Buzz
Most recently, the ranking of the best-selling manga of 2021 has been announced with many interesting surprises.
Recently, on Oricon - the famous Japanese statistical data provider, the manga sales rankings continue to be announced. Despite facing many difficulties in 2021 due to the pandemic, many Japanese manga still achieved great success. Let's take a look at the top 10 best-selling manga of 2021!
Note: The statistical period is calculated from November 23, 2020, to November 21, 2021.
Top 1 - Jujutsu Kaisen
Total sales: 30,917,746
2021 marked a major success year for Jujutsu Kaisen manga. Building on its success in 2020, this year Jujutsu Kaisen garnered nearly 40 million copies in print. Jujutsu Kaisen is a manga created by Gege Akutami, serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump in August 2018. The series has a prequel called Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School, focusing on the special grade curse sorcerer Yuta Okkotsu.
Top 2 - Kimetsu no Yaiba
Total sales: 29,511,021
In recent years, Kimetsu no Yaiba has consistently been the most beloved manga by readers in Japan and many countries worldwide. In 2021, with numerous ongoing projects, the manga's appeal has not diminished.
Kimetsu no Yaiba is a Japanese manga by Gotoge Koyoharu. Serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from February 2016 to May 2020, the manga was later compiled into 21 tankōbon volumes. It has been published in English by Viz Media and Shueisha on Manga Plus platform. In Vietnam, it's published in Vietnamese by Kim Dong Publisher under the title Thanh Guom Diet Quy.
Top 3 - Tokyo Revengers
Total sales: 24,981,486
The manga series Tokyo Revengers is a shounen manga by author Wakui Ken, serialized in Weekly Shounen Magazine by Kodansha since March 2017. Successfully combining elements of street gang and time travel, 2021 is considered an extremely successful year for Tokyo Revengers manga.
Top 4 - Attack on Titan
Total sales: 7,332,398
2021 marks the end of the memorable 9-year journey of the world's most beloved survival manga, Attack on Titan. With the motto 'I'm happy as long as you suffer,' Isayama Hajime created an ending that couldn't be more heart-wrenching, with Mikasa killing the person she loves most, Eren. Despite receiving countless criticisms from readers, Attack on Titan still had a successful year.
Top 5 - My Hero Academia
Total sales: 7,020,361
My Hero Academia is a Japanese superhero manga written and illustrated by Horikoshi Kohei. It has been serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump since July 2014 and has been compiled into 32 tankobon volumes. In Vietnam, the manga is licensed and published by Kim Dong Publisher under the title Học Viện Siêu Anh Hùng. In 2021, it continued to receive positive support in Japan and Western countries as its content resonates with the readers' tastes in these countries.
Top 6 – One Piece
Total sales: 7,002,583
Despite being a year filled with events and massive investment, One Piece only ranks sixth in this ranking with over 7 million copies sold. In reality, volumes 99, 100, and 101 of this manga were released at the end of the year, so the explosive year for this famous manga will be the following year, 2022.
Top 7 - Chainsaw Man
Total sales: 5,212,578
Following the news of the anime adaptation, the newcomer manga Chainsaw Man has seen remarkable sales growth. Set in a world inhabited by demons, these demons are born from human fears such as fear of the dark, fear of sharks, fear of spiders, fear of guns, and fear of violence. To combat them, government-affiliated demon hunting organizations have been established worldwide.
The main character of Chainsaw Man is Denji. With the goal of paying off the enormous debt left by his father, Denji has to sell organs and do any job, including demon hunting. Alongside Denji is Pochita, a small demon with a chainsaw for a head. Pochita is also Denji's only friend, living through days of hardship with nothing to eat.
Top 8 - Spy x Family
Total sales: 4,973,402
Similar to Chainsaw Man, Spy x Family is also a manga series receiving a lot of attention from readers with the announcement of its anime adaptation. Spy x Family is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Tatsuya Endo. The work was first published on Shonen Jump Plus in March 2019.
Spy X family follows the journey of a super spy named 'Twilight' in protecting peace between the East and West factions of a fictional country (similar setting to post-World War II East and West Germany). To ensure no war breaks out between the two sides, 'Twilight' is forced to have a wife and child within...2 weeks. With the desire to create a 'world where children don't cry,' 'Twilight' hides his identity and adopts a child as well as marries a wife.
Top 9 – Kingdom
Total sales: 4,672,612
This is a rare historical manga loved by readers worldwide at the present time. Kingdom is set in the Warring States period of Chinese history. Xin and Piao are two orphaned children living in the state of Qin, carrying the dream of becoming the 'Greatest General under Heaven.' Xin understands that Piao is being used as a body double for Ying Zheng in the power struggle.
Top 10 - Haikyu!!
Total sales: 4,345,443
This is the only sports manga that maintained its appeal in 2021. With over 4 million copies sold and a spot in the top 10, Haikyu!! has achieved an encouraging milestone. The story revolves around Hinata Shouyou, a junior high school student with dreams of becoming a volleyball player despite his small stature. After recruiting enough members, he finally gets to participate in his long-awaited first match after 3 years.
Here are the top 10 best-selling manga of 2021, with most being notable newcomers in recent years. What do you think about this ranking? Feel free to share your thoughts!
