Japan's 100 Best Selling Video Games Since 2001

Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu has published a list of the top 100 retail video games sold in Japan between Jan. 1, 2001 and Sept. 29, 2013.

Let me give you a quick hint about the list, too: Japan loves it some Nintendo, and not a single western developed game appears on the list. Every game was born and bred in the Land of the Rising Sun, which does not seem too feasible in this Western booming video game world.

Check out the list below:

1   6,424,000   NDS  New Super Mario Bros.
2   5,827,000   NDS  Pokémon Diamond / Pearl
3   5,489,000   NDS  Pokémon Black / White
4   5,337,000   GBA  Pokémon Ruby / Sapphire
5   5,239,000   NDS  Animal Crossing: Wild World
6   5,082,000   NDS  Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day
7   4,568,000   WII  New Super Mario Bros. Wii
8   4,503,000   PSP  Monster Hunter Freedom 3
9   4,156,000   NDS  Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies 10   4,003,000   NDS  Mario Kart DS

11   3,936,000   NDS  Pokémon HeartGold / SoulSilver
12   3,847,000   NDS  Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!
13   3,823,000   3DS  Animal Crossing: New Leaf
14   3,724,000   WII  Wii Sports
15   3,691,000   NDS  Tomodachi Collection
16   3,675,000   WII  Mario Kart Wii
17   3,562,000   WII  Wii Fit
18   3,555,000   PS2  Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
19   3,143,000   WII  Wii Sports Resort 20   3,076,000   GBA  Pokémon FireRed / LeafGreen

21   2,998,000   NDS  Pokémon Black 2 / White 2
22   2,804,000   WII  Wii Play
23   2,605,000   NDS  Pokémon Platinum Version
24   2,542,000   3DS  Monster Hunter 4
25   2,453,000   PSP  Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
26   2,410,000   WII  Wii Fit Plus
27   2,382,000   WII  Wii Party
28   2,325,000   PS2  Final Fantasy X
29   2,323,000   PS2  Final Fantasy XII 30   2,279,000   WII  Super Smash Bros. Brawl

31   2,229,000   NDS  English Training
32   2,197,000   GBA  Pokémon Emerald Version
33   2,114,000   3DS  New Super Mario Bros. 2
34   2,112,000   NDS  Mario Party DS
35   2,087,000   3DS  Mario Kart 7
36   2,081,000   NDS  Nintendogs: Labrador / Dachshund / Chihuahua and Friends
37   1,961,000   PS2  Final Fantasy X-2
38   1,917,000   NDS  Rhythm Heaven: Tap into the Rhythm
39   1,906,000   PS3  Final Fantasy XIII 40   1,882,000   3DS  Super Mario 3D Land

41   1,723,000   PSP  Monster Hunter Freedom 2
42   1,615,000   PS2  Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
43   1,590,000   3DS  Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
44   1,590,000   NDS  Big Brain Academy
45   1,570,000   NDS  Otona no Joushikiryoku Training DS
46   1,552,000   NDS  Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time / Darkness
47   1,470,000   WII  Mario Party 8
48   1,467,000   NDS  Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker
49   1,439,000   PS2  Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec 50   1,434,000   3DS  Tomodachi Collection: Shin Seikatsu

51   1,349,000   NGC  Super Smash Bros. Melee
52   1,334,000   NDS  Tetris DS
53   1,297,000   NDS  Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation
54   1,285,000   NDS  Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2
55   1,280,000   GBA  Famicom Mini: Super Mario Bros.
56   1,253,000   NGB  Dragon Quest Monsters 2: Cobi’s Journey
57   1,232,000   NDS  Super Mario 64 DS
58   1,222,000   3DS  Dragon Quest VII: Eden no Senshitachi
59   1,221,000   WII  Animal Crossing: City Folk 60   1,215,000   NDS  Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen

61   1,204,000   NDS  Kirby Super Star Ultra
62   1,197,000   PS2  Dynasty Warriors 4
63   1,190,000   NDS  Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
64   1,174,000   PS1  Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen
65   1,157,000   NDS  Inazuma Eleven 2: Firestorm / Blizzard
66   1,136,000   NDS  WarioWare: Touched!
67   1,129,000   PS2  Kingdom Hearts II
68   1,121,000   NDS  Kirby Squeak Squad
69   1,117,000   PS2  World Soccer Winning Eleven 6: International 70   1,112,000   PSP  Monster Hunter Freedom Unite [PSP the Best]

71   1,110,000   NDS  Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop
72   1,100,000   PS2  World Soccer Winning Eleven 7
73   1,083,000   PS2  Hot Shots Golf 4
74   1,077,000   WII  Monster Hunter 3
75   1,067,000   PS2  Gran Turismo 4
76   1,060,000   PS2  World Soccer Winning Eleven 8: International
77   1,056,000   NDS  Oshare Majo Love & Berry: DS Collection
78   1,054,000   NDS  Yoshi’s Island DS
79   1,050,000   PS2  Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 80   1,043,000   WII  Super Mario Galaxy 2

81   1,043,000   PS2  Dynasty Warriors 3
82   1,026,000   WII  Super Mario Galaxy
83   1,024,000   PS2  Samurai Warriors
84   1,018,000   NDS  Inazuma Eleven 3: Lightning Bolt / Bomb Blast
85   1,008,000   NDS  Final Fantasy III
86   1,004,000   PS2  Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny
87   1,003,000   NDS  Professor Layton and the Curious Village
88     977,000   WII  Donkey Kong Country Returns
89     963,000   PS2  Jissen Pachislot Hisshouhou! Fist of the North Star 90     958,000   NDS  Shaberu! DS Oryouri Navi

91     946,000   NDS  Flash Focus: Vision Training in Minutes a Day
92     946,000   NDS  Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
93     938,000   GBA  Mario Kart: Super Circuit
94     934,000   PS2  World Soccer Winning Eleven 9
95     929,000   GBA  Mega Man Battle Network 4: Red Sun / Blue Moon
96     928,000   PS2  Onimusha: Warlords
97     922,000   PS2  Hot Shots Golf 3
98     919,000   GBA  Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World
99     918,000   PS2  Dynasty Warriors 5 100     917,000   WII  Super Mario All-Stars: Limited Edition

In fact, the only company which can really challenge Nintendo’s supremacy of sales in Japan is Square Enix. Capcom has a few games, but they are all in the Monster Hunter series, and another company does not appear on the list until 49 with Gran Turismo 3, published by Sony.

Level-5, Konami, SEGA, and Koei all make appearances too, but by and large, this is a Nintendo world we’re all trying to survive in.

Another list has also appeared regarding the lifetime sales of each console in that time period.

32,864,000   NDS  Nintendo
21,987,000   PS2* PlayStation 2
19,550,000   PSP  PlayStation Portable
15,527,000   GBA  Gameboy Advance
12,899,000   3DS  Nintendo 3DS
12,722,000   WII  Nintendo Wii
9,362,000   PS3  PlayStation 3
4,009,000   NGC  Nintendo Gamecube
1,774,000   PSV  PlayStation Vita
1,603,000   360  Xbox 360
1,071,000   WIU  Nintendo Wii U 473,000   XBX  Xbox

I think its safe to say that the Nintendo DS has far and away been the best decision Nintendo has made in the past 14 years. The Wii is nothing to laugh about either.

Were there any surprises on either list for you?