy sales for these shows. The list above looks at the overall merchandise, basically anything that has that show branded onto it, be it toy or something else. Given that the Group Totals tend to be more than double the Toys and Hobby for Super Sentai, it’s generally thought that the Group Total includes Power Rangers as well. (though Super Sentai is listed as Power Rangers on the report here)

Super Sentai

Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters has made 2.9 billion yen in its first three months. This is down compared to Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger’s 3.6 billion yen in its first quarter. By the end of its financial year, Gokaiger had made 13.0 billion yen. Bandai’s forecasts for Go-Busters predict that it will end up making 5.5 billion yen in its second quarter and have a total of 11.0 billion yen for its full year. It should be noted that Gokaiger ties with Abaranger as the most successful series of the last decade. It was a higher than normal year and expecting Go-Busters to tie or surpass that would have been a little unrealistic.

Compared to other shows though? Go-Busters is actually doing fairly well. While it might be bombing in ratings, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters is set to surpass the last couple of years. Here’s a quick break down.

2012 – Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters – 11.0 Billion yen – predicted
2011 – Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger – 13.0 Billion yen
2010 – Tensou Sentai Goseiger – 9.2 Billion yen
2009 – Samurai Sentai Shinkenger – 10.5 Billion yen
2008 – Engine Sentai Go-Onger – 12.0 Billion yen
2007 – Juken Sentai Gekiranger – 7.7 Billion yen
2006 – GoGo Sentai Boukenger – 10.1 billion yen
2005 – Mahou Sentai Magiranger – 10.8 Billion yen
2004 – Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger – 11.6 Billion yen
2003 – Bakuryu Sentai Abaranger – 13.0 Billion yen

While Go-Busters isn’t doing as great as last year, you would be hard pressed to present a show that would do that well in toy sells. In general though? It’s doing really good. In the last ten years, only four shows have had a higher full year if the forecasts hold true. So this might help offset the pretty terrible ratings that Go-Busters has been getting so far. We could be looking at another Ohranger/Carranger scenario where a show appears with some terrible ratings but fairly great toy sales.

Kamen Rider

Rider numbers are a little harder to look at than Sentai thanks to each year seeing two Kamen Rider shows now. What we do know is that since Kamen Rider Decade, each subsequent year has seen an improvement over the previous year’s financial records – and not just that but each year saw a new high for the franchise’s Heisei run. The 2012 year expected to cover the first quarter of Kamen Rider Wizard and three quarters of Kamen Rider Fourze are forecast at making 22.0 Billion yen. This is down from 2011’s 28.3 Billion yen, a fairly large drop off. Essentially breaking the trend of each year being a new historic high for Kamen Rider since 2009. How does it break down compared to other years?

2012 – 22.0 Billion yen – predicted
2011 – 28.3 Billion yen
2010 – 23.0 Billion yen
2009 – 17.5 Billion yen
2008 – Kamen Rider Kiva – 8.5 Billion yen
2007 – Kamen Rider Den-O – 11.5 Billion yen
2006 – Kamen Rider Kabuto – 7.1 Billion yen
2005 – Kamen Rider Hibiki – 6.5 Billion yen
2004 – Kamen Rider Blade – 7.9 Billion yen
2003 – Kamen Rider 555 – 12.0 Billion yen
2002 – Kamen Rider Ryuki – 13.9 Billion yen
2001 – Kamen Rider Agito – 9.4 Billion yen
2000 – Kamen Rider Kugga – 11.8 Billion yen

So, it’s not going to be the greatest year for Kamen Rider, but it’s not dipping below Kamen Rider Decade, typically the point see as the start of the new Kamen Rider boom. While Kamen Rider Fourze saw a drop, it’s not one you can be too sad over. Essentially you drop from having a new historic high as expected to just another really really good year for the franchise – and if that’s a low point for Kamen Rider these days, this franchise is pretty set for the future.

Other

Other items listed in the financial report include Pretty Cure and Ultraman. Pretty Cure is an anime series aimed at girls that airs after Kamen Rider – think of it as a girl oriented Sentai anime. The predicted total for this year has Pretty Cure making 11.5 Billion yen, up from Suite PreCure’s franchise low of 10.7 Billion yen. Ultraman also makes the list coming in at number 12 on Bandai’s top 12 list. If forecasts hold true, Ultraman will see an improvement over last year to 2.0 Billion yen, which is still the second lowest year in the last four years, but it’s something.

Source: Rising Sun Tokusatsu