Low Anime Blu-ray Sales Spark Frustration Among Fans

In the era of streaming dominance, low anime Blu-ray sales are becoming a growing concern for Japanese fans. The recent sales data from the Spring 2025 anime season sparked disappointment across local forums, as even popular or well-produced series failed to move significant units.

Below is the current ranking of disc sales as of July 30, 2025. The list includes the number of copies sold, the anime’s name, and its volume count:

• 3,116 – WIND BREAKER Season 2 (Vol. 1 of 6)

• 1,752 – Hibi wa Sugiredo Meshi Umashi (Vol. 1 of 6)

• 1,626 – mono (Vol. 1 of 6)

• 1,499 – Haite Kudasai, Takamine-san (Vol. 1 of 3)

• 1,438 – Black Butler: Public School Arc (Vol. 1 of 4)

• 1,234 – Dr. STONE: SCIENCE FUTURE (1st cour)

• 741 – Maebashi Witches (Vol. 2 of 6)

• 628 – #Compass 2.0: Sentou Setsuri Kaiseki System

• 608 – Zatsu Tabi – That’s Journey (Vol. 1 of 2)

• 592 – LAZARUS

• 479 – I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years Season 2

• 355 – Ninja to Koroshiya no Futari Gurashi (Vol. 1 of 3)

• 232 – The Shiunji Family Children (Vol. 1 of 3)

• 120 – Vigilante: My Hero Academia ILLEGALS (Vol. 1 of 2)

The following titles performed so poorly that official numbers haven’t even been reported:

• Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Exist? (No, It Can’t!!)

• The Noble Girl Blessed by the Gorilla God Gets Pampered by the Royal Knights

• Chuuzenji-sensei’s Mononoke Lectures

• GUILTY GEAR STRIVE: DUAL RULERS

• Until the Witch Dies

Low Anime Blu-ray Sales Spark Frustration Among Fans

The low numbers triggered widespread discussion among Japanese fans online. Here are some of the most common reactions:

• “It’s sad when well-made shows don’t sell.”

• “If I had to buy anything from last season, it’d be HibiMeshi for sure.”

• “Do people even buy physical discs in the streaming age?”

• “HibiMeshi outsold mono, surprisingly.”

• “Takamine-san selling well is kinda funny. Sex appeal still works.”

• “Considering everything’s digital now, these sales are actually impressive.”

• “Some of these numbers look like the staff just bought copies for memories. That’s a bit depressing.”

• “Honestly, selling discs might not even be worth it anymore.”

• “Discs are annoying to use. Why do Blu-rays still exist?”

• “The Blu-ray buying culture is dead. Not just in anime, but entertainment in general. Streaming took over.”

• “NinKorome was hilarious. Shame it didn’t sell.”

• “Prices have always been way too high. Only hardcore fans buy for the bonuses or to support.”

• “Will the trend now be censored broadcasts and uncensored Blu-rays?”

• “A lot of these titles are literally unmeasurable in sales.”

• “Most people don’t even own Blu-ray players anymore.”

One comment summed it up: “Sex appeal sells.” It led some to speculate that the industry might start airing censored versions and selling the uncensored editions via Blu-ray to drive sales. Interestingly, Nukitashi currently tops the Amazon ranking for Blu-rays, but fans are now watching to see what Oricon will officially report in terms of units sold.

Ultimately, the days when Blu-ray and DVD sales were used as a major success metric for anime may be behind us. With streaming dominating the landscape, buying physical media has become the exception rather than the rule.