Manga, the Japanese term for comics, has a long history in Japan. It grew in popularity because of its campy style and how it allowed creators to explore subjects that would be taboo otherwise. In recent years, there’s been a rise in manga-ka (manga artists) self-publishing their work.
What is a Manga?
A manga is a Japanese comic book. Manga is typically serialized in weekly or monthly magazines, with individual chapters collected into tankōbon volumes. They can be categorized by the target demographic into shōnen, seinen, or josei manga.
Manga has been known in the West since 1884 when a French scholar began studying and translating the works of Hokusai. In the 20th century, Japanese artists such as Osamu Tezuka and Machiko Hasegawa became known outside of Japan for their work in this medium. Manga-influenced comics have become popular worldwide, especially in North America, Europe, China, South Korea, and Brazil.
The term “manga” is an abbreviation of the Japanese word “kanji,” which means “comics.” Outside of Japan, the word refers specifically to Japanese comics. In Japan, however, “manga” refers to all comics regardless of origin.
Best-Selling Manga of 2022
Japanese manga became one of the fastest-growing sectors in the publishing industry, and that trend continued in 2022. In this list of best-selling manga titles published by Oricon, we can see how it easily outsold other types of books. Check these out:
- Jujutsu Kaisen
- Tokyo Revengers
- Spy x Family
- One Piece
- My Hero Academia
- Kingdom
- Blue Lock
- Chainsaw Man
- Do Not Say Mystery
- Kaiju No.8
Jujutsu Kaisen, Tokyo Revengers, and Spy x Family have all gained popularity thanks to being based on anime. What manga will you read?
In Japan, manga is a comic created in Japan. These comics are typically read from right to left and often include Japanese-style artwork and characters. The manga became popular in the West in the late 20th century when translated episodes were published in American comic books.
Today, manga make up a large part of the publishing market in Japan. In 2015, manga sales in Japan exceeded ¥200 billion ($1.6 billion), with over 1.65 billion manga volumes sold across the globe. The top-selling manga series of all time is One Piece, written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, which has sold over 430 million copies worldwide since its debut in 1997.
Other popular manga includes Attack on Titan (over 70 million copies sold), Naruto (over 250 million copies sold), and Fullmetal Alchemist (over 70 million copies sold), Demon Slayer. These series are all published by Shueisha, one of the “Big Three” Japanese publishers, along with Kodansha and Shogakukan.
