Japan's mainstream industry, including movies and music, may not have a significant influence on the world. But its anime industry has caused quite a storm in the world. From kids to grown-ups, everyone has begun watching it. Almost all these anime are adapted from mangas, the Japanese version of comics. They have even gained the market, with some famous ones selling millions of copies. Popular comic publishers like Marvel and DC have been left behind by their Japanese counterparts. Mangas provide a livelihood to most of Japan's artists and form the backbone of its anime industry. Not only that, many people outright prefers to read manga that is not yet adapted into anime. So we have formed here a list of the ten most popular mangas from Japan.
1. One Piece
One Piece is by far the highest-selling manga of all. It has an adaptation that is the most popular ongoing anime right now. Eiichiro Oda writes as well as illustrates it. Shueisha has been publishing it in its magazine Weekly Shonen Jump since July 1997. A total of 103 volumes have been posted by August 2022. The story revolves around a pirate, Monkey D. Luffy, who became a rubber man after eating a Devil Fruit.
2. Naruto
Naruto was published from the year 1999 to 2014. Its 72 volumes have together sold a total of 250 million copies. Masashi Kishimoto writes and illustrates this manga. The story follows Naruto Uzumaki, an unpredictable ninja who faced prejudice because he was the host of the Nine-tailed Fox, the strongest-tailed beast. He wants to be recognized by the villagers and therefore dreams of becoming the Hokage.
3. Dragon Ball
Akira Toriyama wrote and illustrated this popular action manga. It was published in Shueisha's magazine Weekly Shōnen Jumpin in 42 volumes. A total of 519 chapters were published from 1984 to 1995. Its story was inspired by Journey to the West and Hong Kong's martial arts films. Over 300 million copies have been sold, mainly famous for its action scenes. Son Goku, the main character, practices martial arts and searches for the magical Dragon Balls.
4. Attack On Titan
Attack on Titan, also called Shingeki no Kyojin, is a manga written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. Over 100 million copies have been sold of its 34 volumes. Set in an alternate world, it follows a group of three children. Humanity lives surrounded by three walls that protect it from Titans, large humanoid flesh-eating creatures. One day, the outer wall is broken, and the protagonist, Eren Yaegar, sees his mother being devoured by Titans. He then vows to kill every single Titan and joins the military cadet corps along with his friends.
5. Demon Slayer : Kimetsu No Yaiba
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba has sold 100 million copies of its 23 volumes. It is a popular manga written and illustrated by Koyoharu Gotouge. The story follows the protagonist, Tanjiro Kamado, who returns to his home to find his family murdered by a monster. He trains to become a demon slayer to revenge on his family and cure his younger sister, Nezuko, who was turned into a demon. Shueisha published it in its magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from 2016 to 2020.
6. Tokyo Revengers
Ken Wakui writes and illustrates this manga. It has a total of 28 volumes and has sold over 65 million copies. It got adapted into an anime by Liden Films in April 2021. The main character, Takemitchi Hanagaki, finds out that his girlfriend from school, Hinata Tachibana, was killed in an accident by Toman or Tokyo Manji Gang. Takemitchi accidentally gets transported to the past, 12 years from the present. He decides to join the Tokyo Manji Gang and save Hinata from being killed.
7. Fullmetal Alchemist
It is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. Square Enix published it in its magazine Monthly Shōnen Gangan from 2001 to 2010. A total of 27 volumes were released and have sold 80 million copies together. It is based in an alternate world themed after the Industrial Revolution of Europe. The story revolves around two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who search for the philosopher's stone after they fail to resurrect their mother and lose parts of their bodies in the process.
8. Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen is a popular manga with over 70 million copies sold and is written and illustrated by Gege Akutami. Shueisha. It has published 21 volumes in Weekly Shōnen Jump since 2018. The story follows Yuji Itadori, a high school student gifted in athletics. He's also a member of the Occult Research Club. One day, a genuine spirit or a curse, as called in the story, comes to the school.
9. My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia, also called Boku no Hero Academia, is an ongoing manga written and illustrated by Kohei Horikoshi. It has 28 volumes currently, with individual chapters published in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. It is set in a fictional world where eighty percent have powers called "quirks." The protagonist, Izuku Midoriya, was born without a quirk and, therefore, cannot fulfill his dream of becoming a hero. Later, he meets his idol, All Might, who chooses him as the successor for his powers.
10. Tokyo Ghoul
It is a manga written and illustrated by Sui Ishida. A total of 47 million copies were sold in its 30 volumes. Shueisha published it in Weekly Young Jump from 2011 to 2018. It is set in a fictional Tokyo where flesh-eating creatures called ghouls secretly live among humans. The protagonist Ken Kaneki gets attacked by Rize Kamishiro, a ghoul. After he comes to his senses at a hospital, he discovers he has become a half-ghoul
