Ever asked what the best Japanese movie of 2019 is? 2018 or the last 10 years? In this article, we will share a list and ranking with the 10 most popular Japanese movies of each year, from 2019 to 2013.
We will start with ranking of best Japanese movies of 2019 for previous years. Japanese films largely include Japanese animations, original films, and works based on manga and novels.
The ranking has not only releases, but sequels and others. The ranking also tracks the box office in yen and dollars. The names of the films are in English. The ranking of years below will help you navigate through the article:

The best Japanese movies of 2019
The best Japanese films of the year 2019:
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Rank | Title | Box office |
---|---|---|
1 | Weathering with You | ¥ 14.02 billion (US$129.0 million) |
2 | Detective Conan: The Fist of Blue Sapphire | ¥ 9.37 billion (US$86.2 million) |
3 | Kingdom | ¥ 5.73 billion (US$52.7 million) |
4 | One Piece: Stampede | ¥ 5.53 billion (US$50.8 million) |
5 | Doraemon: Nobita's Chronicle of the Moon Exploration | ¥ 5.01 billion (US$46.1 million) |
6 | Masquerade Hotel | ¥ 4.64 billion (US$42.7 million) |
7 | Dragon Ball Super: Broly | ¥ 4.00 billion (US$36.8 million) |
8 | Fly Me to the Saitama | ¥ 3.76 billion (US$34.6 million) |
9 | Hit Me Anyone One More Time | ¥ 3.60 billion (US$33.1 million) |
10 | Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution | ¥ 2.98 billion (US$27.4 million) |
The best Japanese films of 2018
The best Japanese films of the year 2018:
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Rank | Movie | Box office |
---|---|---|
1 | Code Blue | ¥ 93 billion (US$83.9 million) |
2 | Detective Conan: Zero the Enforcer | ¥ 91.8 billion (US$108.12 million) |
3 | Doraemon the Movie: Nobita's Treasure Island | ¥ 53.7 billion (US$81.85 million) |
4 | Shoplifters | ¥ 45.5 billion (US$72.8 million) |
5 | Gintama 2 | ¥ 37 billion (US$55.2 million) |
6 | Destiny: The Tale of Kamakura | ¥ 32.1 billion (US$48 million) |
7 | One Cut of the Dead | ¥ 31.2 billion (US$30.5 million) |
8 | Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us | ¥ 30.9 billion (US$28.1 million) |
9 | Killing for the Prosecutions | ¥ 29.6 billion (US$27 million) |
10 | Mirai | ¥ 28.8 billion (US$28.4 million) |

The best Japanese films of 2017
The best Japanese films of the year 2017:
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Rank | Movie | Box office |
---|---|---|
1 | Detective Conan: Crimson Love Letter | ¥ 68.9 billion (US$65.45 million) |
2 | Doraemon the Movie 2017: Great Adventure in the Antarctic Kachi Kochi | ¥ 44.3 billion (US$65.4 million) |
3 | Gintama | ¥ 38.4 billion (US$45.7 million) |
4 | Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! | ¥ 35.5 billion (US$37.6 million) |
5 | Let Me Eat Your Pancreas | ¥ 35.2 billion (US$31.4 million) |
6 | Mary and the Witch's Flower | ¥ 32.9 billion (US$41 million) |
7 | Yo-kai Watch: Soratobu Kujira to Double no Sekai no Daibōken da Nyan! | ¥ 32.6 billion (US$30 million) |
8 | Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale | ¥ 25.2 billion (US$38.3 million) |
9 | Mumon: The Land of Stealth | ¥ 25.1 billion (US$22.2 million) |
10 | Memoirs of a Murderer | ¥ 24.1 billion (US$21.2 million) |

The best Japanese films of 2016
The best Japanese films of the year 2016:
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Rank | Movie | Box office |
---|---|---|
1 | Your Name | ¥ 213.2 billion (US$182.2 million) |
2 | Shin Godzilla | ¥ 81.1 billion (US$69.3 million) |
3 | Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare | ¥ 63.3 billion (US$54.1 million) |
4 | Yo-kai Watch: Enma Daiō to Itsutsu no Monogatari da Nyan! | ¥ 55.3 billion (US$47.3 million) |
5 | One Piece Film: Gold | ¥ 52 billion (US$44.4 million) |
6 | Nobunaga Concert: The Movie | ¥ 46.1 billion (US$42.6 million) |
7 | Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan 2016 | ¥ 41.2 billion (US$58.4 million) |
8 | Assassination Classroom: Graduation | ¥ 35.2 billion (US$32.6 million) |
9 | Orange | ¥ 32.5 billion (US$28.2 million) |
10 | Girls und Panzer der Film | ¥ 24 billion (US$22.9 million) |

The best Japanese films of 2015
The best Japanese films of the year 2015:
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Rank | Movie | Box office |
---|---|---|
1 | Yo-kai Watch: The Movie | ¥ 7.8 billion (US$80 million) |
2 | The Boy and the Beast | ¥ 5.85 billion (US$49.7 million) |
3 | Hero | ¥ 4.67 billion (US$38.7 million) |
4 | Detective Conan: Sunflowers of Inferno | ¥ 4.48 billion (US$61 million) |
5 | Doraemon: Nobita's Space Heroes | ¥ 3.93 billion (US$36 million) |
6 | Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' | ¥ 3.74 billion (US$64.8 million) |
7 | Attack on Titan | ¥ 3.74 billion (US$46 million) |
8 | Flying Colors | ¥ 2.84 billion (US$23.6 million) |
8 | Love Live! The School Idol Movie | ¥ 2.84 billion (US$28 million) |
10 | Assassination Classroom | ¥ 2.77 billion (US$25.8 million) |
We also recommend reading our article about Japanese Animation Studios.

The best Japanese films of 2014
The best Japanese films of the year 2014:
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Rank | Movie | Box office |
---|---|---|
1 | The Eternal Zero | ¥ 8.76 billion (US$84.5 million) |
2 | Stand by Me Doraemon | ¥ 8.38 billion (US$183.4 million) |
3 | Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno | ¥ 5.22 billion (US$52.9 million) |
4 | Thermae Romae II | ¥ 4.42 billion (US$41 million) |
5 | Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends | ¥ 4.35 billion (US$39.3 million) |
6 | Lupine the 3rd vs. Detective Conan: The Movie | ¥ 4.26 billion (US$45 million) |
7 | Detective Conan: Dimensional Sniper | ¥ 4.11 billion (US$37.1 million) |
8 | Doraemon: New Nobita’s Great Demon — Peko and the Exploration Party of Five | ¥ 3.58 billion (US$35.9 million) |
9 | When Marnie Was There | ¥ 3.53 billion (US$36 million) |
10 | Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction | ¥ 2.91 billion (US$28.2 million) |
The best Japanese films of 2013
The best Japanese films of the year 2013:
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Rank | Movie | Box office |
---|---|---|
1 | The Wind Rises | ¥ 12 billion |
2 | One Piece Film: Z | ¥ 6.87 billion |
3 | Doraemon: Nobita’s Secret Gadget Museum | ¥ 3.98 billion |
4 | Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea | ¥ 3.63 billion |
5 | Midsummer’s Equation | ¥ 3.31 billion |