Most Popular Manga in Japan Right Now (Winter 2022)
What is Manga?
Manga, or 漫画 in Japanese, are comics and graphic novels that are published in Japan and often get turned into anime. Unlike western comics, manga is usually black and white and is printed on to regular paper in a small book. Following traditional Japanese books, manga is usually read right to left, meaning you need to start reading from the ‘back’ of the manga book. Most anime first start out as manga comics and are usually popular as a manga before they get turned into anime. Having said this, anime studios sometimes change the anime’s story meaning that it differs to the story of the original manga.
What Manga is Popular in Japan?
Just like overseas, many different mangas are popular in Japan depending on a person’s personal preferences. Having said this, how manga gets popular in Japan differs quite a bit to overseas due to the existence of ‘manga magazines’. These are large books that publish various manga chapters weekly. Manga creators aim to get their manga published into these magazines so that it can start to grow in popularity. Manga magazines are run by various companies but each manga magazine usually has a specific target audience in terms of age. For example, the popular manga magazine ‘Shonen Jump’ is one of the most popular manga magazines in Japan and it publishes manga aimed at junior high school students in Japan. Due to this, the popularity of manga in Japan often various depending on a persons age and what manga magazines they like to read. In this article we will be showing you some generally popular manga in Japan that is currently popular amongst most age groups.
Best Selling Manga in Japan Right Now
The best selling manga in Japan of course depends on genre, age category and the platform it is being sold on. However, Rakuten Marketplace is a great place to check due to the fact that it is one of the most popular online shopping websites in Japan. Rakuten has compiled a list of the top-selling manga in Japan across all genre categories which is one way of showing us what manga is currently popular in Japan! According to Rakuten, the 5 best selling mangas currently are:
- My Hero Academia (Vol 31)
- Redo of Healer (Vol 9)
- Kingdom (Vol 62)
- Yakudatazu Skill ni Jinsei o Sosogikomi 25-nen, Imasara Saikyou no Boukentan (Vol 4)
- Dr. Stone (Vol 22)
Although these are the best-selling mangas on Rakuten recently, lets take a look at some manga that is generally popular in Japan right now!
Popular Manga in Japan Right Now
1. Chainsaw Man
Chainsaw Man is by far the most popular manga in Japan currently. It has recently been turned into an anime with a new episode being aired weekly. This has also drawn more people to read the manga as they cannot wait a week for the next episode. Chainsaw Man is a Shonen Jump manga and many have said that it reminds them of Jujutsu Kaisen, another popular manga in Japan. There are currently 97 chapters of the manga, so if you haven’t read it yet I would recommend starting as soon as possible!
Rating
Plot: ✭✭✭✩
Characters: ✭✭✭✩
Manga overall: ✭✭✭✩
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2. Jujutsu Kaisen
I’m sure you’ve all at least heard of Jujutsu Kaisen and many of you have probably watched all the anime and read all the manga chapters available. But in case you haven’t, Jujutsu Kaisen is the most recent manga to take the manga and anime world by storm due to its recent and sudden growth in popularity! This manga was published in the Shonen Jump manga magazine which lead to it instantly becoming popular among Japanese people. The story and characters are super interesting which leads readers becoming attached to the manga! There are currently 208 chapters of the manga available and it is still ongoing. Season 2 of the anime has recently been announced and is set to be released soon!
Rating
Plot: ✭✭✭✭
Characters: ✭✭✭✭
Manga overall: ✭✭✭✭
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3. Tokyo Revengers
Tokyo Revengers is another extremely popular manga in Japan recently. The manga gained popularity after being published in a manga magazine, which lead to the manga being turned into an anime. After this, the manga gained even more popularity due to the anime being uploaded to Netflix. The manga has recently ended after 278 chapters and had an amazing ending! If you haven’t read it yet, I would highly recommend reading it all!
Rating
Plot: ✭✭✭✭
Characters: ✭✭✭✩
Manga overall: ✭✭✭✭
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4. SPY X FAMILY
SPY X FAMILY is an interesting fairly new and popular manga in Japan that follows the story of a spy who needs to build a family to execute his latest mission. He marries a woman and adopts a daughter to do this, but what he doesn’t realize is that they also have some secrets of their own too. This manga is extremely unique and unlike any other manga before. There is currently no anime out yet, however there is talk of one being created soon. So if you want to know more about the story, you’ll have to read the manga first! The manga is ongoing and there are 66 chapters currently out.
Rating
Plot: ✭✭✭✩
Characters: ✭✭✩✩
Manga overall: ✭✭✭✩
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5. My Isekai Life
My Isekai Life is a manga that follows a man who is sent to another world suddenly without explanation. There he must tame monsters as his profession and gradually improve his strength and skills. The original title has been shortened due to its length, the actual title is: ‘My Isekai Life: I Gained a Second Character Class and Became the Strongest Sage in the World!’. Although this manga is similar to other mangas that have come about before it, it has gained a lot of popularity in recent years in Japan. It is worth reading for anyone looking for a new manga to read! The manga is currently ongoing and there are 51 chapters available.
Rating
Plot: ✭✭✩✩
Characters: ✭✭✩✩
Manga overall: ✭✭✩✩
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Where Can I Read Manga Online?
You can read manga online at various different websites who have been approved by manga authors and companies to upload the manga for consumption. There are many websites that upload manga illegally for free viewing; these websites negatively affect manga authors who often don’t make much money when they are starting out. To make sure you are supporting manga authors and consuming your manga legally, make sure to check out the websites listed below. These websites often charge a monthly subscription for you to read unlimited manga! Some popular websites/ apps that offer this service are:
Where Can I Buy Manga Online?
Manga can be bought online at any online retailer who is selling the manga. Depending on where you are in the world, there is probably a website specific to your country that sells manga translated into your countries language. There are also anime merchandise websites that sell a huge range of English manga and ship world wide! To check some of these out, head over to:
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