The year’s wrapping up, and you know what that means—time to check out the best-selling manga series in Japan for 2023, courtesy of Oricon.
We’ve got the top 10 manga that flew off the shelves this year.
Just a heads-up: Oricon only counts physical copies, no digital sales here. The period they track is from December 5, 2022, to November 27, 2023.
| Rank | Series | Author(s) | Estimated Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Kingdom | Yasuhisa Hara | 3,207,691 |
| 9 | Tokyo Revengers | Ken Wakui | 3,218,117 |
| 8 | My Hero Academia | Kohei Horikoshi | 3,528,423 |
| 7 | SPY×FAMILY | Tatsuya Endo | 4,326,425 |
| 6 | SLAM DUNK | Takehiko Inoue | 4,968,484 |
| 5 | Chainsaw Man | Tatsuki Fujimoto | 5,348,618 |
| 4 | [Oshi No Ko] | Aka Akasaka (Story) & Mengo Yokoyari (Art) | 5,413,091 |
| 3 | ONE PIECE | Eiichiro Oda | 7,197,532 |
| 2 | Jujutsu Kaisen | Gege Akutami | 8,541,411 |
| 1 | Blue Lock | Muneyuki Kaneshiro (Story) & Yusuke Nomura (Art) | 10,527,146 |
10. Kingdom – 3,207,691 Copies Sold
Kingdom by Yasuhisa Hara rounds out the Top 10. It’s been a steady ride down, with only a 16% drop in sales. This Chinese historical war manga hit a huge milestone this year, reaching 100 million copies in circulation with Volume 70.
That’s a big deal because it’s the first series in Weekly Young Jump to do that. Despite crushing it in Japan, it still hasn’t been picked up for an English release. Crazy, right?
And that’s a wrap for the Top 10! But wait, a few more series deserve a shoutout. Kaiju No. 8 and Don’t Call It Mystery were in the Top 10 of 2022, but their sales tanked by more than half this year. Ouch.
On the flip side, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End and The Apothecary Diaries both dropped their debut anime in October 2023. They didn’t make the ranking this time, but their sales are skyrocketing, so watch out for them next year!
9. Tokyo Revengers – 3,218,117 Copies Sold
Tokyo Revengers by Ken Wakui took quite a hit in 2023, selling just over 3 million copies compared to 2022 whopping 11 million. But hey, that’s expected since the final volume came out in January.
Volume 31 alone sold 914,042 copies, making it the 10th best-selling volume of the year. The rest of the sales? Just backlog copies, proving this series still has a strong fanbase. A lot of this ongoing popularity is thanks to the airing of Season 2 and Season 3 of the anime this year, keeping the hype alive even after the manga wrapped up.
If you’re into time-traveling gang dramas, this one’s a must-read. It was serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine and is available in English from Kodansha.
8. My Hero Academia – 3,528,423 Copies Sold
It’s been a rough year for My Hero Academia. The series, created by Kohei Horikoshi, barely hung onto its spot in the Top 10 with a 34% drop in sales. Even though Season 6 of the anime aired until March, it wasn’t enough to keep sales up, especially without an anime movie release this year.
This is the worst year for My Hero Academia sales-wise since it first hit Oricon’s rankings in 2015 when it sold 2,190,845 copies and came in 27th. Some say Horikoshi’s frequent breaks might have hurt sales, but the series still released three volumes this year, the same as Chainsaw Man. It looks like backlog sales are losing steam, and new volumes aren’t selling as robustly as they used to.
Serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump, this superhero manga isn’t as unstoppable as it once was. But if you’re a fan, you can pre-order Volume 36 on VIZ Media’s website.
7. SPY×FAMILY – 4,326,425 Copies Sold
SPY×FAMILY by Tatsuya Endo had a huge drop in sales this year, selling less than half of what it did in 2022. After being one of the top contenders in 2022, it fell off the podium. But don’t count it out just yet. With Season 2 of the anime airing and the upcoming movie, SPY×FAMILY: Code: White, set to release in December 2023, the series still has a solid fanbase.
Despite the big dip, its popularity isn’t fading away entirely. However, such a sharp decline could spell trouble for its long-term sales. Serialized in Shonen Jump+, you can grab the first 10 volumes in print from VIZ Media if you’re looking into this spy family adventure.
6. SLAM DUNK – 4,968,484 Copies Sold
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The biggest surprise on the list has to be SLAM DUNK. This 1990s basketball manga by the legendary Takehiko Inoue made a huge comeback thanks to the anime movie, The First Slam Dunk, which hit Japanese theaters in December 2022.
In 2022, fans started revisiting the series as the movie’s release approached, but this year, sales really took off. The movie reignited the passion of longtime fans and introduced this iconic series to a whole new generation.
The First Slam Dunk was a massive hit, raking in over 10 billion yen (around 71.6 million dollars) at the box office in just 67 days. The manga’s resurgence in popularity was also boosted by the reader’s guidebook, which sold 473,852 copies and placed 30th on the Oricon best-selling manga volume ranking. The movie made its way to U.S. theaters in July, bringing even more attention to the series.
All 31 volumes of SLAM DUNK are available in print from VIZ Media, but unfortunately, the reader’s guidebook isn’t available in English yet. If you’re into basketball or just love a good classic, now’s the perfect time to jump into SLAM DUNK.
5. Chainsaw Man – 5,348,618 Copies Sold
Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimoto is still rocking the manga scene. In Japan, it climbed three spots to take fifth place, thanks to a huge 50% increase in sales. Over in the U.S., Chainsaw Man Vol. 1 topped the charts as the best-selling manga volume according to NPD BookScan (now Circana).
The series picked up even more steam after Part 2 began in August 2022, and the hype kept rolling after the first season of the anime wrapped up in December 2022. Currently serialized in Shonen Jump+, Chainsaw Man is keeping fans hooked. If you’re following the English print release, Volume 14 droped in February 2024 from VIZ Media. If you haven’t jumped on this wild ride yet, now’s a great time to start!
4. [Oshi No Ko] – 5,413,091 Copies Sold
![[Oshi No Ko] Manga](https://www.buzznick.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Oshi-No-Ko-Manga.jpg)
One of the standout entries in 2023 is [Oshi No Ko], written by Aka Akasaka (of Kaguya-sama: Love is War fame) and illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari. The anime adaptation of this idol drama grabbed everyone’s attention, propelling the series to sell nearly four million more copies than 2022. The buzz around the show is huge, and the announcement of a second season in the final episode just added to the excitement.
Serialized in Weekly Young Jump, [Oshi No Ko] has really taken off. If you’re looking to catch up, the first four volumes are available in print from Yen Press, and you can also read it on MANGA Plus. This series is definitely one to watch!
3. ONE PIECE – 7,197,532 Copies Sold
One Piece hasn’t quite been the same since it lost its top spot to Demon Slayer in 2019. Despite a 31% drop in sales, Eiichiro Oda’s epic still holds strong in the Top 3. This year saw the anime reach the climax of the Wano arc and the One Piece Film: Red wrap up its theatrical run, both of which helped keep the series popular.
One Piece Vol. 105 was the best-selling manga volume of 2023, with 1,912,008 copies sold. Serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump, this pirate adventure continues to capture hearts worldwide. If you’re looking to add to your collection, the English print release of Volume 105 is available for pre-order from VIZ Media. One Piece remains a must-read, proving it’s still got plenty of wind in its sails!
2. Jujutsu Kaisen – 8,541,411 Copies Sold
After two years at the top, Jujutsu Kaisen by Gege Akutami has slipped to second place with a 30% drop in sales from the previous year. Despite this, it’s still a major player in the manga world. Volume 21 alone sold 1,777,867 copies, making it the second-best-selling volume of 2023.
The ongoing success of Season 2 of the anime, which covers the much-loved Shibuya Incident arc, has kept the series in the spotlight. Serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump, this supernatural sorcery battle manga continues to captivate fans. If you’re following the English release, Volume 22 from VIZ Media hited stores in April 2024. Jujutsu Kaisen remains a force to be reckoned with in the manga market!
1. Blue Lock – 10,527,146 Copies Sold
Blue Lock by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura has rocketed to the top in 2023, nearly tripling its sales from 2022. This monumental increase makes it the first Kodansha manga to ever top the Oricon rankings!
It also secured a spot in the best comics of 2023 list, further cementing its status as a standout title this year.
The anime adaptation, produced by 8bit, played a huge role in its surge in popularity, especially since it aired during the 2022 FIFA World Cup when the Japanese men’s football team had a stellar performance.
Blue Lock is all about a controversial football training program and is serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine. A second season of the anime has already been announced, and there’s an anime movie adaptation of the spin-off, Blue Lock: Episode Nagi, which premiered on April 19, 2024.
If you’re looking to catch up, Kodansha has released 22 volumes in English, and you can also read the series on Kodansha’s manga app, K Manga. Blue Lock is definitely a must-read for sports manga fans!