The series first aired in Japan on Animax on October 5, 2004, and the final episode aired on March 29, 2005. Media Factory released the series to twelve DVD compilations in Japan between February 25, 2005 and January 25, 2006. On April 10, 2005, Geneon Entertainment received the license for U.S. releases. The U.S. version went straight to six DVD compilations of four episodes each between October 25, 2005 and September 12, 2006. Gankutsuou was also made available over the now defunct Akimbo video-on-demand service, Xbox Live, and via Vuze.