Shōnen sports manga have always been a cornerstone of the medium, and recent sales data proves that success is only growing. Great series like Ashita No Joe and Ace No Diamond are influential series that are quite popular, but with the increase in dark fantasy shōnen in recent years, like Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man, the genre has been getting less and less attention.
2023’s best-selling manga has reignited hope that this worrying trend might soon end though. A post on X by user @Josu_ke collected the best-selling manga of 2023 according to manga data tracker Oricon. Kodansha’s Blue Lock snagged the top-selling manga spot, putting it ahead of iconic series such as One Piece and Jujutsu Kaisen.
This accomplishment was thought almost impossible considering how overwhelmingly popular those two series are. In fact, two of this year’s bestsellers are sports manga, with Takehiko Inoue’s Slam Dunk coming in at number #6, and selling about 4.9 million copies.
Blue Lock’s Best-Seller Status Hints at a Sports Manga Resurgence
Looking at Oricon’s sales data of the best-selling manga of all time, it’s apparent that sports series such as Haikyuu!! and Kuroko No Basket are consistent best-sellers. Other series like Ao Ashi and Diamond No Ace have also appeared in the decade’s top 50, proving that sports manga have always had high popularity. Unlike other popular shonen series such as Bleach and Naruto, sports series have always had huge cultural impacts in Japan, and sometimes all around the world.
Sports Series | Manga Sales | Where To Read |
|---|---|---|
Slam Dunk | 170 million+ | Viz Media |
Hajime No Ippo | 100 million+ | K Manga |
Captain Tsubasa | 90 million+ | Viz Media |
Major | 65 million+ | No English release. |
Haikyuu!! | 60 million+ | Manga Plus |
The Prince Of Tennis | 55 million+ | Viz Media |
H2 | 55 million+ | Unavailable |
Shoot!! | 50 million + | Unavailable |
Ace of Diamond | 40 million+ | Kodansha |
Kuroko No Basket | 31 million+ | Manga Plus |
Take, for example, one of the best-selling sports manga of all time, Slam Dunk. Takehiko Inoue’s Slam Dunk sold over 100 million copies and is the sixth best-selling manga ever by Oricon’s count. According to a report by Anime News Network, the series even led to Inoue being honored by the Japan Basketball Association for helping popularize basketball in Japan.
More sports manga are being published, and garnering a lot of attention, such as Blue Box and Two On Ice. Sports shonen series will always have a place in the hearts of manga fans, as the genre has been very influential. What is interesting to note is that new sports manga are also incorporating other genres, such as the coming-of-age and romance aspects. From simply entertaining viewers to inspiring them to pick up a sport, the sports manga series is a timeless genre that will continue to have high demand no matter what. Battle shōnen has long been the medium’s standard-bearer, but Blue Lock’s monstrous success proves sports manga may be taking that mantle.
Read Blue Lock On Kodansha
