Translation: 2000-2010 best-selling TV anime
Note: I frequently encounter people complaining that cheap moe/fanservice anime are being made because they sell better than “serious” anime. However, these shows typically sell extremely poorly – I hope this list will help improve your internet arguments. I’ve added a somewhat-accurate list of genres/original source material.
Source: Anime sales thread material repository on livedoor bbs, presumably from 2ch originally.
These numbers are per-volume averages, with each DVD in a box set being counted as an individual volume. (*) indicates series still being released when the list was made in 2010/05.
List of 2000-2010 TV anime DVD/BDs with 10,000+ sales
| Sales | Genre | Series |
| 170,479 | Comedy | The World of Golden Eggs |
| 79,204 | Mecha SF | Gundam SEED Destiny |
| 76,760 | Light Novel | Bakemonogatari (*) |
| 70,349 | Mecha SF | Gundam SEED |
| 52,900 | Shounen | Full Metal Alchemist |
| 50,552 | Shounen | Code Geass |
| 46,147 | Mecha SF | Macross Frontier |
| 42,822 | 4koma Comedy | K-ON! |
| 42,690 | Shounen | Code Geass R2 |
| 41,038 | Light Novel SF | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya |
| 39,208 | SF | Gundam 00 |
| 34,601 | SF | Gundam 00 S2 |
| 29,890 | Seinen | Ghost in the Shell S.A.C. 2nd Gig |
| 29,768 | Visual Novel | Clannad |
| 29,509 | Sports | Initial D Fourth Stage |
| 29,146 | 4koma Comedy | Lucky Star |
| 27,377 | Seinen | Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex |
| 26,910 | 4koma Comedy | Azumanga Daiou |
| 26,047 | Visual Novel Fantasy | Fate/stay night |
| 25,637 | Harem Romance | Love Hina |
| 24,346 | Visual Novel | AIR |
| 24,253 | SF+Moe | A Certain Scientific Railgun (*) |
| 22,829 | Light Novel | Dulalala! (*) |
| 22,591 | Magical Girl SF | Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS |
| 21,831 | 4koma Comedy | Working!! (*) |
| 20,450 | Visual Novel | Kanon (2006) |
| 20,342 | Healing | Aria The Origination |
| 20,052 | Shounen SF | Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann |
| 19,819 | Visual Novel | Clannad After Story |
| 19,297 | Sports | Ookiku Furikabutte |
| 18,683 | Fighting | Bleach (1-20) |
| 18,573 | Fighting | Bleach (42-63) |
| 18,556 | Light Novel SF | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya S2 |
| 18,535 | ??? | Mononoke |
| 17,888 | Sports | Initial D Second Stage |
| 17,864 | Healing | Aria The Animation |
| 17,553 | Comedy | Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu |
| 17,481 | Fighting | Bleach (21-41) |
| 16,458 | Harem Comedy | Mahou Sensei Negima! |
| 16,262 | ??? | Onegai Teacher |
| 16,166 | ??? | Onegai Twins |
| 16,079 | SF | Darker than Black S1 |
| 15,983 | Healing | Aria The Natural |
| 15,448 | Comedy | Gintama S1 |
| 15,284 | Comedy | Gintama S2 |
| 15,246 | Comedy | Gintama S3 |
| 15,021 | Shounen | Death Note |
| 14,216 | Visual Novel Fantasy | Shingetsutan Tsukihime |
| 14,125 | Fanservice Comedy | Mahoromatic S1 |
| 13,920 | Neo-Shounen | Kuroshitsuji |
| 13,789 | Fanservice | Strike Witches S1 |
| 13,723 | Shounen | Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood (*) |
| 13,360 | Visual Novel | D.C. ~Da Capo~ |
| 13,233 | ??? | Hand Maid May |
| 12,971 | ??? | Mai-HiME |
| 12,937 | Comedy | Gintama S4 |
| 12,673 | SF | Darker than Black S2 (*) |
| 12,290 | ??? | Ai yori Aoshi |
| 12,126 | Light Novel | A Certain Magical Index S1 |
| 12,094 | ??? | Infinite Ryvius |
| 11,932 | Shoujo | Fruits Basket |
| 11,920 | Fighting | Scryed |
| 11,800 | Novel SF | Banner of the Stars |
| 11,712 | SF | Eureka Seven |
| 11,521 | Fanservice Comedy | Mahoromatic S2 |
| 11,440 | ??? | Read or Die TV |
| 11,265 | ??? | Mai-Otome |
| 11,251 | Magical Girl | Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A’s |
| 11,244 | Comedy | Minami-ke S1 |
| 11,243 | ??? | Rozen Maiden Träumend |
| 11,039 | ??? | Honey & Clover |
| 10,880 | Harem Comedy | Kannagi |
| 10,620 | Light Novel | Shakugan no Shana S1 |
| 10,612 | Light Novel Drama | Toradora |
| 10,315 | ??? | Natsume’s Book of Friends S2 |
| 10,236 | ??? | Natsume’s Book of Friends |
| 10,219 | Comedy | Pani Poni Dash! |
| 10,049 | Seinen | Mushi-shi |
| 10,046 | ??? | Library War |
Who says SHAFT needs industry awards?