The 2023 rankings showing the most popular manga serials in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine have just been released. Taking the top spot is Eiichiro Oda’s adventure fantasy series One Piece, which has consistently ranked at or near the top for many years.
Following behind in second place is Sakamoto Days, a new series about a legendary hitman trying to live a normal life.
Third is the hugely popular supernatural action series Jujutsu Kaisen. Next is the youth romance drama Blue Box, and rounding out the top five is My Hero Academia, a story of superpowered heroes-in-training.
These rankings are determined by the editorial staff of Weekly Shonen Jump based on reader surveys and feedback.
They decide the order in which the serials will appear in each issue – essentially, a table of contents guiding readers to their favorites.
One Piece retaining the top spot reflects its enduring popularity after 25 years. Meanwhile, the strong showings of relative newcomers like Sakamoto Days and Blue Box demonstrate there is still room for new hit series.
But long-running staples like My Hero Academia continue to earn reader loyalty as well. It will be interesting to see if these rankings hold steady or change over the coming year.
One Piece Is The Most Popular And Profitable Manga In Weekly Shonen Jump for 2023
The specific order of manga series in Weekly Shonen Jump is strategically determined by editors, not just raw popularity. More well-known, top-selling series do tend to be placed near the beginning to attract readers.
However, editors may also highlight certain series by placing them early, aiming to give them a boost.
The sequencing involves more than just responding to fan votes. Editors think holistically about the magazine’s flow and reader experience.
For example, they likely avoid clustering multiple series with heavy, depressing chapters back-to-back, even if they rated highly that week. The goal is to craft an engaging, varied progression through the full issue.
Comedy series are often intentionally positioned last, lighting things up to leave readers smiling. Beyond that strategic placement, the clearest sign of a series being in trouble is consistently appearing on the final pages.
Barring other complex factors, that manga will likely get cut.
So, while these rankings offer insights into popularity, they reflect editors’ storytelling decisions and future plans for the magazine. It’s not simply a contest for fan favor.
1. One Piece
Claiming the top spot with an average rank of 2.40, chapters of the pirate epic One Piece have consistently appeared towards the very front of Weekly Shonen Jump issues over the past year.
Typically found on page 2 or 3, it’s one of the first series readers see when flipping through a new magazine. This prime visibility reinforces its popularity.
Editors have additional motivation to give One Piece premium placement in 2023. With the release of the feature film One Piece Film Red and other promotional events, they aim to hype the series.
Their front-and-center positioning serves that goal, keeping One Piece at the forefront of readers’ minds.
The ranking graphs show remarkably steady rankings over 2022. One Piece has become almost an automatic choice for editors filling those first few pages – a true modern icon of Shonen Jump.
Its dominance reflects both enduring reader passion and editorial favor.
Behind One Piece, other popular series like Sakamoto Days, Jujutsu Kaisen, Blue Box, and My Hero Academia also claimed strong average rankings this year.
Their precise trends in visibility and reader engagement can also be gleaned from the data graphs provided. But One Piece stands peerless as Weekly Shonen Jump’s treasure.
2. Sakamoto Days
With an average ranking of 4th place, new chapters of Sakamoto Days typically appear around page 4 of Weekly Shonen Jump issues. This new series about a retired hitman couldn’t surpass the visibility of the mega-series One Piece, partially due to fewer major promotions or collaborations in 2022.
Centered on former ace assassin Taro Sakamoto, the manga follows his attempts to leave his violent past behind after falling in love.
Now a humble convenience store clerk, Sakamoto struggles to persuade his skeptical underworld rivals that he’s out of the game for good.
When old foes repeatedly attack, seeking to defeat the legendary killer, he’s forced to creatively thwart them without lethal force to protect his newfound domestic life.
So, while not claiming the top spot, a steady readership has earned Sakamoto Days a consistently strong position within Weekly Shonen Jump.
Editors grant it visibility that matches its building popularity. Though for now, it doesn’t receive the same editorial spotlight as industry juggernaut One Piece.
The series synopsis helps capture the allure of Sakamoto’s dangerous efforts to go straight into a world that can’t quite let him go.
3. Jujutsu Kaisen
With an average ranking of 4.9, new chapters of the supernatural action series Jujutsu Kaisen typically appear around page 5 of Weekly Shonen Jump.
Though close in popularity to Sakamoto Days, additional factors gave the latter an edge. These include covers, color pages, wider spreads, and release consistency.
Centered on young Yuji Itadori, Jujutsu Kaisen follows his enrollment in a school for curse-fighting sorcerers after swallowing a demonic finger to save a classmate.
Now sharing his body with the sinister spirit Ryomen Sukuna, Itadori walks the line between human and curse as he battles supernatural threats.
While immensely popular, creator Gege Akutami’s more frequent hiatuses may have discouraged editors from prioritizing Jujutsu Kaisen to the same degree as Sakamoto Days and its steadier release pace.
With multiple hit series competing, these small advantages accumulate. Still, a nearly 5th place average reflects the dark action series’ strong readership.
Its synopsis summarizes the alluring premise that sets Yuji Itadori on a dangerous path far from ordinary life.
4. Blue Box
Blue Box centers on Taiki Inomata, a junior high schooler who has a crush on Chinatsu Kano, a talented basketball player one year ahead of him. Though they attend the same school, the differences between these two rising sports stars couldn’t be greater.
Taiki is a moderately popular badminton player who always seems to be one step behind Chinatsu, the school’s shining superstar.
Her athletic gifts and popularity make Taiki feel she’s romantically out of his league. However, a sudden turn of events leads to Chinatsu moving into Taiki’s home.
Spurred by this unlikely chance at getting closer to his crush, Taiki doubles down on his goal of leading his badminton team to the national championships.
He throws himself into intense training, hoping to narrow the gap between them and prove himself worthy of Chinatsu’s affection.
This shonen sports romance offers an underdog tale of perseverance and young love unfolding under one roof. As the two student-athletes chase lofty dreams, Taiki pursues the ultimate dream – winning over the girl of his dreams through dedication to their sport.
5. My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia focuses on a world where most people possess innate superpowers known as “Quirks.” Yet protagonist Izuku Midoriya was born Quirkless, dashing his lifelong dream of becoming a superhero.
In a society of superpowered wonders, Izuku faces steep odds – how can someone with no special talents hold their own against elemental manipulators, hyper-strong mutants, and more? But his unwavering drive refuses to let natural-born gifts determine his destiny.
Against all expectations, Izuku gains entry to the most elite hero training academy, beginning his quest to defy the norm.
Without any flashy abilities, he pushes his mind and body to their utmost limit, thinking and fighting creatively. Though starting far behind his powered peers, Izuku’s courage and innovation prove abilities alone don’t make a hero.
This action series subverts standard Chosen One narratives, filtering classic superhero elements through the underdog tale of someone clinging fiercely to their convictions.
Izuku’s seemingly hopeless yet unshakeable resolve makes him an inspiring and resonant protagonist.
6. Akane Banashi
Rakugo Girl centers on Akane Osaki, a young girl enamored with the traditional Japanese storytelling art of Rakugo after growing up watching her father, Tooru, perform.
Though Tooru’s passionate Rakugo style fails to impress during a critical promotion exam before a senior master, dashing his dreams.
The resulting bitterness makes Tooru abandon Rakugo entirely, much to Akane’s heartbreak.
Furious at the narrow-minded judge who dismissed her father’s gifts, Akane tracks down Tooru’s old mentor, Master Shiguma. She pleads for him to take her on as a student so she can one day avenge this injustice through Rakugo.
However, Shiguma remains haunted by regret over failing to help Tooru succeed. Before taking Akane under his wing, he urges her to prove her dedication by performing on stage to see if she truly has an aptitude for the art.
This emotional drama explores the passion of Rakugo through a daughter’s quest to redeem her father’s legacy. Akane’s raw determination kindles courage in her reluctant teacher as they both seek to heal old wounds.
7. Kill Blue
The Elusive Samurai centers on Juzo Ogami, a highly skilled 40-year-old assassin working for the Z.O.O syndicate.
While eliminating targets tied to the genetics firm Mitsuoka Pharmaceuticals, Ogami is stung by a genetically engineered wasp that radically regresses his physical age back to 12.
Unable to carry out hits in the body of a child, Z.O.O’s leader gives Ogami a new mission – enroll in middle school to evaluate safety for his daughter’s admission.
Having never received a formal education, Ogami discovers unexpected joy in student life.
Now balancing dual identities as pupil and master assassin, Ogami must also seek out an antidote for the wasp’s effects from Mitsuoka Pharmaceuticals’ heir, Noren Mitsuoka.
As he pursues a cure that will return his lethal talents while relishing an innocent second childhood, Ogami walks a precarious line between killer and kid.
This action comedy explores the dichotomy between a carefree youth and Ogami’s dark world through an assassin forcibly transformed.
The unusual premise casts familiar environments and relationships in a new light for its conflicted protagonist.
8. Witch Watch
The story follows Nico Wakatsuki, a young witch who finally finishing her magical training and returning home to set up her practice.
A key step is choosing a familiar, traditionally an animal, to serve and assist her. However, Nico opts for something different – her childhood friend Morihito Otogi, an ogre.
Morihito strongly resists being bound to a witch as her servant. But he discovers that defying the order of a witch carries dire consequences.
A curse would warp his ogre form into a bizarre cow-tiger mutant. With no other choice, Morihito reluctantly pledges himself as Nico’s familiar to avoid this fate.
As these two long-separated friends reunite under strained circumstances, Nico is eager to command her new magical partner, and Morihito is desperate for freedom. Humorous supernatural hijinks are sure to unfold.
The uniqueness of an ogre familiar promises ample opportunities to explore the intersections of human, monstrous, and witch worlds through an unwilling partnership.
With no parents around, Nico and Morihito end up sharing a household as she begins her witch practice. This thrills lovestruck Nico, now under the same roof as her longtime crush.
However, absent-minded Nico’s unpredictable magic and general clumsiness soon overwhelm the orderly Morihito.
As her appointed familiar, Morihito must safeguard his accident-prone mistress not only from day-to-day chaos but a foretold disaster looming in her future.
Their awkward roommate dynamic faces ultimate stakes. While Nico floats through life cheerfully, oblivious to threats, dependable Morihito shoulders the stress of somehow shielding his witch friend turned housemate as omens hinting at impending calamity.
The whimsical everyday antics central to witch-and-familiar stories gain extra spice-forced domesticity between two contrasting personalities linked by fate’s bind.
Easygoing Nico and anxious Morihito have their dynamic turned upside down, sharing tight quarters, unable to escape one another or their intertwined destiny.
9. Me & Roboco
As robotic “OrderMaid” servants become popular household helpers, 10-year-old Bondo Taira notices his friends Motsuo and Gachi Gorilla have acquired their own.
Motsuo’s maid Meico, in particular, seems flawless – delivering drinks and providing massages, always graceful. Envious, Bondo convinces his mom they need an OrderMaid, too.
To his dismay, the maid model dispatched to Bondo’s home is Roboko – massively strong, clumsy, and destructive. Whether tidying up or pouring tea, Roboko leaves disaster in her wake, unlike the delicate Meico.
Initially disappointed with this technological letdown, Bondo ultimately discovers unexpected bonds can form through comic misadventures, even with a faulty bot.
As Bondo and his pals kill time testing Roboko’s glitch-prone capabilities, this quirky friend group bands together.
They soon learn first impressions don’t always reveal the true value friends, robotic or not, can bring into our lives when given a chance.
10. Nue’s Exorcist
Nue’s Exorcist centers on Rin Okumura, who was raised in ignorance of his demonic heritage by his adoptive father, Shiro Fujimoto. But after a heated argument, Rin learns a shocking truth – he is the son of Satan himself, destined to rule the demon plane Gehenna. This revelation costs Shiro his life shortly after as Satan takes control of his body.
Orphaned and grieving alongside his twin brother Yukio, Rin’s trauma fuels a new purpose – revenge. He follows Yukio into exorcist training at True Cross Academy, seeking the power to destroy Satan for good and right Shiro’s wrongful death.
As Rin confronts his innate demonic abilities for the first time alongside human peers, he walks a fine line in harnessing his dark gifts without losing himself.
His already complicated life growing up, fearing for his fiery temper, worsens knowing that he is literally the spawn of the worst demon in existence. This urban dark fantasy explores issues of identity and destiny through a seemingly damned boy striving for the light.
