List of NA DVD-Only Anime with Blu-rays in Japan

[BigOnAnime]

This will be a list to keep track of anime that were only released on DVD in North America but have Blu-rays in Japan. This will also include titles with HD materials that weren't released on the format. Titles released on SD Blu-ray in Japan will be excluded from this list. This is a work in progress, but this should be most of it. Hopefully many of these titles do end up on the format, though for some I'd prefer a Discotek-style upscale or SDBD instead.

Black=HD Native
Blue=Upscale of a digipaint series
Red=Upscale of a cel-animated series
Underlined=English-friendly Blu-ray available in another region

20th Century Fox
Digimon: The Movie

ADV Films
Cyberteam in Akihabara
Gravion
Gravion Zwei
Hakugei: Legend of Moby Dick
Maburaho
Sakura Wars
Sakura Wars 2
Slayers Excellent
Slayers Gorgeous
Slayers Great
Slayers Premium
Slayers Return
Slayers: The Book of Spells
Slayers: The Motion Picture
Super Dimension Fortress Macross
The Five Star Stories
This Ugly Yet Beautiful World
You're Under Arrest: The Motion Picture

[All licenses expired.]

AEsir Holdings
Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi

AN Entertainment
Haré+Guu [License Expired]

AnimEigo
Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl [License Expired]

Anime Sols
Magical Angel Creamy Mami [License Expired]

Aniplex of America
Blast of Tempest
Gyo: Tokyo Fish Attack!
Oreshura
Servant x Service
Silver Spoon
Vividred Operation
World Conquest Zvezda Plot

Bandai Entertainment
Betterman
Brain Powered
FLAG [No Blu-ray in Japan, aired in HD. Director's Cut released on Blu-ray.]
Future GPX Cyber Formula
Infinite Ryvius
Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens
Love Hina: Christmas Special
Love Hina: Spring Special
Saber Marionette J
Saber Marionette J Again
Saber Marionette J to X
SD Gundam
sola
The Girl Who Leapt Through Space
Zegapain

[All licenses expired.]

Central Park Media
Black Jack OVAs [License Expired]
Munto [License Expired]
Munto 2: Beyond the Walls of Time [License Expired]

Cinedigm
Saint Seiya
Slam Dunk
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds
Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal

Discotek Media
Bokurano
Galilei Donna [Distributed by Discotek for Crunchyroll. License Expired.]
Gunbuster 2: Diebuster
Lupin the 3rd: Alcatraz Connection
Lupin the 3rd: From Siberia With Love
Lupin the 3rd: Green vs. Red
Lupin the 3rd: Napoleon's Dictionary
Lupin the 3rd: Operation: Return The Treasure
Lupin the 3rd: Part II
Lupin the 3rd: The Fuma Conspiracy
Lupin the 3rd: The Hemingway Papers
Recently, My Sister is Unsual [Distributed by Discotek for Crunchyroll. License Expired.]
Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas

FUNimation Entertainment
.hack//G.U. Trilogy
.hack//Roots [Aired in HD, no Blu-ray in Japan except for the first episode as a bonus with .hack//Link.]
Air [License Expired]
Ai Yori Aoshi
Ai Yori Aoshi: Enishi
Ah! My Goddess: Flights of Fancy
Aquarion
Banner of the Stars
Banner of the Stars II
Banner of the Stars III
BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad
Big Windup! Season 1
Blassreiter
Crest of the Stars
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
Good Luck! Ninomiya-kun
Gun x Sword
Ikki Tousen
Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians
Ikki Tousen: Xtreme Xecutor
Initial D: First Stage
Initial D: Second Stage
Initial D: Third Stage
Initial D: Fourth Stage
Kaleido Star
Kanon (2006)
Kiddy Grade
Kingdom Seasons 1-2
Last Exile
Le Chevalier d'Eon [No Blu-ray in Japan, aired in HD.]
Linebarrels of Iron [License Expired]
Love Hina
Moonlight Mile Season 1 [No Blu-ray in Japan, aired in HD.]
Mushishi
My Bride is a Mermaid
Omamori Himari
One Piece [Arcs prior to Punk Hazard have HD airings, but no HD Blu-rays in Japan.]
Pani Poni Dash!
Passage of the Stars: Birth
Project Blue Earth SOS
Puchimas!: Petit iDOLM@STER
Puchimas!!: Petit iDOLM@STER
Red Data Girl
Riddle Story of Devil
Rumbling Hearts
Sakura Taisen: Ecole de Paris [License Expired]
Sakura Taisen: Sumire [License Expired]
Seiyu's Life
Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi - The World's Greatest First Love
Shonen Hollywood: Holly Stage for 49
Shonen Hollywood: Holly Stage for 50
Shuffle!
Scar-red Rider XechS
Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki OVA 3
The Mystic Archives of Dantalian
The Sacred Blacksmith
The Slayers
The Slayers Next
The Slayers Try
Time Travel Girl: Mari & Waka
Utawarerumono
Yatterman Night

(Now known as Crunchyroll, LLC. All titles released on DVD prior to the Crunchyroll rebranding in March 2022.)

Geneon Entertainment
3x3 Eyes [License Expired]
Master Keaton [License Expired]

Maiden Japan
Hataraki Man [Released on SD Blu-ray, no Blu-ray in Japan, aired in HD.]

Manga Entertainment
Karas [License Expired]

Media Blasters
Bakuman. [License Expired]
Blame!
Fight! Iczer-One [License Expired]
Genshiken 1, OVA, and 2
Ikki Tousen: Dragon Destiny [License Expired]
Jubei-chan: The Ninja Girl
Kanokon OVAs
Saber Marionette R [License Expired]
Tekkaman Blade [License Expired]

NIS America
House of Five Leaves [No Blu-ray in Japan, aired in HD. License Expired.]
Natsume's Book of Friends Seasons 1-2 [License Expired]
Wagnaria!! [License Expired]
Zakuro [No Blu-ray in Japan, aired in HD.]

Right Stuf
Big Windup! Season 2
Blessing of the Campanella
His and Her Circumstances
Sengoku Collection
Shingu: Secret of the Stellar Wars
Tamayura
Toward the Terra (1980)

Sentai Filmworks
11eyes
Akane Iro ni Somaru Saka [License Expired]
Akikan! [No Blu-ray in Japan, aired in HD.]
Azumanga Daioh
Croisée in a Foreign Labyrinth the Animation
Gintama [License Expired, licensed only first 49 episodes.]
Hatsukoi Limited
Kobato
Koihime Musou
Kurenai
Le Portrait de Petit Cossette [License Expired]
Letter Bee [No Blu-ray in Japan, aired in HD.]
Letter Bee: Reverse [No Blu-ray in Japan, aired in HD.]
Mahoromatic: Automatic Maiden
Mahoromatic: I'm Home
Mahoromatic: Something More Beautiful
Mashiroiro Symphony: The Color of Lovers
Modern Magic Made Simple
Shigofumi: Letters from the Departed
Shin Koihime Musou
Shin Koihime Musou: Otome Tairan
Tayutama: Kiss on My Deity
Tytania

Sony Pictures
Blade
Blood+
Iron Man
Kurozuka
Steamboy
Ultraviolet: Code 044
Wolverine
X-Men

Tokyopop
Brigadoon: Marin & Melan [License Expired]

VIZ Media
Maison Ikkoku [License Expired]
Saikano: Another Love Song [License Expired]

[keitaro]

You're missing Jungle wa Itsumo Hale Nochi Guu. That was released on DVD by AnimeNation.

[keitaro]

Add Angel Beats to that list too

[BigOnAnime]

Originally Posted by keitaro

Add Angel Beats to that list too

That was already released on both Blu-ray and DVD here.

[keitaro]

Originally Posted by BigOnAnime

That was already released on both Blu-ray and DVD here.

Sorry. Forgot about that.

[Lum]

A bunch of Pokemon doesn't have NA blu-rays.

Pokemon Origins
Lucario and the Mystery of Mew
Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea
Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction
Hoopa and the Clash of Ages
Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel
Secrets of the Jungle

[InuYashaCrusade]

Originally Posted by Lum

A bunch of Pokemon doesn't have NA blu-rays.

Pokemon Origins
Lucario and the Mystery of Mew
Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea
Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction
Hoopa and the Clash of Ages
Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel
Secrets of the Jungle

Also a majority of the Pokemon anime itself over here. US has more than Japan though, despite being only 2 full seasons released.

Secrets of the Jungle is only a matter of time.

[Lum]

What's up with Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva? It has BDs in PAL markets, but is DVD only in the US as well as Japan (I believe).

[MOONPHASE]

Kanokon The Girl Who Cried Fox OVAs

[keitaro]

Giant Gorg (I don't think this ever got a Blu-ray in Japan. Correct me if I'm wrong)
Interlude (2004)
Kenshin TV

[Marcus Carr]

Chargeman Ken?

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=338034

https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/BFTD-390

[BigOnAnime]

Originally Posted by keitaro

Giant Gorg (I don't think this ever got a Blu-ray in Japan. Correct me if I'm wrong)
Interlude (2004)
Kenshin TV

This list is for if a show was released DVD-only here, but a Blu-ray is available in Japan, or there's HD materials, like it aired or is streaming in HD. None of those titles above meet the criteria.

[BoopityBoop]

Mazinger Z
Sherlock Hound
Bokurano

There might be other Discotek DVD-only titles with Blu-ray releases, there are a number of older DVDs from them that never got upgraded to Blu-ray (incl. SD-BD).

[Lum]

Originally Posted by BoopityBoop

Mazinger Z
Sherlock Hound
Bokurano

There might be other Discotek DVD-only titles with Blu-ray releases, there are a number of older DVDs from them that never got upgraded to Blu-ray (incl. SD-BD).

Some of the Lupin specials aren't upgraded yet.

[BigOnAnime]

What's the full list? I don't keep up with Lupin, so I only know about Part II off the top of my head.

[BoscoTheMan82]

The Hemingway Papers, Napoleon's Dictionary, From Siberia With Love, Alcatraz Connection, Operation: Return The Treasure, Green Vs Red, Lupin Vs Detective Conan OVA, Dead Or Alive, Farewell to Nostradamus. Episode 0 and Mamo are coming from Discotek

[El3mental]

Originally Posted by BigOnAnime

but have Blu-rays in Japan

Would that include upscales or not? Just wondering.

[SpazeBlue]

Originally Posted by BigOnAnime

AnimEigo
Urusei Yatsura [License Expired]

Aniplex of America
World Conquest Zvezda Plot

FUNimation Entertainment
Kanon (2006)

Sentai Filmworks
Azumanga Daioh

Please and thank you.

[NLScavenger]

Manga Entertainment
Karas

French/Dutch Dybex Blu-ray is a good alternative for JP BD because iirc the video encodes are identical and it has lossless 5.1 audio (JP BD has lossy Dolby Digital EX 6.1).

[MOONPHASE]

Steamboy - Feels like it is on Blu-ray everywhere including Japan except North America.