After weeks of inactivity the Japanese games charts have suddenly sprung into life with seven new entries in the top ten, although sales figures were still only 79% of the weekly average.
Publisher Bandai won the top spot with the latest beat ‘em-up based on the popular
Naruto anime. The Sega AM2 developed
Macross: Super Dimension Fortress went straight into the number two spot, performing almost as well as the recent
Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space – the company’s other major giant robot franchise.
Elsewhere in the charts Eidos managed a highly respectable number four position with the critically panned
Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness. This is the second Western title to perform well in Japan this month and could point to a softening of attitudes towards Western developed titles in the country.
In hardware sales the GameCube won 18.1% of the market, compared to 38.8% for the PS2 and 40.6% for the GBA. The rise seems to be a result of the recent price cut for the console, although the rise in sales is nowhere near as marked as in the West.
| TW | LW | Title | Publisher | Formats | Release Date |
| 1 | NE | Naruto: Narutimett Hero | Bandai | PS2 | 2003.10.23 |
| 2 | NE | Macross: Super Dimension Fortress | Bandai | PS2 | 2003.10.23 |
| 3 | 1 | Atsumare!! Made in Wario | Nintendo | GC | 2003.10.17 |
| 4 | NE | Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness | Eidos | PS2 | 2003.10.23 |
| 5 | NE | Oriental Blue: Blue Tengai | Hudson | GBA | 2003.10.24 |
| 6 | NE | Front Mission 1st | Square Enix | PS1 | 2003.10.23 |
| 7 | 4 | Grand Theft Auto III | Capcom | PS2 | 2003.09.25 |
| 8 | 2 | Samurai Michi 2: Way of the Samurai 2 | Spike | PS2 | 2003.10.09 |
| 9 | NE | The King of Fighters 2001 | SNK Playmore | PS2 | 2003.10.23 |
| 10 | NE | Netsu Chu! Pro Baseball 2003: Autumn Night Games Festival | Namco | PS2 | 2003.10.23 |
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