With the first half of 2024 coming to a close,the best-selling manga of 2024 so far has been unveiled. Although a lot could change between now and the end of the year, the current scope of the industry has shown an immense amount of change and growth as far as what fans are reading, and genres that are becoming more successful.
Like most years, there are some new and unexpected additions, some long-time veterans, and some who soared to great heights because of their anime. This year’s is particularly interesting, asfans have discovered some hidden gems that have dethroned giants, likeOne PieceandMy Hero Academia, which is a good sign.
Delicious in Dungeon
Cast
Based on the manga series, Delicious in Dungeon is a comedic fantasy series with a cooking emphasis. The series follows the exploits of a guild leader named Laios as he heads into a massive dungeon that contains a sunken kingdom, lured by the promise of untold treasure if he can slay the magician that caused it all.
Ryoko Kui’sDelicious in Dungeonopens with Laios' adventure party being wiped out by a dragon and Laios’ sister, Falin, being eaten alive. What’s left of Laios’ party must hurry back through the dungeon to revive Falin, and to compensate for a lack of funds, Laios, much to everyone’s chagrin, gets everyone to start eating the monsters they encounter in the dungeon,although for Laios, it’s less a survival tactic and more a dream of his he finally gets to fulfill.
10 Best Selling Manga Of 2023
Just in time to send off one of the best years in the manga industry, Oricon has released the ranking of highest selling manga of 2023.
Studio Trigger’s anime adaptation madeDelicious in Dungeona breakout hit of 2024, and thanks to that,Delicious in Dungeonbecame the 15th best-selling manga of 2024 with 1.34 million copies sold worldwide.Delicious in Dungeon’s success is great for traditional fantasy stories amid an overabundance of isekai anime, and withseason 2 ofDelicious in Dungeonin production, it’s bound to get even bigger in the years to come.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is an action-adventure isekai anime based on the original novels written by Fuse. Living a standard life with no actual forward trajectory, Satoru Mikami’s humdrum life is thrown into chaos when he is stabbed to death during a daily walk. However, Satoru’s life is spared when he is reborn into the body of an all-powerful slime in a fantasy world where he gets a second chance at living a more fulfilling - albeit bizarre - life.
Fuse and Taiki Kawakami’sThat Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slimestars a mild-mannered office worker who, after dying to protect his friend in a robbery, is reincarnated into a fantasy world as a slime. As a slime, he can absorb the powers of anything he consumes, and this gradually leads to him becoming Rimuru Tempest, one of the most powerful figures in his new world who’s constantly at the center of political strife.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slimehas consistently beenone of the most popular isekai stories in the world, if not the most popular, and in 2024, alone,That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slimestands as the 14th best-selling manga with 1.54 million books sold worldwide. The series is still going strong with season 3 of its anime, and it’s sure to remain a major powerhouse for years to come.
Mashle: Magic and Muscles
Mashle: Magic and Muscles follows Mash, a non-magical young man living in a realm where magic determines social status. After being discovered, he is enrolled in a magic school, where he must rely on his extraordinary physical strength to compete with his magically gifted peers.
Hajime Komoto’sMashle: Magic and Musclesstars Mash Burnedead, a bizarre young boy who’s grown up in a world of magic as the only person without magical abilities. Mash has compensated for that by devoting his life to working out and becoming physically strong to a ridiculous extent, and after a series of events, Mash must use his abilities to rise to the top of the magical world, all while keeping his true nature a secret.
While the series ended in 2023, the breakout success of season 2, especially the memetic nature of its theme song, led to a massive resurgence of popularity, and because of that,Mashle: Magic and Musclesbecame the 13th best-selling manga of 2024 with 1.58 million books sold worldwide.Mashle: Magic and Musclesseason 3is currently in production, and once it premieres, the series is sure to rise even higher.
Spy x Family
Created by Tatsuya Endo, Spy X Family is an action-adventure comedy anime that follows the misadventures of a found family with unique quirks. The story follows spy Twilight (known as Loid Forger), who, while on assignment, builds a fake family to get closer to his target. Unbeknownst to him, his new family carries their quirks. His wife, Yor, is a kind but deadly assassin, while his daughter, Anya, has telepathic powers - and is the only one who knows their secrets.
Tatsuya Endo’sSpy x Familytakes place in a fictional Cold War setting and stars Twilight, a secret agent whose latest assignment is to start a family to eventually get close to someone who could disrupt the delicate peace between the nations of Westalis and Ostania. The people he chooses as his wife and daughter, however, are an assassin and telepath, respectively, and the daughter, Anya, is the only one of the three ever aware of what everyone is truly up to.
Between season 2’s run and the financial success ofSpy X Family Code: White,Spy x Familyis as popular as ever, and sure enough,Spy x Familyis the 12th best-selling manga of 2024 with 1.82 million books sold worldwide. Season 3 is set to premiere sometime in 2025, and it’s sure to be just as big a boon to the manga’s popularity, if not bigger.
Wind Breaker
Wind Breaker focuses on the troubled delinquents of Furin High School, who despite poor academic performances, passionately defend their town. The arrival of a competitive newcomer disrupts the existing power dynamics, challenging the students' resolve and unity.
Satoru Nii’sWind Breakerstars Haruka Sakura, a kindhearted delinquent who’s spent his whole life being ostracized for his heterochromia and seeks to prove himself by becoming the top fighter at the legendary delinquent-filled school Furin High. As it turns out, though, the delinquents of Furin High are just as kindhearted as Sakura and protect their town from anyone who tries causing trouble, and by joining with them, Sakura finally finds a place where he can belong.
Thanks to its incredible animation and fight choreography,Wind Breakerwas one of the biggest anime of 2024, and that resulted inWind Breakerbecoming the 11th best-selling manga of 2024 with 1.85 million copies sold worldwide. The manga is well on its way to becoming one of the best stories in modern manga, and with season 2 in production, it’s only going to get bigger.
Oshi No Ko
Oshi No Ko is a 2023 Japanese series that follows a small-town doctor’s encounter with a popular teen idol leading to an entanglement in the cutthroat entertainment industry. The narrative explores themes of ambition, identity, and the hidden realities behind fame as the characters navigate complex personal and professional challenges.
Aka Akasaka and Mengo Yokoyari’sOshi no Kostars Goro Amamiya, a gynecologist who is reincarnated as the son of his latest patient and idol, the famous pop idol Ai Hoshino. While initially content with simply going through his second life as Aqua Hoshino, tragedy strikes when Ai is suddenly murdered, and Aqua now decides to devote his life to tracking down Ai’s murder and avenging her death.
Oshi no Kohas continually proven itself to be just as big a success as Aka Akasaka’s previous manga,Kaguya-Sama: Love is War, if not a bigger one, and sure enough,Oshi no Kois the 10th best-selling manga of 2024 with 1.98 million books sold worldwide. The manga is officially in its final arc, but with how popular it already is, combined with the continued success of the anime,Oshi no Kowill only get bigger as it nears its finale.
9Kingdom
2.46 Million Copies Sold
Yasuhisa Hara’sKingdomis a fictional account of the life of Li Xin, the general of the future legendary Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang. Much like in real life, their relationship, alongside various other historical figures, paved the way for the end of China’s Warring States period and all of China being united under the Qin dynasty, one of the most important eras in the history of the nation.
Yasuhisa Hara said he plans on ending the manga at 100 volumes, and the series is currently in volume 73.
Despite infamously never being licensed outside Japan,Kingdomhas always been incredibly popular, even being one of thebest-selling manga of all time, and in 2024, alone,Kingdombecame the ninth best-selling manga of 2024 with 2.46 million books sold worldwide. The series shows no signs of stopping anytime soon, and with that in mind, it’s only going to become even more successful in the years to come.
My Hero Academia
Anime series My Hero Academia follows Izuku Midoriya, a boy born without superpowers in a world where most have them. Despite his lack of abilities, he enrolls in a prestigious hero academy, striving to learn the true essence of heroism and fulfill his dream of becoming a hero.
Kohei Horikoshi’sMy Hero Academiatakes place in a world where becoming a superhero has long since been a feasible goal thanks to the emergence of superpowers called Quirks. Izuku Midoriya is one such boy who dreams of becoming a hero, even though he was born Quirkless, but after a chance meeting with the world’s greatest hero, Izuku finds himself on the path toward becoming the world’s greatest hero.
My Hero Academiahas always been one of the best-selling manga around, and that hasn’t stopped, even after entering its final year of serialization and ending in July 2024. In 2024, alone,My Hero Academiahas sold approximately 2.5 million books to be the eighth best-selling manga of 2024, and even with the series officially over, it’s sure to remain a powerhouse for years to come.
Haikyu!!
Haikyu!! follows Shoyo Hinata, a high school student determined to become a top volleyball player despite his short stature. After watching a national championship match, he sets his sights on joining the renowned Karasuno High School volleyball team. Alongside his rival-turned-teammate, Tobio Kageyama, and other team members, they strive to lead Karasuno back to its former glory on the national stage.
Haruichi Furudate’sHaikyu!!stars Shoyo Hinata, a short but athletic volleyball player who enters Karasuno High to both play on the same team as his idol and continue his rivalry with volleyball prodigy Tobio Kageyama. Surprisingly, Kageyama also joined Karasuno, and despite their bickering, the two slowly became an unstoppable duo that helped take their failing team to the greatest heights of their career.
Just like howSlam Dunk’s manga saw an incredible increase in sales in 2023 thanks to the release ofThe First Slam Dunk,Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battletremendously boostedHaikyu!!’s popularity, and sure enough,Haikyu!!is the seventh best-selling manga of 2024 with 2.7 million books sold worldwide.Haikyu!!continues to be a massive success years after its finale, and with another movie in development, that’s unlikely to stop anytime soon.
2.9 Million Copies Sold
Kaiju No. 8
Written by Naoya Matsumoto, Kaiju No. 8 is a Japanese Shonen Manga released in 2020. The series follows a man who suffers a terrible accident but suddenly gains the ability to morph into a Kaiju, complete with special powers and abilities.
In the world of Naoya Matsumoto’sKaiju No. 8, Kafka Hibino has been stuck on a Kaiju clean-up crew after failing the entrance exam for the Defense Force multiple times, but a junior member of Kafka’s crew reignites Kafka’s passion and gets him to retake the exam. Things become complicated, however, when a mysterious Kaiju flies inside of Kafka and gives him the power to turn into a Kaiju,his new form soon dubbed the titular Kaiju No. 8.
Kaiju No. 8was always one of the most popular manga to come out ofShonen Jump+, but the success of the anime led to it becoming a cultural phenomenon, resulting inKaiju No. 8being the sixth best-selling manga of 2024 with 2.9 million books sold worldwide. Season 2 of the anime is officially in development, and once it premieres,Kaiju No. 8will surely become even more popular worldwide.
