Oricon has revealed the top 20 best-selling manga titles in Japan in 2023.
ComicBook.com recently highlighted Oricon’s list, which showed that sports manga Blue Lock beat out every other series, selling more than 10.52 million copies individually. Behind Blue Lock in second place is Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen manga, which has sold approximately 8.54 million copies, surpassing Eiichiro Oda’s Shinnen Titan manga, One Piece, by more than 1.36 million copies. Coming in fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh place are Oshi no Ko, Chainsaw Man, Slam Dunk and Spy x Family respectively. The top 10 is rounded out by My Hero Academia, Tokyo Revengers and Kingdom, although the top 20 list also includes the likes of Oshi no Ko and Bocchi the Rock.
Although fantasy action series often dominate popular attention, sports manga are extremely popular in Japan among readers of all ages. The #1 bestseller of 2023, Blue Lock, debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump in August 2018. Written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Yusuke Nomura, it tells the story of a veteran soccer coach named Jinpachi Ego, whose goal is to form a Japanese team that can bring the World Cup home. To accomplish this, he selected 300 students for a rigorous program designed to eliminate all but the most talented players. The series’ protagonist, Yoichi Isagi, promises himself that he will surpass his opponents, despite only barely making it through the qualifying rounds.
One Piece and Jujutsu Kaisen are both recognized by international audiences; while the former launched the franchise several decades ago, the latter series only debuted in March 2018. Jujutsu Kaisen is set in a universe where emotions manifest as supernatural beings called curses that torment humans. To end them, a college student named Yuji Itadori teams up with famous curse expert Satoru Gojo, who teaches him how to hone his newfound powers. Studio MAPPA created an anime adaptation of the series in 2020, which is currently in the middle of its second season.
Unlike their Shonen counterparts, Oshi no Ko and Spy x Family both revolve around unconventional yet loving families. The previous series told the story of a gynecologist named Gorou Amemiya, who was mysteriously transformed into the newborn son of one of his patients, who happened to be a famous idol , Ai Hoshino. Growing up next to his “mother”, Gorou has a first-hand view of the dark side of stardom. Among other things, this manga explores serious topics such as cyberbullying and suicide.
In contrast, Spy x Family is a lighter story about a spy, an assassin, and a psychic child learning to navigate life as a traditional family despite their lack of experience. Season 2 of the popular anime adaptation of Spy x Family is currently airing and the franchise will also see the release of its first animated film next December.
Source: Oricon via ComicBook.com