Top Selling Manga of the First 6 Months of 2023! Blue Lock Sells 8 Million After Anime Adaptation

With the start of June, we reach the half-yearly recap of the manga and anime which took Japan by storm. The “Top-selling manga by series” list is based on the sales of the manga series from November 21, 2022, to May 21, 2023, and undoubtedly, fan favorites such as One Piece, Chainsaw Man, and Jujutsu Kaisen have made it to the list, proving exactly why it has gathered such large fanbases. 

Unexpectedly, the Blue Lock manga series has taken the top spot in the “top-selling manga by series” list, with Chainsaw Man trailing behind in second place. Thanks to its anime adaptation which concluded its first season in March of this year, the series has managed to sell 8 million copies as of May 2023.

Blue Lock follows the Japanese National Football team as they train to win the biggest trophy of tournaments and try to formulate the greatest striker in the world. Though we’re pretty sure the 2023 World Cup chaos led many to watch the anime and subsequently read the manga, there’s no question the quality of the series made many fans crave more. 

Also, Read Top 10 NikoIkki Facts From Blue Lock

Top-Selling Manga By Series

Whether you’re a long-time manga fanatic or a newbie looking to dive into this addictive media, there’s no denying that these incredible series can have a great impact on readers as well as the manga industry. From epic battles to intense dramas, manga has it all, and we’re about to touch on the most impactful manga series of the first half of 2023. 

According to Oricon, the top-selling manga by series are:

1. Blue Lock, written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro, sold 8,046,032 copies
2. Chainsaw Man, written by Tatsuki Fujimoto, sold 4,492,906 copies
3. Slam Dunk, written by Takehiko Inoue, sold 4,199,966
4. Jujutsu Kaisen, written by Gege Akutami, sold 3,757,215 copies
5. One Piece, written by Eiichiro Oda, sold 3,550,097 copies

Blue Lock volumes 12, 13, 14, 21, 22, and 23 made it on the list of Top-selling manga by volume. The financial achievement of the series validates the hype of Blue Lock, proving it can walk proudly amongst giants like One Piece, a title people outside the anime and manga community can recognize. 

The 10 Top-selling Manga As Per Volume are:

1. One Piece vol. 105 sold 1,758,255 
2. Jujutsu Kaisen vol. 21 sold 1,553,984
3. Jujutsu Kaisen vol. 22 sold 1,318,536
4. SPY x FAMILY vol. 11 sold 1,177,254
5. Tokyo Revengers vol. 31 sold 846,297
6. My Hero Academia vol. 37 sold 726,883
7. Chainsaw Man vol. 13 sold 698,001
8. Kingdom vol. 67 sold 618,955
9. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime vol. 22 sold 529,770
10. Blue Lock vol. 22 sold 518,277

The 10 top-selling light novel series are:

1. The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten sold 389,315
2. Suzume sold 369,925
3. Blue Lock Tatakai no Mae, Bokura wa sold 213,779
4. Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian sold 204,770
5. Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 sold 183,668
6. The Apothecary Diaries sold 163,677
7. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon sold 163,538
8. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime sold 162,904
9. Kirby: Right Back at Ya! sold 130,694
10. Campfire Cooking in Another World with my Absurd Skill sold 121,552

About Blue Lock 

Driven by their burning desire for World Cup glory, the Japanese Football team has initiated an ambitious plan to discover the national team’s next prodigy in the form of a striker. In a fierce competition called Blue Lock, three hundred high school players are set to battle it out for the position. The catch? Failing “Blue Lock’ means you cannot represent any Japanese team in the future.

The stakes are high, as only a single player will earn the position and lead Japan to a World Cup victory. With a whole nation on their shoulders, who will make it to the top and claim the title of the best striker in the world? The answer awaits; with the first season ending in March, a second season is in the making to satisfy our hunger for this series. 

Directed by Tetsuaki Watanabe and accompanied by Shunsuke Ishikawa as assistant director, the anime is produced by Eight Bit. The scripts are handled by Taku Kishimoto, while Masaru Shindō oversees character design as well as acts as the chief animation director. Hisashi Tojima is the chief action director, and Jun Murayama composes the music. 

Blue Lock, after a while, exceeds what a sports anime can do. It becomes more than just sports to an extent where it loses the realistic approach. Nonetheless, the anime is filled with intense moments, enough to keep you cheering as if you’re watching a real-life football match. With a great and unique plot, we can’t wait to see the heights the manga and anime series will reach. If you haven’t already, catch the first season on Crunchyroll and experience the potential yourself!