It’s an easy argument to make that manga is growing in popularity worldwide. Thanks to advances in technology that have amplified accessibility to the medium, North American manga readers are given more options than ever to check out new and old stories alike. In a recent report, one outlet took the opportunity to break down which franchises are sitting at the top of the charts when it comes to overall sales in the West. While there are some tried and true series that might not come as a surprise to those following the manga world, there are some surprising candidates that are sitting at the top of the anime ladder.
Recently, we here at ComicBook.com shared a “report to Shonen Jump advertisers” that saw Weekly Shonen Jump breaking down its biggest series at the moment. In the breakdown, Shueisha noted that series such as One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, Sakomoto Days, Blue Box, and Kagurabachi are the top stories worldwide, that are still releasing new chapters, that manga readers are gravitating toward. On the flip side, there are still several manga series that, despite reaching their natural conclusions, that readers are still diving into including Haikyuu, The Promised Neverland, Demon Slayer, and My Hero Academia. While the latest report of most beloved US Manga in 2024 has its fair share of Shonen, there are some examples of stories that exist outside of Weekly Shonen Jump.
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North America’s Top Manga in 2024
According to a new report via Circana Entertainment, six manga are sitting at the top of the anime ladder in North America for the first half of 2024. As explained in the new report from Circana’s Senior Executive Director, Kristen McLean, the pandemic helped to boost overall manga sales around the world, and said sales aren’t looking to decline. In discussing manga sales concerning physical bookstores, McLean stated the following, “I urge you to keep with it because I do think that the fans that we accrued during the pandemic are not going away.” The six titles include:
- Jujutsu Kaisen
- The Apothecary Diaries
- Delicious In Dungeon
- One Piece: Ace’s Story – The Manga
- Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu Academy
Manga Spin-Offs Are Big Business
While it should come as no surprise that the likes of The Apothecary Diaries, Delicious in Dungeon, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End found their way to this list, the spin-off series featured might throw anime fans for a loop. Both Demon Slayer: Kimetsu Academy and One Piece: Ace’s Story are series that are supplementary material to their main franchises. In the case of Kimetsu Academy, it’s an entirely new story focusing on the Demon Slayer Corps in a far lighter environment. The manga itself did give birth to an anime series which is available to stream on Crunchyroll, though each episode is only around one minute in length.
One Piece: Ace’s Story is a trip to the past, focusing on the earlier adventures of Monkey D. Luffy’s older, fire-wielding brother. At present, the series has not been confirmed for an anime adaptation though it’s clearly become popular in its own right. While One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda forged the initial concept, the manga was drawn by Dr. Stone veteran, Boichi. As of the writing of this article, Ace’s prequel tale has yet to be confirmed to receive its own anime adaptation.
Want to see what the future holds for manga in North America? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the medium and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
