2025 has been another big year for manga, but not to the extent of previous years; while old and new stories alike still saw massive success, especially those with anime adaptations, there was a notable drop in overall sales compared to previous years, likely due to a combination of an uptick in digital media and manga becoming more expensive worldwide.
As disappointing as the drop in manga sales may be, that doesn't change how impressive the figures were, as they're perfectly representative of how big manga has gotten in recent years. That's especially true when looking at the best-selling manga of 2025, as each one is either an established hit or something bound to go down as a modern classic.
Saka Mikami's The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity stars Rintaro Tsumugi and Kaoruko Waguri, two high schoolers who, after becoming friends, are shocked to learn that they go to schools with a longstanding rivalry. Nevertheless, the two of them vow to overcome their class differences and maintain their bond, especially as it starts becoming romantic.
The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity has always been a sweet and fun romance story, and with the success of the recent anime, it's seen even more critical acclaim worldwide. That resulted in The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity being the tenth-best-selling manga of 2025 with 2.04 million sold, and it's bound to get even bigger with time.
In Kohei Horikoshi's My Hero Academia, Izuku Midoriya dreams of becoming a hero, despite being born without any powers, and after a chance meeting with his idol, All Might, Izuku will finally get a chance to prove that he has what it takes not just to be a hero, but to be the greatest hero of them all.
While My Hero Academia ended in 2024, the anime's final season still gave it a major boost, resulting in it becoming the ninth-best-selling manga of 2025 with 2.1 million books sold worldwide. This will likely be the last time My Hero Academia ranks so highly, but at the very least, it will go out as an undeniably legendary manga.
Natsu Hyuga, Itsuki Nanao, and Nekokurage's The Apothecary Diaries takes place in an Imperial China-esque setting and follows Maomao, a sharp-witted apothecary who, after being sold into the emperor's palace, attracts the attention of the enigmatic eunuch Jinshi as she uses her keen medical knowledge to solve problems and gain a deep and dangerous involvement in court affairs.
The Apothecary Diaries is one of the biggest breakout hits of recent years, and sure enough, it's become the eighth-best-selling manga of 2025 with 2.25 million books sold worldwide. The Apothecary Diaries' clever writing and stellar direction have made it a massive anime franchise, and with The Apothecary Diaries season 3 in development, it's only going to get bigger.
In Yuto Suzuki's Sakamoto Days, Taro Sakamoto was once the world's greatest assassin before he retired to start a family and gained a lot of weight, but when a bounty on his head starts putting him and his family in danger, he'll have to come out of retirement to protect his new life and the people he cares about.
Sakamoto Days has long since been one of Shonen Jump's biggest hits from the 2020s, and as divisive as the anime was, it only added to the manga's long-running success. Ultimately, Sakamoto Days became the seventh-best-selling manga of 2025 with 2.34 million books sold worldwide, and it's bound to have even more success as it continues its final arc.
Kouji Miura's Blue Box stars Taiki Inomata, a rookie badminton player with a crush on star basketball player Chinatsu Kano. Taiki is fine with admiring Chinatsu from afar, but all of that changes when Chinatsu moves in with Taiki while her parents are working abroad, thus giving him a chance to finally have a true relationship with her.
Just like Sakamoto Days, Blue Box is one of Shonen Jump's biggest new-gen manga, and thanks to the success of its anime, Blue Box became the sixth-best-selling manga of 2025 with 2.39 million books sold worldwide. Blue Box season 2 is officially in development, and when it comes out, there's no telling how big the series will become.
Yasuhisa Hara's Kingdom is a fictional account of the life of Li Xin, the general of the future legendary Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang. Much like in real life, their relationship paved the way for ending the Warring States period and uniting China under the Qin dynasty, one of the most important eras in the history of the nation.
Kingdom has long been established as one of the best-selling manga of all time, and 2025 was no different, as Kingdom became the fifth-best-selling manga of 2025 with 2.5 million books worldwide. 2025 also saw Kingdom finally receive an official English release, so it's bound to get even bigger in the future.
In Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura's Blue Lock, following Japan's failure at the World Cup, eccentric sports analyst Jinpachi Ego initiates the Blue Lock program, a grueling training regimen to turn one of 300 strikers into the greatest striker and egoist in Japan, and it isn't long before it takes the entire world by storm.
For years now, Blue Lock has consistently been one of the best-selling manga in the world, and sure enough, Blue Lock was the fourth-best-selling manga of 2025 with 3.01 million books sold worldwide. It's a step down from previous years, but with Blue Lock season 3 in development, it could easily return to the top.
Yukinobu Tatsu's Dandadan stars Momo Ayase and Okarun, two teenagers who awaken to supernatural abilities after an encounter with violent spirits and aliens. Unfortunately, it also left Okarun without his genitals, and the two must team up to turn Okarun back to normal while fighting any supernatural threat they come across, all while slowly falling in love along the way.
The Dandadan anime has quickly become one of the biggest hits in modern anime, and as a result, the Dandadan manga has become the third-best-selling manga of 2025 with 3.52 million books sold worldwide. Few anime franchises are bigger than Dandadan right now, and with Dandadan season 3 in development, it's only going to get bigger.
Gege Akutami's Jujutsu Kaisen stars Yuji Itadori, an abnormally strong boy who's thrust into the world of curses and sorcery after being forced to share a body with history's deadliest curse, Ryomen Sukuna, and as Yuji soon discovers, his new life is anything but fun for him and his new friends.
Jujutsu Kaisen has been a defining part of modern manga, and that success continued well into 2025, as Jujutsu Kaisen was the second-best-selling manga of 2025 with 3.92 million books sold worldwide. Even with Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 coming out, it's unlikely to rank so highly again, but there's no denying its status as a legend in the making.
In Eiichiro Oda's One Piece, the world has entered a Great Age of Piracy following the death of Gold Roger and the hunt for his legendary treasure, the One Piece. That, of course, includes Monkey D. Luffy, and even with a rubber body, Luffy will gather a crew to travel through the Grand Line and become King of the Pirates.
There's no denying One Piece's place as the best-selling manga, and after almost a decade of being outsold by competitors, One Piece is once again the best-selling manga of the year with 4.21 million books sold worldwide. Seeing One Piece reclaim its position as the best-selling manga in the world is great, and hopefully, 2026 will be no different.