Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba does something no other series has ever done.
With the weather getting colder and the nights longer, curling up on the couch with some compelling reading material is sounding like a great way to spend our free time. To help us narrow down our options, let’s take a look at Oricon’s weekly manga sales chart and see what the fan aggregate fan community in Japan is enjoying these days.
At the top of the list is Volume 22 of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, with 326,000 copies sold for the week of October 19-25. No surprise there, since it’s the most popular series in Japan right now, and the franchise’s first theatrical anime currently playing in theaters is giving it an attention boost.
As a matter of fact, Demon Slayer is also in the number-two and three slots in the rankings, which are held by Volume 8 (whose cover features character Kyojuro, who also plays an important role in the movie and also was the inspiration for one of our coworker’s new hairdo) and Volume 1, possibly thanks to newcomers wanting to know what all the Demon Slayer buzz is about.
Okay, so let’s dive a little deeper into the chart and look at what comes after the top three.
● 4. Demon Slayer Volume 9
● 5. Demon Slayer Volume 10
● 6. Demon Slayer Volume 2
Hmmm, we’re starting to see a pattern here….
● 7. Demon Slayer Volume 7
● 8. Demon Slayer Volume 3
● 9. Demon Slayer Volume 4
● 10. Demon Slayer Volume 11
Whoa, Demon Slayer has the entire top 10 locked up! Guess we need to keep going to find something else…
● 11. Demon Slayer Volume 5
● 12. Demon Slayer Volume 6
● 13. Demon Slayer Volume 12
● 14. Demon Slayer Volume 13
● 15. Demon Slayer Volume 15
…wait, is this whole list going to be….
● 16. Demon Slayer Volume 15
● 17. Demon Slayer Volume 16
● 18. Demon Slayer Volume 17
● 19. Demon Slayer Volume 19
● 20. Demon Slayer Volume 18
● 21. Demon Slayer Volume 20
● 22. Demon Slayer Volume 21
Yep, all 22 of the top-selling manga for the week were Demon Slayer volumes.
And probably the only reason something else (Volume 24 of JoJolion) occupies 23rd place is because there are currently only 22 volumes of Demon Slayer that have been released. Basically, the series has to run out of content before anything else can challenge its popularity right now.
This week’s milestone also marks the sixth time for Demon Slayer to have the top 10 all to itself, and even by Japanese-market mega-hit standards, this is a phenomenal domination of the sales charts. No other series since Oricon began tracking weekly manga sales has swept the top 22, and publisher Shueisha is probably shaking with excitement at the chance of beating its own record with the upcoming release of the series’ 23rd, and final, volume.
Source: Oricon (1, 2), Hon no Hikidashi via Jin
Photos: SoraNews24
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