The 12 months is nearly over and Christmas has arrived early for us gross sales nerds! Our present? A brand-new listing of the Prime 10 best-selling manga in Japan of 2024, courtesy of Oricon. So, with out additional ado, let’s unwrap this 12 months’s rankings!
Rank
Sequence
Creator(s)
Estimated Gross sales
1
Jujutsu Kaisen
Gege Akutami
7,610,995
2
One Piece
Eiichiro Oda
5,250,210
3
Frieren: Past Journey’s Finish
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
Fast be aware: Oricon doesn’t embrace digital gross sales. It solely counts bodily copies bought throughout the Oricon 12 months, from December 4, 2023, to November 25, 2024.
1. Jujutsu Kaisen – 7,610,995 copies bought
After shedding the highest spot in 2023, Jujutsu Kaisen by Gege Akutami reclaimed its throne as a manga trade titan. Though its gross sales dropped by 11% in comparison with 2023, the sequence maintained monumental gross sales, fueled by the momentum from Season 2 of its anime adaptation, which gained Anime of the Yr on the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. Notably, all 4 of its new volumes launched in 2024 ranked among the many Prime 10 best-selling volumes of the 12 months, with Quantity 25 promoting 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 rating. Nonetheless, it’s not all excellent news for Jujutsu Kaisen. Gross sales per quantity noticed a noticeable drop, as Volumes 27 and 28 didn’t promote over 1 million copies inside a month—a feat the sequence had simply achieved earlier than. In simply ten volumes, Jujutsu Kaisen misplaced almost 50% of its readership. The decline is so quick that the sequence plans to launch the final two volumes concurrently, aiming to retain consumers and benefit from the vacation season.
The fast lack of readers for Jujutsu Kaisen, a three-time best-selling manga up to now 4 years, underscores the delicate state of the present manga market. It’s regarding that even best-sellers like Jujutsu Kaisen or SPY×FAMILY have struggled to retain their readers, dealing with unprecedented gross sales drops in a remarkably quick time. Whereas gradual lack of readership is predicted over time, shedding a good portion of a sequence’ viewers inside simply 5 to 10 volumes is alarming. The trade’s rising reliance on anime variations to briefly enhance gross sales—regardless of their incapability to maintain new audiences—highlights a vital concern.
2. One Piece – 5,250,210 copies bought
One Piece by Eiichiro Oda maintains its foothold within the Prime 3 regardless of experiencing a major 27% decline from the earlier 12 months. The enhance from the One Piece Movie: Crimson anime film appears to have waned, as Quantity 110 turned the primary One Piece quantity within the Oricon period to fall in need of promoting 1 million copies in its first two weeks. Even so, the sequence stays the dominant pressure it has all the time been, with all new volumes launched in 2024 securing spots within the Prime 10 best-selling volumes. Quantity 108 claimed the Prime 1 place, attaining a powerful 1,552,215 copies bought.
The continued hiatus of the anime adaptation till April 2025 doubtless contributed to this decline. Nonetheless, this development seems to be a pure development in One Piece’s product life cycle. Given this trajectory, it wouldn’t be shocking if a future quantity fails to achieve 1 million copies bought inside its first month subsequent 12 months.
3. Frieren: Past Journey’s Finish – 4,988,170 copies bought
Frieren: Past Journey’s Finish by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe skyrocketed from eleventh place in 2023 to third place in 2024, with an unimaginable 99% gross sales enhance. With 9 volumes rating among the many Prime 50 best-selling volumes of the 12 months—greater than every other sequence in 2024—Frieren dominated the charts. Quantity 12 led the cost, promoting an distinctive 685,795 copies.
Such a meteoric rise comes as no shock. Even earlier than its anime adaptation, Frieren was a best-seller in Weekly Shonen Sunday, trailing solely the legendary Case Closed (a.ok.a. Detective Conan), which boasts over 270 million copies in circulation. Frieren had already turn into a pressure to be reckoned with earlier than the anime hit TV screens. The sequence’ nostalgic tone, mixed with beautiful visuals from Madhouse, has captured the hearts of numerous followers—together with mine. The variation not solely revitalized the story but additionally propelled the sequence’ recognition, pushing its complete circulation to a staggering 22 million copies. In case you haven’t watched this masterpiece of an anime, you’re actually lacking out.
Regardless of its outstanding success, Frieren faces one massive problem: fixed breaks that decelerate new quantity releases. Whether or not it may possibly keep its Prime 10 standing in 2025 stays unsure. Nonetheless, I’m optimistic that we’ll see our goofball, sleepy elf climb the ranks once more subsequent 12 months. The sequence introduced Season 2 of its anime adaptation is within the works, although no launch date has been set.
4. The Apothecary Diaries – 4,723,562 copies bought
One other beneficiary of an anime adaptation, The Apothecary Diaries by Natsu Hyuuga and Nekokurage, greater than doubled its gross sales in comparison with 2023! In 2024, the sequence grew by almost 14 million copies for the reason that anime’s airing, bringing its complete circulation to 38 million copies (together with the sunshine novel sequence and the 2 manga variations). The anime adaptation’s mega-success additionally boosted the unique supply materials, serving to it turn into Japan’s best-selling gentle novel of 2024 with 1,350,491 copies bought.
Nonetheless, the 12 months wasn’t with out controversy. Nekokurage, the artist behind Sq. Enix’s manga adaptation of the sequence, pleaded responsible to tax evasion later in 2024. She obtained a 10-month jail sentence, suspended for 3 years, which permits her to proceed engaged on the sequence. Regardless of this setback, The Apothecary Diaries stays a robust contender for subsequent 12 months’s Prime 10, with its extremely anticipated anime Season 2 set to premiere in January 2025.
5. Blue Lock – 3,881,269 copies bought
After main the rankings in 2023, Blue Lock by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura skilled a pointy decline in 2024, with gross sales plummeting by 63%. The disappointing efficiency stemmed partially from weaker backlog gross sales, as most readers had already bought the sooner volumes in 2023. The sequence additionally confronted backlash over the poor animation high quality of its second season, which aired throughout the 12 months.
Regardless of the decline, the soccer-themed loss of life recreation manga surpassed 40 million copies in circulation worldwide. The discharge of the Blue Lock: Episode Nagi anime film boosted the sequence all year long, however this surge wasn’t sufficient to reverse the year-to-year gross sales decline.
6. Kaiju No. 8 – 3,398,326 copies bought
Kaiju No. 8 by Naoya Matsumoto soared to new heights in 2024, changing into the fastest-growing title within the Prime 10 with a staggering 133% enhance in gross sales. The much-anticipated launch of its first anime season by Manufacturing I.G., supported by a large promotional marketing campaign that includes OneRepublic performing the anime’s ending theme, largely drove this surge. Nonetheless, regardless of these efforts, the anime’s enhance fell in need of recapturing Kaiju No. 8‘s earlier glory, when the manga repeatedly bought over 500,000 copies in a month and ranked because the second best-selling Shonen Soar+ title behind SPY×FAMILY. These golden days, nevertheless, are lengthy gone.
That being stated, Kaiju No. 8 stays a robust pressure within the manga panorama. Its 2024 efficiency continues to be formidable, even when it didn’t absolutely meet the excessive expectations positioned upon it. Shueisha is dedicated to Kaiju No. 8‘s success, with plans for a second anime season, a particular compilation film, and Hoshina’s Trip unique anime episode already introduced for 2025. With 16 million copies in circulation, Kaiju No. 8 continues to amaze audiences, even when its latest enhance didn’t match its preliminary explosive debut.
7. Kingdom – 3,234,204 copies bought
Kingdom by Yasuhisa Hara maintained regular gross sales in a 12 months dominated by anime boosts. The sequence noticed solely a slight 1% enhance in gross sales, regardless of releasing one fewer quantity in comparison with 2023. The historic epic benefited from the airing of its fifth anime season and the discharge of the Kingdom 4: Return of the Nice Normal live-action film in July 2024.
Throughout the 12 months, the sequence launched new 2-in-1 Excellent Version volumes, clearly signaling to VIZ Media (or every other writer keen to tackle the problem) to lastly license this long-coveted historic seinen manga in English.
8. Haikyu!! – 3,077,085 copies bought
Final 12 months, SLAM DUNK shocked everybody by breaking into the Prime 10. This 12 months, it was Haikyu!! by Haruichi Furudate that defied all expectations. The superb volleyball manga noticed a monumental 174% enhance in gross sales regardless of having no new volumes launched since its conclusion in 2020. The first driver behind this resurgence was the primary installment of the extremely anticipated Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle, which introduced followers flocking again to revisit the sequence.
Whereas I had combined emotions concerning the film itself, there’s no denying that it reignited nostalgia amongst long-time followers like me. With the manga reaching 62 million copies in circulation, Haikyu!! stays a cultural phenomenon within the sports activities manga style.
9. My Hero Academia – 2,943,985 copies bought
My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi noticed a noticeable 17% decline in gross sales this 12 months. The sequence wrapped up its decade-long serialization in August 2024, which led to a slight surge in backlog gross sales from followers keen to finish their collections. Nonetheless, fewer new volumes (two in comparison with three in 2023) and declining per-volume gross sales precipitated the general drop.
Regardless of this downturn, the anime’s seventh season and the discharge of My Hero Academia: You’re Subsequent offered some momentum, although they couldn’t reverse the downward development. Even so, the sequence hit 100 million copies in circulation, marking an distinctive feat and solidifying its legacy as one of many sequence that helped outline fashionable manga. The upcoming closing quantity may also see a major enhance, although its possibilities of making the Prime 10 in 2025 stay slim. Even when My Hero Academia doesn’t make the listing subsequent 12 months, I’m hopeful Horikoshi will return to it with the brand new sequence he’s already engaged on.
10. SPY×FAMILY – 2,662,408 copies bought
SPY×FAMILY by Tatsuya Endo skilled a pointy 38% drop in gross sales this 12 months, a stark distinction to its skyrocketing rise in prior years. Whereas the discharge of its second anime season and the SPY×FAMILY CODE: White anime film led to a slight enhance, they couldn’t halt the sequence’ declining gross sales. The numbers paint a regarding image: After simply 5 volumes, SPY×FAMILY has misplaced over 40% of its readership. Quantity 10 bought 1,229,371 copies in its first month, however by Quantity 14, that determine dropped to 705,939 copies. Not a superb signal in any respect.
Regardless of the decline, SPY×FAMILY‘s circulation grew to 36 million copies with solely two new volumes launched in 2024. Nonetheless, the longer term appears to be like bleak for SPY×FAMILY because the dropping gross sales haven’t stabilized. To make issues worse, Tatsuya Endo’s well being points precipitated two hiatuses in late 2024, delaying new quantity releases already restricted by the sequence’ biweekly publication schedule. Nonetheless, hope stays for the Forger household as followers eagerly await the upcoming third anime season, which might reignite curiosity within the sequence.
And that wraps up the Prime 10! Now, for the honorable mentions: Wind Breaker, Scrumptious in Dungeon, and Mashle: Magic and Muscle tissues all skilled spectacular anime-driven boosts all year long. Mashle gained traction because of its opening theme, Bling-Bang-Bang-Born by Creepy Nuts, which went viral and performed a key function in its gross sales spike. In the meantime, Blue Field and Dandadan additionally noticed a average uptick in gross sales, and we must always see extra from them by 2025 as their anime are nonetheless airing.
So, what can we anticipate for the Prime 10 subsequent 12 months? Effectively, it’s going to be difficult for the reason that outlook for gross sales boosts from anime variations in 2025 appears grim. Sequence like Gachiakuta, Witch Watch, Medalist, and Witch Hat Atelier are set to debut their anime seasons in 2025, however the prospects don’t look nice. Nonetheless, that is only for enjoyable, so right here’s my Prime 10 prediction in no order: One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, The Apothecary Diaries, SPY×FAMILY, Dandadan, Blue Field, Kingdom, Sakamoto Days, Blue Lock, and Grand Blue. Yup, you learn that proper. I’m betting that Grand Blue’s second season would be the much-needed breath of recent air to shake issues up a bit.
With the bar set so low this 12 months, loads of room exists for different sequence to make their mark. I’m leaving out massive names like Frieren: Past Journey’s Finish, My Hero Academia, That Time I Received Reincarnated as a Slime, and Kaiju No. 8, in addition to two highschool romances—the excellent shoujo Honey Lemon Soda and the attractive shounen The Aromatic Flower Blooms With Dignity, each of which I’ve excessive hopes for. Moreover, Chainsaw Man might make waves with the potential launch of the Reze Arc anime film this 12 months. And don’t take your eyes off the up-and-coming Weekly Shonen Soar rookie Kagurabachi.
With so many sequence vying for spots, I went for the boldest predict in Grand Blue. Final 12 months, I predicted 8 out of 10 appropriately, so hopefully my numbers enhance this time. Oh properly, who is aware of? If I nail it with Grand Blue, I’ll “reward” myself with some Oolong Tea, the go-to drink in Grand Blue.
Take a look at my gross sales breakdown of 2023’s best-selling manga right here. One of the best-selling manga by quantity in Japan of 2024 could be present in Oricon Information (in Japanese) or the linked @WSJ_manga X/Twitter thread.
