The Best of the Best of Manga: Shonen Jump’s 20 Best Sellers of All-Time
As anyone will tell you, Japan is home to many major manga “monthlies” and “weeklies,” and of course the can be bought virtually everywhere from convenience stores to train stations. Among these many titles, however, it is without a doubt that Weekly Shonen Jump reigns supreme.
In the 90s the popularity of Shonen Jump soared and the stories it put out captured the hearts of young Japanese boys and girls everywhere, resulting in peak of 6 million copies sold. Although those numbers have fallen to 3 million in recent years, the company has stuck to its tried and true formula. Popular titles such as Dragon Ball and One Piece get serialized weekly in the magazine and then 10 episodes are compiled into comic books.
In this article we’re going to show you the all-time sales ranking of these books – something that we’re sure will appeal to both manga fans and newbies alike.
Jump adheres to two editorial policies.
The stories should be centered on the themes of effort, friendship, and victory. Keeping these concepts in the hearts of the youth is the fundamental policy. Dragon Ball and One Piece are prime examples of these themes.
On the other hand, Jump employs a cutthroat “survey system” to decide which books stay alive. If any book, regardless of its notoriety, is not pleasing fans for a period of 10 weeks (one book), it is cut from the Jump line-up. Even legendary writers are not immune to this policy as a way for Jump to maintain its integrity.
Below you’ll find the 20 series that since 1968 have not only survived this survey system but have flourished under it, being adapted into anime, live action movies, and merchandise galore.
#20 Death Note
(12 Volumes 2003-2006)
27 million copies sold
Using the “Death Note” notebook which kills the person whose name is
written the main character hopes to create a perfect world and get
wrapped up in a battle of wits with a master detective. It’s been widely
reviewed as a gritty story involving death “unlike a series from Jump”
but good nonetheless.(12 Volumes 2003-2006)
27 million copies sold
Murders including one in Brussels, Belgium where the killer left a note saying “Watashi wa Kira dess [sic]” and jokes about idol Aki Higashihara’s blog which seems to magically create misfortune referring to it as “Death Blog” are examples of how strong this manga’s impact is.
#19 Yu-Gi-Oh
(38 Volumes 1996-2004)
28 million copies sold
The main character was bullied as a child, but by obtaining a
mysterious “millennium puzzle” from ancient Egypt, another dark
personality emerged from him. In this dark fantasy story the guardian of
darkness punishes the villains. The story revolves around Magic & Wizards a card game similar to Magic: The Gathering
which has become more popular than the original series itself. In fact,
Guinness World Records has awarded it the highest selling card game in
the world.(38 Volumes 1996-2004)
28 million copies sold
#18 BASTARD!! : Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy
(27 volumes and counting 1998-present)
30 million copies sold
This dark comic fantasy was based on themes of mythology and the
Bible. The protagonist, Dark Schneider continuously wages battle with
demons and angels. The author and heavy metal fan, Kazushi Hagiwara put
references to rock all over the series both jokingly and reverently. Its
explicit sexuality became controversial due to its appearance in a
magazine for youths.(27 volumes and counting 1998-present)
30 million copies sold
Between hiatuses, the series is still ongoing but changed magazines.
#17 City Hunter
(35 Volumes 1985-1991)
35 million copies sold
This hard-boiled comedy series follows the exploits of Ryo Saeba as
he works as a bodyguard and detective in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Despite its
adult oriented storyline which didn’t quite match a youth-oriented
magazine, it sold very well in book form. Currently the series continues
as Angel Heart.(35 Volumes 1985-1991)
35 million copies sold
#16 Dr. Slump
(18 Volumes 1980-1984)
35 million copies sold
A hit by Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball fame, it’s the story of Arale
and the inhabitants of Penguin Village. Arale’s catch-phrases “ho-yo-yo”
and “ncha” became popular with children at the time. The first-run
printing of the sixth volume sold a record-setting 2.2 million copies
and was the first first-edition to break 2 million copies.(18 Volumes 1980-1984)
35 million copies sold
#15 The Prince of Tennis
(42 Volumes, 1999-2008)
40 million copies sold
The story centers on Ryoma, a student at a prestigious tennis school
who is striving to win the nation championships. The rules and
strategies of tennis are well explained so that even those not familiar
with the game can get into it. However, recently unrealistic special
moves like unreturnable shots, a single person playing doubles by
cloning, and supernatural glowing bodies have been appearing more and
more since around half way through the series. It’s been treated
somewhat as a joke because of this.(42 Volumes, 1999-2008)
40 million copies sold
#14 Rokudenashi Blues
(42 Volumes 1988-1997)
43 million copies sold
In this comedic coming of age story a group of friends deepen their
friendship while fighting and boxing. The series is set in Tokyo and
features many famous places like, Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Asakusa. The
faces and names of characters who appear in it are jokingly modeled
after famous musicians and athletes as some of the many jokes filling
these stories.(42 Volumes 1988-1997)
43 million copies sold
#13 Yu Yu Hakusho
(19 Volumes 1990-1994)
47 million copies sold
Written by the author of Hunter X Hunter, Yoshihiro Togashi, the
story follows the adventures of Yusuke Urameshi, but as the story
progresses it falls into Jumps bread and butter of martial arts battle
stories. The author’s mood swings are legendary. In the series some
drawings seemed to be published in a state of near draft calling some to
question his mental stability. Nevertheless, it was one of Jump
signature works of the 90’s.(19 Volumes 1990-1994)
47 million copies sold
#12 Rurouni Kenshin
(28 Volumes 1994-1999)
50 million copies sold
This samurai story set in the Meji Era broke what some thought was
jinx preventing Jump from making hits ever again. Although the
characters and story are fictitious, real people and events such as the Shinsengumi were intertwined. Its popularity has endured from the end of the series resulting in a live action movie adaptation in 2012.(28 Volumes 1994-1999)
50 million copies sold
#11 Dragon Quest: Dai’s Great Adventure
(37 Volumes 1989-1996)
50 million copies sold
This mega-hit was set in the same world as the Dragon Quest video
games with a lot of the same spells and items. However, none of the
game’s characters are connected. Although some might see it as simply a
cash-grab on the name of Dragon Quest, the series received high acclaim
from surveyed fans from the very start. Thanks to its Jump-friendly
storyline it achieved great popularity and success.(37 Volumes 1989-1996)
50 million copies sold
#10 Hunter × Hunter
(32 Volumes and counting 1998-Present)
60 million copies sold
The main character, Gon, in order to meet his father whom he had
never seen, becomes a Hunter which is a fictitious job set in the world
of this story. A wide variety of enemies and allies with unique special
abilities set in a vast yet detailed world have boosted the popularity
of this series. However, the weekly magazine series is notorious for its
excessively long hiatuses. Over its long run the series has taken
breaks of up to two years, and much like in the author’s previous Yu Yu
Hakusho drawings have been published in a seemingly unfinished state. On
the Net, this apparently lackadaisical serialization has been chided
with cries of “Work Togashi!”(32 Volumes and counting 1998-Present)
60 million copies sold
#9 Fist of the North Star
(27 Volumes 1983-1988)
60 million copies sold
Set in 199X the world was destroyed by nuclear war, the story
develops as Kenshiro employs the Hokuto Shinken fighting style to battle
a variety of powerful foes. The series’ style and world were said to
have been influenced by Mad Max and The Killing Fields.(27 Volumes 1983-1988)
60 million copies sold
From its inception the series was hugely popular and steered Jump toward the martial arts action genre. Also, over twenty years since it ended publication the franchise has endured with spin-offs and anime adaptations.
#8 Captain Tsubasa
(37 Volumes 1981-1988)
70 million copies sold
The hero of this story, Tsubasa Ozora, grew up with dreams of
becoming a pro-soccer player in Brazil. It features superhuman acrobatic
skills that would probably get you a yellow card in real life. The
impact of this work can be seen in the countless fans around the world
including most Japanese professional players, Fernando Torres, and
Zinedine Zidane. Tsubasa’s fame has even reached the Middle East where
he could be seen drawn on the side of trucks delivering water.(37 Volumes 1981-1988)
70 million copies sold
#7 JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
(107 Volumes and counting, 1987-present)
77 million copies sold
The Joestar family is handed down from parent to child in this
series. Each chapter focuses on a different character in the family and
often jumps from one country to the next. This series takes the familiar
superhuman fighting genre and mixes it up by constantly changing the
main character’s skills and wits. Author, Hirohiko Araki’s
collaborations such as the one with Gucci has helped to boost its
popularity and style for each of its long line of cast members.(107 Volumes and counting, 1987-present)
77 million copies sold
#6 Bleach
(57 Volumes and counting 2001-Present)
78 million copies sold
This story by Tite Kubo takes place in the world of the occult. It’s a
world in the style of a Japanese Exorcist. This ongoing popular series
follows Ichigo Kurosaki as he gains powers of a shinigami
and fights evil. While this story deals with Asian mythology it has
gained an audience in other countries as well. Although Jump is often
seen as a boys’ magazine, this series has become very popular with
female readers too.(57 Volumes and counting 2001-Present)
78 million copies sold
#5 Slam Dunk
(31 Volumes, 1990-1996)
117 million copies sold
In this basketball manga by Takehiko Inoue, delinquent high school
student, Hanamichi Sakuragi is advised to join the school basketball
team by Haruko Akagi. It’s a coming-of-age story which deals with the
relationships between the teammates and rivals. This manga has had a big
impact on basketball programs in middle schools and high schools across
Japan. Even in Taiwan some students made a tribute video to the series. There have been rumors of a sequel but nothing has materialized yet.(31 Volumes, 1990-1996)
117 million copies sold
#4 Naruto
(63 Volumes and counting, 1999-Present)
135.5 million copies sold
Naruto is a martial arts manga which deals with aspiring ninjas. It’s
been popular from the get-go and can often be seen alongside One Piece
as the current signature series. For a story revolving around oriental
subjects it has found success in more than 30 countries around the world
and its anime adaptation can be found in over 80 countries. It was also
independently made into a live action short film which got attention worldwide.(63 Volumes and counting, 1999-Present)
135.5 million copies sold
#3 Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen Mae Hashutsujo
(184 Volumes and counting, 1976-Present)
155.3 million copies sold
This goofy comic by Osamu Akimoto stars a police officer in downtown
Tokyo. Referred to affectionately as Kochikame it’s a testament to
longevity as it has continuously run from 1976 to 2013 along 184
volumes. It’s an episodic series that focuses on slapstick humor but
mixes in pop-culture references and some dramatic elements. Not taking a
single hiatus in over 30 years, Kochikame has earned a Guinness World
Record for longest running series in a youth magazine.(184 Volumes and counting, 1976-Present)
155.3 million copies sold
#2 One Piece
(68 Volumes and counting 1997-Present)
270 million copies sold
This action adventure series follows the pirate Luffy and was created
by Eiichiro Oda. When the popular works of the 90s like Dragon Ball and
Slam Dunk ended, Jump found itself out of mega-hits. It needed
something to escape the post-Dragon Ball depression. Despite its
satirizing of complex issues like territorial disputes, religion, and
war, it refrains from murder or graphic death, explicit sex, and the
main hero doesn’t talk of killing. This allowed it to be well received
as a young readers’ comic. It Japan alone, One Piece is the top-selling
manga of all time. But when we take global sales into account…(68 Volumes and counting 1997-Present)
270 million copies sold
#1 Dragon Ball
(42 Volumes 1984-1995)
350 million copies sold
This comic masterpiece was based on the classical Chinese tale Journey to the West, but with an emphasis on fighting. It contains all the three elements of a Jump comic; victory, friendship, and effort.(42 Volumes 1984-1995)
350 million copies sold
The series’ creator Akira Toriyama had said that among the series characters, Vegeta, Piccolo, Krillin and Mr. Satan were his favorites.
One criticism of the series was that it could seem like and endless series of increasingly stronger enemies to fight. This eventually led to the ending of the series even though it meant discontinuing a series that brought endless revenue from magazines, merchandise, animated series, etc.
Its wholesome and positive storytelling is the main reason for the peak sales of 6 million copies for Weekly Shonen Jump.
Source: Naver (Japanese)
Pictures: Amazon.co.jp
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