In the world of anime, physical media has become surprisingly cheap in the modern era. While there are anime known for going out of print and being nearly impossible to find, most anime are readily available for people who want physical copies.
But in the modern era with many fans focused on streaming, the box sets tend to be aimed at people who care the most about having physical copies of a series. Some companies even specifically cater to collectors and create box sets that are obscenely expensive to the average fan. These are sets that aren't expensive just because they can't be found, but often because of how many extras are packed into them.
10 Dragon Ball Z Has A Collection Of Its Entire Series For $157
Dragon Ball Z was the gateway anime for most anime fans and as a result, it's as popular today as it ever was. For people looking to own a collection for themselves, Amazon has an exclusive box set containing the entire series.
There's not much else included other than making sure it's all in 1080p, but for Dragon Ball Z fans, that's worth it. It also sells for only $157 despite the series having so many episodes, so it's hard to be upset at a lack of extra content there.
9 Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works Complete Box Set Has The Entire Series & OVAs For $190
Even for those that aren't Fate/Stay Night fans, Unlimited Blade Works is gorgeous just for the art alone — the studio did an incredible job in terms of amazing animation and even better combat scenes.
They had a hit on their hands, and they knew it, too. That's why the box set collects the first two seasons and an OVA before wrapping it up. There's also a special art booklet inside the set, but that's about it. This set isn't very expensive, as it tops out at $190.
8 Mobile Suit Gundam 00 10th Anniversary Ultra Edition Has The Series & Film For $184
Mobile Suit Gundam 00's box set is exactly what a massive box set collection should be. The 10th anniversary set for Mobile Suit Gundam 00, one of the best series in the franchise, is packed with all sorts of content. It's got all 50 episodes of the series along with the nonsensical sequel film, A Wakening of the Trailblazer.
Then it adds a massive art book, a poster, a Haro keychain, and a car magnet of the titular mecha. And not only does it come with a ton of goodies, but it also comes with a nice box. For once, Sunrise is only charging fans $170.
7 Nisekoi False Love Collects The Series & Its OVAs For $229
Nisekoi was a popular shonen romance anime that aired in 2014 and followed a couple who was forced to pretend they were dating. This False Love boxset contains both seasons one and two, which has thirty-two episodes in all.
It also has four OVA episodes in the set as well. Lastly, there's an illustration booklet that comes packaged in the blu-ray together, courtesy of Aniplex of America. All of this brings the blu-ray set to a total of $230.
6 Monogatari Series Second Season Contains Only The TV Series For $250
Aniplex of America clearly took advantage of just how much fans of this series enjoy it. The Monogatari Second Season box set is absurdly expensive considering what it includes. This box set is only the 28 episodes of the series and nothing else.
There's no English dub, which is understandable, but there aren't any other extras either. There are no artbooks or OVAs or cute keychains or anything. It's just the Monogatari series collected in a cute-looking box set. Shockingly, people are expected to pay $250.
5 The Garden of Sinners Collects All Seven Films But Charges An Outrageous $288
Garden of Sinners was a series of seven films that began in 2007, and fans of TYPE-MOON likely consider this box set a must-buy. It's got all seven films along with a special extra chapter. And if that's not enough, they added an extra booklet as well.
Of course, if one isn't a fan of TYPE-MOON and doesn't want to gawk at the art, this price is probably a bit much. Most people aren't willing to pay $288 just for a collection of films since most anime films aren't nearly as impressive as they used to be.
4 Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Collector's Ultra Edition Has The Series & Its Remaster For $316
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED is one of the more polarizing series in America, but it's also got some of the best mecha designs in all of Gundam, so there's a balance. In any case, the Ultra Edition has both the remastered HD version and the SD version of the series.
It also comes with the compilation films, but there are also roughly two hours of additional video extras to go along with it. There's also a massive book that contains everything from a glossary to a poster in the back. The extraordinary $300+ price tag is high, but it's worth it for SEED fans.
3 Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny Collector's Edition Has The Original Series, The Remastered Version, & The OVAs For $325.00
Gundam SEED Destiny isn't one of the more beloved Gundam anime series in America, and that only means this set is even harder to find, as the fans who love it aren't letting go and there aren't many in print. This set contains all of the original series in both HD and standard definition for people who love the retro look of the original.
It's also got the special "Final Plus" episode 51 and the movie compilations. If that's not enough, they included the special OVA Gundam SEED C.E. 73: Stargazer. And there's a giant book featuring a timeline, an interview with the director, and more. But it costs people $325, so it's gotta have plenty of content.
2 Sword Art Online Alicization War Of Underworld Box Set Has The Entire Second Season For $240
As popular as Sword Art Online is, it's a little strange that the Sword Art Online box sets are so expensive. In this particular box set, both parts of War of the Underworld are collected into one and the recap episodes are included as well.
There's also an original soundtrack from Yuki Kajiura with a tiny booklet included. For all these goodies, Aniplex of America is charging $240. It's a beautiful set, but it might not need to be here. And as if that wasn't bad enough, the first season is just also $240, making it $480 for the full set.
1 Persona 5 The Animation Blu-ray Doesn't Have Much Other Than The Series But Costs Fans $344
Persona 5 is widely seen as one of the greatest Japanese RPGs of all time. The series getting an anime isn't particularly surprising, as Persona has a long history of getting anime series. The box set just doesn't have much.
It's got all of the series' original episodes, but also they add in two special episodes. There's also some other bonus content on the discs, but likely nothing that's worth over $344. Aniplex of America wanted to milk fans of the Persona franchise completely dry with this one.