Top-Selling Manga 2020 in Japan (first half 2020)

redon

Here Oricon Manga sales from November 18, 2019 to May 17, 2020.

Top 10 Best Selling Manga Series First Half 2020

https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/54719/5/

1 - Kimetsu no Yaiba (45,297,633 copies).
2 - One Piece (4,885,538 copies).
3 - Go-Tōbun no Hanayome (4,240,192 copies).
4 - Kingdom (3,512,571 copies).
5 - Boku no Hero Academia (3,339,656 copies).
6 - The Promised Neverland (3,102,313 copies).
7 - Haikyû!! (2,996,317 copies).
8 - Shingeki no Kyojin (2,212,135 copies).
9 - Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun (2,138,410 copies).
10 - Spy x Family (1,796,759 copies).

Top 10 Best Selling Manga Volumes First Half 2020

https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/54719/4/

1 - Kimetsu no Yaiba 18 (3,035,555 copies).
3 - Kimetsu no Yaiba 19 (2,829,174 copies).
3 - Kimetsu no Yaiba 01 (2,267,744 copies).
4 - Kimetsu no Yaiba 12 (2,237,092 copies).
5 - Kimetsu no Yaiba 11 (2,234,515 copies).
6 - Kimetsu no Yaiba 14 (2,233,412 copies).
7 - Kimetsu no Yaiba 13 (2,223,961 copies).
8 - Kimetsu no Yaiba 07 (2,223,867 copies).
9 - Kimetsu no Yaiba 08 (2,218,826 copies).
10 - Kimetsu no Yaiba 09 (2,216,999 copies).
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20 - One Piece 95 (1,955,897 copies).
21 - One Piece 96 (1,688,363 copies).

theackwardstation

This post is deleted!

Kuröwon

.access timeco.

Dear reader, from this point on we'll present with poorly hidden bitterness our points on why numbers don't matter.

KageKageKing

I didn't see Quintuplets coming at all.

BobLoblaw

I wonder how much the anime helped Kimetsu no Yaiba reach god status.

theackwardstation

Nobody stays at the top forever sales-wise. My only curiosity is regarding how Oda feels about it after so many being used to be the most popular.

Claudio

Well isn't "demon slayer" ending already? It Would have been interesting to see how long it could stay on top.

theackwardstation

@Claudio:

Well isn't "demon slayer" ending already? Would have been interesting to see how long it could stay on top.

It ended two weeks ago (although the final volume still have to be published).

I guess it'll keep selling a lot for the next few months to come, especially while the anime is still ongoing.

Shiebs

@BobLoblaw:

I wonder how much the anime helped Kimetsu no Yaiba reach god status.

Pretty much did all the heavy lifting

If the anime wasn’t so fantastic nobody would have cared for the manga

It’s not bad, but it’s not fantastic by any stretch of the imagination

I read the manga and couldn’t understand the hype, then I watched the anime and I was like “Oh that’s why it’s so popular” because the animation is top notch and beautiful

Johnny B. Decent

Hmm, come and went with a bang.

Captain M

Insane numbers from Kimetsu. I know the manga's finished, but there's two, maybe three volumes left to publish (I think), so I'm curious to see how long it stays on top. I wonder if Shuesha will rush them out while the hype is big, or stick with the three month gaps to maybe string it out until the anime returns. And, of course, it'll be interesting to see what kind of staying power the series has now that it's over.

Promised Neverland still hanging onto a top ten spot as well. Are Japanese readers as disappointed with the recent chapters as everyone I've seen discussing it in English? That series went from probably the strongest first year I've ever seen from a Jump title to the worst ongoing series I can still be bothered to read.

A few months ago I might have predicted an uptick in One Piece numbers for the second half as the action starts in Wano and brings all the people who only read it for the fights back in, but the extra breaks mean Oda's going to struggle to get two more volumes out before the sales year ends. Barring a miracle, One Piece just isn't positioned to make the recovery it would need to overtake an ending Kimetsu. Ah well, those are just the times we live in.

mrsword

1 - Kimetsu no Yaiba (45,297,633 copies).
2 - One Piece (4,885,538 copies).

lmao.. this is just funny to see.

uniaka ikuzakas

I saw people push the op nr1 sales way too many times for it not to turn against them now. Then when op becomes nr.1 again they will say numbers count yet again.

mrsword

@uniaka:

I saw people push the op nr1 sales way too many times for it not to turn against them now. Then when op becomes nr.1 again they will say numbers count yet again.

I dont see anyone in the thread saying numbers dont count? Can we not make drama out of nothing?

Riddler

I admit, I'm actually not much of a manga/anime fan, so I have no idea what the hell Kimetsu no Yaiba is and why it's selling such an insane amount of volumes when I've never heard of it before (I usually know at least the names of the major ones). Where they even on the list last time? It's a little weird how the series apparently came out of nowhere and surpassed One Piece by this much.

Honeyman

I've just finished watching the anime series for Kimetsu no Yaiba and I feel the same as some of the posters above. Interesting main story and relationship, good protagonist/antagonist and very well animated action for a TV series. My issue with the show is the hyper-level comedy that is very jarring compared to the gore and brutality shown by Muzan and his underlings (it feels like two different shows in that respect). When its good its great but that is the thing that doesn't gel well for me (the mature nature of the fighting/brutality and the child-like humour at times).

Props to the author of Kimetsu though. They'll be getting a nice amount of royalties from the sales of those volumes. Whether it was planned or not I'm glad they were allowed to finish the series at the time they wanted rather than be forced to continue it for the publisher.

StrawHatJedi

@Captain:

Insane numbers from Kimetsu. I know the manga's finished, but there's two, maybe three volumes left to publish (I think), so I'm curious to see how long it stays on top. I wonder if Shuesha will rush them out while the hype is big, or stick with the three month gaps to maybe string it out until the anime returns. And, of course, it'll be interesting to see what kind of staying power the series has now that it's over.

Promised Neverland still hanging onto a top ten spot as well. Are Japanese readers as disappointed with the recent chapters as everyone I've seen discussing it in English? That series went from probably the strongest first year I've ever seen from a Jump title to the worst ongoing series I can still be bothered to read.

A few months ago I might have predicted an uptick in One Piece numbers for the second half as the action starts in Wano and brings all the people who only read it for the fights back in, but the extra breaks mean Oda's going to struggle to get two more volumes out before the sales year ends. Barring a miracle, One Piece just isn't positioned to make the recovery it would need to overtake an ending Kimetsu. Ah well, those are just the times we live in.

Honestly, I think even in a normal year, One Piece couldn't touch those numbers. Something extraordinary would need to happen like the release of a film. I guess the live action series, depending on its impact. I don't think One Piece sold 45 mil volumes in 12 months much less 6 even in the year Strong World came out, but I may be wrong. None of that takes away One Piece's enduring success, which is incomparable at this point, but within this calendar year, I don't think there's anything Oda could do to match these crazy sales numbers.

It's hard to say whether sales will stay at the same level for the rest of the year, but with the hype from the series ending, 2 - 3 more volumes to release, the anime set to return at some point, and a movie, I don't think they'll decline too significantly. If they did remain constant for the second half of the year, the sales peak for Demon Slayer would be 5 to 6 times greater than Attack on Titan at its peak.

This just makes me wish One Piece could get a super high quality anime remake. Like FMA Brotherhood or Hunter x Hunter 2011.

HeartOfDarkness

One Piece isn't going to be seeing those numbers ever again.

Even having a super high quality anime isn't really going to help with that. One Piece already had it's peak during 2011 and 2012. There is no way that One Piece is ever going to blow up like that again.

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@Riddler:

I admit, I'm actually not much of a manga/anime fan, so I have no idea what the hell Kimetsu no Yaiba is and why it's selling such an insane amount of volumes when I've never heard of it before (I usually know at least the names of the major ones). Where they even on the list last time? It's a little weird how the series apparently came out of nowhere and surpassed One Piece by this much.

It was on the list last year.

As for why; the anime is created by Ufotable and the animation quality is pretty damn great.

theackwardstation

@Vongola_Boss_XI:

Honestly, I think even in a normal year, One Piece couldn't touch those numbers. Something extraordinary would need to happen like the release of a film. I guess the live action series, depending on its impact. I don't think One Piece sold 45 mil volumes in 12 months much less 6 even in the year Strong World came out, but I may be wrong. None of that takes away One Piece's enduring success, which is incomparable at this point, but within this calendar year, I don't think there's anything Oda could do to match these crazy sales numbers.

It's hard to say whether sales will stay at the same level for the rest of the year, but with the hype from the series ending, 2 - 3 more volumes to release, the anime set to return at some point, and a movie, I don't think they'll decline too significantly. If they did remain constant for the second half of the year, the sales peak for Demon Slayer would be 5 to 6 times greater than Attack on Titan at its peak.

This just makes me wish One Piece could get a super high quality anime remake. Like FMA Brotherhood or Hunter x Hunter 2011.

It's obvious that OP could never beat KnY this year considering the massive sales of its entire back catalogue. OP's own personal record is 36 million during a whole year selling tons of old volumes to new readers at the time.

But I think Captain M is talking about the competition between OP and KnY considering only new volumes. As you can see, OP keeps its decline in sales (no uptick in numbers) while KnY is selling almost twice as much comparing only the last two volumes of each series.

Kishido

Demon Slayer has it hype cuz of the anime and it's cool. Similar to OP in 2011/2012

But it ended.

Soon OP will be on the top again

auem

At it's peak OP sold some 36 millions in a year. Kimetsu already 10 millions ahead in half a year. Having read it completely already, it's popularity baffles me. It is a very good manga with repetitive trope( sad past and noble sacrifice) again and again. I doubt it can keep the same hype( irrespective of sales number) outside Japan.

Gia Sado

@HeartOfDarkness:

One Piece isn't going to be seeing those numbers ever again.

Even having a super high quality anime isn't really going to help with that. One Piece already had it's peak during 2011 and 2012. There is no way that One Piece is ever going to blow up like that again.

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It was on the list last year.

As for why; the anime is created by Ufotable and the animation quality is pretty damn great.

One piece is very likely to eclipse those numbers once it reaches it's final volumes, the finale is poised to be the biggest thing ever in manga lol

mrsword

I wonder if Kimetsu's popularity will boost other manga.

Murata had this to say recently:

Yusuke Murata, artist for ONE's One Punch Man and Eyeshield 21, comments that Kimetsu no Yaiba's popularity is great, but that its contribution to the industry is immeasurable.

Honeyman

Its important to let a series have its moment in the spotlight. If the anime adaptation helped drive sales then it served its purpose. I don't think its bad to show that some of the demons became that way because they were desperate and Muzan prayed on that (painting he/she as the ultimate evil).

I'm curious if the manga has the hyper level comedy style that they went with in the anime as that was too much for me sometimes (Zenitsu's character just felt like a meme at times).

Kdom

Half of the top 10 titles are taken by the Shonen Jump and yet some people question how it will survive One Piece end
With Spy x Family and Kingdom, Shueisha doesn't give room for anyone else…
Hanako kun place was surprising me but I see it has an anime this winter.

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@Gia:

One piece is very likely to eclipse those numbers once it reaches it's final volumes, the finale is poised to be the biggest thing ever in manga lol

I'm not sure million of people will invest in a 100+ volumes serie but we'll see

Captain M

@Vongola_Boss_XI:

Honestly, I think even in a normal year, One Piece couldn't touch those numbers. Something extraordinary would need to happen like the release of a film. I guess the live action series, depending on its impact. I don't think One Piece sold 45 mil volumes in 12 months much less 6 even in the year Strong World came out, but I may be wrong. None of that takes away One Piece's enduring success, which is incomparable at this point, but within this calendar year, I don't think there's anything Oda could do to match these crazy sales numbers.

It's hard to say whether sales will stay at the same level for the rest of the year, but with the hype from the series ending, 2 - 3 more volumes to release, the anime set to return at some point, and a movie, I don't think they'll decline too significantly. If they did remain constant for the second half of the year, the sales peak for Demon Slayer would be 5 to 6 times greater than Attack on Titan at its peak.

This just makes me wish One Piece could get a super high quality anime remake. Like FMA Brotherhood or Hunter x Hunter 2011.

Yeah, in terms of new volumes I can see One Piece catching back up through the rising action and if there's a steady enough stream of new content, but going by year, the fight is over.

Could One Piece have another Marineford level year? I want to think it's not impossible, but it's going to take a lot of factors aligning perfectly to get it to work, and that probably won't be possible until near the final years. The story needs to get big enough and answer enough questions to win back everyone who caught up for Marineford then gradually lost interest over the decade, and it probably needs to be close enough to the end that these people won't feel like they're spending a couple hundred bucks catching up just to lose interest again. You'd need a hype tool like an incredibly high quality movie or the unlikely event of a well-done anime remake. And I think a new anime would have to be blisteringly fast paced to catch up enough to be relevant before the series ended and to keep from developing the same insurmountable episode count that turns some prospective viewers off the original anime. I think there'd also need to some kind of marketing or rebranding/rerelease push to somehow make the archive less intimidating to catch up. Shueisha managed to fit 12 manga volumes into one book for the Death Note All in One Edition. Turn that technology on One Piece and you could release most entire sagas as single tomes and give people a quick and economical way to catch up at least to the timeskip so they can feel comfortable going in on the remaining volumes between there and the final arc.

And even then, it's a long shot. Greg made some good points on Twitter this morning about Kimetsu being advantaged by being a long enough but not too long binge read for the lockdown, and Tanjiro's role as a more thoughtful and sensitive protagonist resonating better than Luffy's bravado in these uncertain times.

Will we get the right combination of story climaxes, animated media, good marketing and a social state that Luffy works for all at the same time before the series ends? It would be good. I'd like to see it.

And this could all be wrong anyway. One Piece's ending is going to be kind of unprecedented, given both its length and long-term cultural impact. Who knows how people are going to react to something like that, there's really no historical equivalent to go off of.

redon

@auem:

At it's peak OP sold some 36 millions in a year. Kimetsu already 10 millions ahead in half a year.

Yes, but One Piece in 2011 has 200 million copies printed and it was publishing during 14 years in Shonen Jump.

I think reach 38 million copies in 1 year in those circunstances, has merit.

auem

@redon:

Yes, but One Piece in 2011 has 200 million copies printed and it was publishing during 14 years in Shonen Jump.

I think reach 38 million copies in 1 year in those circunstances, has merit.

Sure, I am not comparing. Though OP was always popular, while Kimetsu rose from nowhere.

Don Quichotte De Flamingo

Good to see that so many series have healthy selling numbers.

HeartOfDarkness

@auem:

At it's peak OP sold some 36 millions in a year. Kimetsu already 10 millions ahead in half a year. Having read it completely already, it's popularity baffles me. It is a very good manga with repetitive trope( sad past and noble sacrifice) again and again. I doubt it can keep the same hype( irrespective of sales number) outside Japan.

You have to take 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 in account for One Piece's overall backlog sales as it didn't just happen over the course of 1 year as there were over 50+ volumes.

Kimetsu reached those numbers this year because the backlog sales started late last year and continued this year. I highly doubt Kimetsu will see anything close to these numbers next year as it seems like people are caught up.

Here are the articles for OP's number during those years:

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-11-30/top-selling-manga-in-japan-by-series/2010 https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-11-30/top-selling-manga-in-japan-by-series/2011 https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-12-02/30-top-selling-manga-in-japan-by-series/2012 https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-12-01/top-selling-manga-in-japan-by-series/2013

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@Gia:

One piece is very likely to eclipse those numbers once it reaches it's final volumes, the finale is poised to be the biggest thing ever in manga lol

That literally makes no sense if you think about it for more than 2 seconds.

Nobody is going to catch up with the series that has over 100+ volumes just to see the end. It will most likely bring some people but if you think that it's somehow going to bring entirely new millions of readers then you are seriously kidding yourself. Every series has it's peak. One Piece already hit its peak.

theackwardstation

That's true, not to mention that OP was already bery successful since before those years, so many readers already had the complete collection.

And OP volumes were reaching 4 million copies sold too.

Robby

Greg posted on twitter about it.

If entirely accurate (haven't confirmed them myself) this is very interesting and no matter how you look at it, it's great news for any manga fan. Cont.

Personally I'd suggest looking at 2011 sales as One Piece enjoyed post-Marineford popularity bolstered by the animation which carried through to the release of Z and a year or so before GOLD.

And even then, DS's figures are impressive in that length of time. Can they be explained though? Is it a matter of quality or circumstance? I would argue circumstance. That's not a bad thing. Certain times require or call for certain entertainment and I feel DS heard the call.

1. The hero: Luffy is a harsh but clever and almost always justified hero. In Tanjiro we see a character who has compassion for his obstacles. We spend a great deal of time listening to his inner voice. It's very different from Luffy and maybe that's what kids want now.

2. YouTubers have no doubt had remarkable impact on its success. I'm not well-informed as to whom it might be attributed but I have little doubt that Japanese Youtubers popular with elementary school students looking to take a unique path (ie the only path on YT) picked it up.

3. The length of the series isn't intimidating from the eyes of the purchaser ie. the parent. When One Piece hit its second boom it was more than 50 volumes which at the time would have cost $200 (now $230 considering tank price changes and inflation)

In its entirety, DS will have been 21 volumes, a total modern cost of $92. Still a sizable cost but with no threat of extension, it's a much easier cost to justify for the buyer, especially over time.

4. Corona has combined with these aspects to make a perfect storm for binge-reading. While corona only accounts for figures from roughly early March due to its effect on school closure in Japan, parents are more than happy to spend money on a series of reasonable length.

Make no mistake, every elementary school classroom I was in way before corona was a thing, was filled with DS fans. And that popularity was most likely fueled by the appeal of the hero to this generation, bolstered by a quality animated production and coverage by JP YTers.

I would like to have seen DS stick around to see how it could have maintained such momentum, not only from a stance of curiosity regarding how Youtube popularity life-cycles in Japan, but also due to how Oda would have responded through his own work.

Wintermute

Luffy's natural disaster reactions to his villains have the same impact on me like Tanjiro's compassion towards his villains. So I would say quality and not circumstance.

Thanks to Greg I just realized the stark difference between both MCs.

Kaiolino

I did not think Demon Slayer was particularly great. Even the beautiful-looking anime only has one truly superlative, absolutely outstanding moment. One moment in 26 episodes.

Even with Greg’s explanations, it’s crazy that it did SO much better than other manga with zeitgeist anime like One Punch Man and Attack on Titan.

StrawHatJedi

I'm binge reading Demon Slayer right now on Viz's site. It's enjoyable for sure, but definitely familiar. It follows in the footsteps of other monster / demon hunting series that came before like Yu Yu Hakusho and Bleach. I do like that Tanjiro's compassion helps him to stand out from more headstrong shonen protagonists. If anything, he reminds me of Gon from Hunter x Hunter. One thing . I'd add to the analysis is that Demon Slayer is very easy light reading. The plot is very straight forward. Page layouts are pretty simple without an abundance of text. The art style is charming, but simple. I'm almost at chapter 140 (started a few days ago) and for the most part, it moves pretty quickly from one big battle to the next. It reminds me of Bleach in that the story is largely driven by a string of fast paced fight sequences. Bleach faltered when Ichigo's character fell apart post-Soul Society and excessive time was spent on over-complicated and ultimately meaningless battles between tertiary characters. Demon Slayer keeps the focus pretty tightly on Tanjiro and the reader gets a clear sense of progress after each encounter. Structurally, it's a really standard battle series, but so far has managed to avoid some of he pitfalls that took down series like Bleach. Between battles, there are usually a few light comedic moments before transitioning into another mission. It makes for very light and easy reading. Coupled with a relatively short length and a popular, high quality anime, it's easy to see why it would attract new readers.

The magnitude of the sales success is surprising, but the analysis seems pretty accurate. It's a confluence of a number of factors.

I don't know if One Piece will ever see another sales boom again in the future. It's really difficult to predict. The length is certainly a huge consideration for new readers at this point. I hope Oda doesn't let that shake his determination to keep the series going to its natural conclusion. The fact that it continues to sell as well as it does despite the length is extremely impressive. Marineford occurred before a large number kids in Weekly Shonen Jump's primary target demographic were even born. I think, as has been mentioned, One Piece would only see a huge sales boom again if there are a confluence of a number of factors simultaneously. Like, imagine the off chance that the live action series becomes an unforeseen international hit on the scale of something like Game of Thrones. I don't expect that to be the case, but in the remote chance it happens, that could unexpectedly create another boom in sales for older volumes.

I do think there's a strong chance for a modest increase in sales when the series eventually starts to move toward its conclusion, but nothing on the scale of Demon Slayer and probably not on the scale of Marineford / Strong World, but time will tell.

And I really only want a high quality anime because the current one really doesn't at all live up to the manga. I'd love to see a faithful and fluid adaptation like FMA Brotherhood or Hunter x Hunter.

theackwardstation

I'm in the camp that doesn't believe in another big boom of sales for OP, at least not in Japan. Maybe in the west as anime/manga keeps getting more popular around here.

That said, after OP is finished it's fair to say that the series will be deemed as a classic and a masterpiece. I wonder how much this status will ensure the durability of the series in popular culture and even help with new waves of sales. I wonder if the next generation will read OP. If they'll buy it. I have no idea about how old manga classics from Jump sell nowadays.

Kdom

Slam Dunk deluxe new edition was one of the top title last year, so I believe they are doing well