The year is almost over and Christmas has arrived early for us sales nerds! Our gift? A brand-new list of the Top 10 best-selling manga in Japan of 2024, courtesy of Oricon. So, without further ado, let’s unwrap this year’s rankings!
Rank
Series
Author(s)
Estimated Sales
1
Jujutsu Kaisen
Gege Akutami
7,610,995
2
One Piece
Eiichiro Oda
5,250,210
3
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
Kanehito Yamada & Tsukasa Abe
4,988,170
4
The Apothecary Diaries
Natsu Hyuuga, Itsuki Nanao, Nekokurage, & Minoji Kurata
4,723,562
5
Blue Lock
Muneyuki Kaneshiro & Yusuke Nomura
3,881,269
6
Kaiju No. 8
Naoya Matsumoto
3,398,326
7
Kingdom
Yasuhisa Hara
3,234,204
8
Haikyu!!
Haruichi Furudate
3,077,085
9
My Hero Academia
Kohei Horikoshi
2,943,985
10
SPY×FAMILY
Tatsuya Endo
2,662,408
Quick note: Oricon does not include digital sales. It only counts physical copies sold within the Oricon year, from December 4, 2023, to November 25, 2024.
JUJUTSU KAISEN © 2018 by Gege Akutami/SHUEISHA Inc.
1. Jujutsu Kaisen – 7,610,995 copies sold
After losing the top spot in 2023, Jujutsu Kaisen by Gege Akutami reclaimed its throne as a manga industry titan. Although its sales dropped by 11% compared to 2023, the series maintained monumental sales, fueled by the momentum from Season 2 of its anime adaptation, which won Anime of the Year at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. Notably, all four of its new volumes released in 2024 ranked among the Top 10 best-selling volumes of the year, with Volume 25 selling 1,542,345 copies and taking second place.
In 2024, Jujutsu Kaisen reached 100 million copies in circulation and secured first place in Da Vinci’s BOOK OF THE YEAR ranking. However, it’s not all good news for Jujutsu Kaisen. Sales per volume saw a noticeable drop, as Volumes 27 and 28 failed to sell over 1 million copies within a month—a feat the series had easily achieved before. In just ten volumes, Jujutsu Kaisen lost nearly 50% of its readership. The decline is so fast that the series plans to release the last two volumes simultaneously, aiming to retain buyers and take advantage of the holiday season.
The rapid loss of readers for Jujutsu Kaisen, a three-time best-selling manga in the past four years, underscores the fragile state of the current manga market. It’s concerning that even best-sellers like Jujutsu Kaisen or SPY×FAMILY have struggled to retain their readers, facing unprecedented sales drops in a remarkably short time. While gradual loss of readership is expected over time, losing a significant portion of a series’ audience within just five to ten volumes is alarming. The industry’s growing reliance on anime adaptations to temporarily boost sales—despite their inability to sustain new audiences—highlights a critical issue.
ONE PIECE © 1997 by Eiichiro Oda/SHUEISHA Inc.
2. One Piece – 5,250,210 copies sold
One Piece by Eiichiro Oda maintains its foothold in the Top 3 despite experiencing a significant 27% decline from the previous year. The boost from the One Piece Film: Red anime movie seems to have waned, as Volume 110 became the first One Piece volume in the Oricon era to fall short of selling 1 million copies in its first two weeks. Even so, the series remains the dominant force it has always been, with all new volumes released in 2024 securing spots in the Top 10 best-selling volumes. Volume 108 claimed the Top 1 position, achieving an impressive 1,552,215 copies sold.
The ongoing hiatus of the anime adaptation until April 2025 likely contributed to this decline. However, this trend appears to be a natural progression in One Piece’s product life cycle. Given this trajectory, it wouldn’t be surprising if a future volume fails to reach 1 million copies sold within its first month next year.
SOSO NO FRIEREN © Kanehito YAMADA, Tsukasa ABE/SHOGAKUKAN
3. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End – 4,988,170 copies sold
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe skyrocketed from 11th place in 2023 to 3rd place in 2024, with an incredible 99% sales increase. With nine volumes ranking among the Top 50 best-selling volumes of the year—more than any other series in 2024—Frieren dominated the charts. Volume 12 led the charge, selling an exceptional 685,795 copies.
Such a meteoric rise comes as no surprise. Even before its anime adaptation, Frieren was a best-seller in Weekly Shonen Sunday, trailing only the legendary Case Closed (a.k.a. Detective Conan), which boasts over 270 million copies in circulation. Frieren had already become a force to be reckoned with before the anime hit TV screens. The series’ nostalgic tone, combined with gorgeous visuals from Madhouse, has captured the hearts of countless fans—including mine. The adaptation not only revitalized the story but also propelled the series’ popularity, pushing its total circulation to a staggering 22 million copies. If you haven’t watched this masterpiece of an anime, you’re truly missing out.
Despite its remarkable success, Frieren faces one big challenge: constant breaks that slow down new volume releases. Whether it can maintain its Top 10 status in 2025 remains uncertain. Still, I’m optimistic that we’ll see our goofball, sleepy elf climb the ranks again next year. The series announced Season 2 of its anime adaptation is in the works, though no release date has been set.
© Square Enix
4. The Apothecary Diaries – 4,723,562 copies sold
Another beneficiary of an anime adaptation, The Apothecary Diaries by Natsu Hyuuga and Nekokurage, more than doubled its sales compared to 2023! In 2024, the series grew by nearly 14 million copies since the anime’s airing, bringing its total circulation to 38 million copies (including the light novel series and the two manga adaptations). The anime adaptation’s mega-success also boosted the original source material, helping it become Japan’s best-selling light novel of 2024 with 1,350,491 copies sold.
However, the year wasn’t without controversy. Nekokurage, the artist behind Square Enix’s manga adaptation of the series, pleaded guilty to tax evasion later in 2024. She received a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for three years, which allows her to continue working on the series. Despite this setback, The Apothecary Diaries remains a strong contender for next year’s Top 10, with its highly anticipated anime Season 2 set to premiere in January 2025.
Blue Lock © Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Yusuke Nomura/Kodansha Ltd.
5. Blue Lock – 3,881,269 copies sold
After leading the rankings in 2023, Blue Lock by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura experienced a sharp decline in 2024, with sales plummeting by 63%. The disappointing performance stemmed partially from weaker backlog sales, as most readers had already purchased the earlier volumes in 2023. The series also faced backlash over the poor animation quality of its second season, which aired during the year.
Despite the decline, the soccer-themed death game manga surpassed 40 million copies in circulation worldwide. The release of the Blue Lock: Episode Nagi anime movie boosted the series throughout the year, but this surge wasn’t enough to reverse the year-to-year sales decline.
KAIJYU 8 GO © 2020 by Naoya Matsumoto/SHUEISHA Inc.
6. Kaiju No. 8 – 3,398,326 copies sold
Kaiju No. 8 by Naoya Matsumoto soared to new heights in 2024, becoming the fastest-growing title in the Top 10 with a staggering 133% increase in sales. The much-anticipated release of its first anime season by Production I.G., supported by a massive promotional campaign featuring OneRepublic performing the anime’s ending theme, largely drove this surge. However, despite these efforts, the anime’s boost fell short of recapturing Kaiju No. 8‘s earlier glory, when the manga regularly sold over 500,000 copies in a month and ranked as the second best-selling Shonen Jump+ title behind SPY×FAMILY. Those golden days, however, are long gone.
That being said, Kaiju No. 8 remains a strong force in the manga landscape. Its 2024 performance is still formidable, even if it didn’t fully meet the high expectations placed upon it. Shueisha is committed to Kaiju No. 8‘s success, with plans for a second anime season, a special compilation movie, and Hoshina’s Vacation original anime episode already announced for 2025. With 16 million copies in circulation, Kaiju No. 8 continues to amaze audiences, even if its recent boost didn’t match its initial explosive debut.
© 原泰久／集英社
7. Kingdom – 3,234,204 copies sold
Kingdom by Yasuhisa Hara maintained steady sales in a year dominated by anime boosts. The series saw only a slight 1% increase in sales, despite releasing one fewer volume compared to 2023. The historical epic benefited from the airing of its fifth anime season and the release of the Kingdom 4: Return of the Great General live-action movie in July 2024.
During the year, the series released new 2-in-1 Perfect Edition volumes, clearly signaling to VIZ Media (or any other publisher willing to take on the challenge) to finally license this long-coveted historical seinen manga in English.
HAIKYU!! © 2012 by Haruichi Furudate/SHUEISHA Inc.
8. Haikyu!! – 3,077,085 copies sold
Last year, SLAM DUNK surprised everyone by breaking into the Top 10. This year, it was Haikyu!! by Haruichi Furudate that defied all expectations. The excellent volleyball manga saw a monumental 174% increase in sales despite having no new volumes released since its conclusion in 2020. The primary driver behind this resurgence was the first installment of the highly anticipated Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle, which brought fans flocking back to revisit the series.
While I had mixed feelings about the movie itself, there’s no denying that it reignited nostalgia among long-time fans like me. With the manga reaching 62 million copies in circulation, Haikyu!! remains a cultural phenomenon in the sports manga genre.
BOKU NO HERO ACADEMIA © 2014 by Kohei Horikoshi/SHUEISHA Inc.
9. My Hero Academia – 2,943,985 copies sold
My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi saw a noticeable 17% decline in sales this year. The series wrapped up its decade-long serialization in August 2024, which led to a slight surge in backlog sales from fans eager to complete their collections. However, fewer new volumes (two compared to three in 2023) and declining per-volume sales caused the overall drop.
Despite this downturn, the anime’s seventh season and the release of My Hero Academia: You’re Next provided some momentum, though they couldn’t reverse the downward trend. Even so, the series hit 100 million copies in circulation, marking an exceptional feat and solidifying its legacy as one of the series that helped define modern manga. The upcoming final volume might also see a significant boost, though its chances of making the Top 10 in 2025 remain slim. Even if My Hero Academia doesn’t make the list next year, I’m hopeful Horikoshi will return to it with the new series he’s already working on.
SPY x FAMILY © 2019 by Tatsuya Endo/SHUEISHA Inc.
10. SPY×FAMILY – 2,662,408 copies sold
SPY×FAMILY by Tatsuya Endo experienced a sharp 38% drop in sales this year, a stark contrast to its skyrocketing rise in prior years. While the release of its second anime season and the SPY×FAMILY CODE: White anime movie led to a slight boost, they couldn’t halt the series’ declining sales. The numbers paint a concerning picture: After just five volumes, SPY×FAMILY has lost over 40% of its readership. Volume 10 sold 1,229,371 copies in its first month, but by Volume 14, that figure dropped to 705,939 copies. Not a good sign at all.
Despite the decline, SPY×FAMILY‘s circulation grew to 36 million copies with only two new volumes released in 2024. However, the future looks bleak for SPY×FAMILY as the dropping sales haven’t stabilized. To make matters worse, Tatsuya Endo’s health issues caused two hiatuses in late 2024, delaying new volume releases already limited by the series’ biweekly publication schedule. Still, hope remains for the Forger family as fans eagerly await the upcoming third anime season, which could reignite interest in the series.
And that wraps up the Top 10! Now, for the honorable mentions: Wind Breaker, Delicious in Dungeon, and Mashle: Magic and Muscles all experienced impressive anime-driven boosts throughout the year. Mashle gained traction thanks to its opening theme, Bling-Bang-Bang-Born by Creepy Nuts, which went viral and played a key role in its sales spike. Meanwhile, Blue Box and Dandadan also saw a moderate uptick in sales, and we should see more from them by 2025 as their anime are still airing.
So, what can we expect for the Top 10 next year? Well, it’s going to be tricky since the outlook for sales boosts from anime adaptations in 2025 seems grim. Series like Gachiakuta, Witch Watch, Medalist, and Witch Hat Atelier are set to debut their anime seasons in 2025, but the prospects don’t look great. Still, this is just for fun, so here’s my Top 10 prediction in no order: One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, The Apothecary Diaries, SPY×FAMILY, Dandadan, Blue Box, Kingdom, Sakamoto Days, Blue Lock, and Grand Blue. Yup, you read that right. I’m betting that Grand Blue’s second season will be the much-needed breath of fresh air to shake things up a bit.
With the bar set so low this year, plenty of room exists for other series to make their mark. I’m leaving out big names like Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, My Hero Academia, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, and Kaiju No. 8, as well as two high school romances—the superb shoujo Honey Lemon Soda and the beautiful shounen The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity, both of which I have high hopes for. Additionally, Chainsaw Man could make waves with the potential release of the Reze Arc anime movie this year. And don’t take your eyes off the up-and-coming Weekly Shonen Jump rookie Kagurabachi.
With so many series vying for spots, I went for the boldest predict in Grand Blue. Last year, I predicted 8 out of 10 correctly, so hopefully my numbers improve this time. Oh well, who knows? If I nail it with Grand Blue, I’ll “reward” myself with some Oolong Tea, the go-to drink in Grand Blue.
Check out my sales breakdown of 2023’s best-selling manga here. The best-selling manga by volume in Japan of 2024 can be found in Oricon News (in Japanese) or the linked @WSJ_manga X/Twitter thread.
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