Japan’s No. 1 Manga Series For January 2026 Has Been Revealed (It’s Not One Piece)

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Manga is incredibly popular in Japan and its popularity has grown worldwide over the past ten years, as anime and manga become more mainstream. While anime often gets a lot of attention, manga sales are a better indicator of a series’ true success. Oricon has recently released the latest monthly sales figures for manga in Japan, revealing the best-selling titles for January 2026.

Surprisingly, Kingdom was the best-selling manga in January 2026, surpassing One Piece. This popular, long-running series is a competitor to Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece and has started the year off with a strong performance, potentially continuing its chart-topping run.

Japan’s No. 1 Most Sold Manga For January Is Kingdom

A Legendary Long-Running Seinen Series

Each month, Oricon publishes a list of the top-selling manga series. Fans eagerly awaited the January 2026 results, as they often indicate which series will be most popular throughout the year. To the surprise of many, Kingdom topped the charts for January 2026. This well-known series originally began appearing in Weekly Young Jump back in 2006.

Kingdom is a long-running and incredibly popular series set in ancient China. It’s managed to stay consistently engaging for fans for decades, which is a rare feat. Despite facing challenges, it consistently ranks among the best-selling manga each year.

Why Kingdom Topping January Sales Chart Is Huge

A major hurdle for the manga Kingdom is its limited availability outside of Japan. While incredibly popular in its home country, no English-language publisher has taken on the entire series. This is partly due to its considerable length – it’s a very long series, making publication a big undertaking. Some publishers also worry that it might not find a large audience with international readers.

One of the biggest weaknesses of Kingdom is its anime adaptation. The early seasons, which are crucial for attracting viewers, weren’t very well-received. Unlike series like Jujutsu Kaisen and Frieren, Kingdom hasn’t benefited from a popular anime that boosted its manga sales. However, the story remains incredibly compelling, as evidenced by its continued success. As of January 2026, it has 466,000 copies in circulation, largely due to the release of its latest volume on January 19th, 2026.

Frieren, Jujutsu Kaisen, Blue Lock, and Chainsaw Man Make It Into The Top 5

The Rest of the Top 10 Features Other Exciting Series Such as Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo

Kingdom remained the best-selling manga, and the top 20 list has been released. Among the top five, several popular Shonen series from recent years stood out. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End came in second with 437,000 sales—very close behind Kingdom. This isn’t surprising, as the second season of the anime is currently airing and is incredibly popular in both Japan and internationally, alongside a new manga volume release. Rounding out the top three is Jujutsu Kaisen, which continues to sell exceptionally well even after concluding its run in 2024. The ongoing Season 3 anime is further boosting its sales, reaching 362,000 this month.

Coming in at number 4 is the popular manga Blue Lock, currently featured in Weekly Shonen Jump. While the anime adaptation wasn’t a huge success, the manga itself remains incredibly popular. Chainsaw Man landed at number 5, and recent success with the Reze Arc movie has significantly increased its sales. The top 10 also includes other exciting and well-loved series, with newer hits like Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo, Kagurabachi, and Dandadan all making the list.

One Piece Doesn’t Make The Top 20 In January 2026

  • The latest One Piece volume was released all the way back in December 2025
  • The new March volume should help the series pick up

I was really surprised when Oricon released its list of the top 20 best-selling manga for January 2026 – it didn’t include One Piece! You’d normally expect to see it near the top, especially since it’s still being published. The current arc, focusing on Elbaf, is particularly popular with fans right now, so it seemed even more unusual.

One Piece sales have recently dipped, and there are two main reasons why. First, it’s been a couple of months since the last volume (Volume 113, released in December 2025), which is enough to cause a drop in popularity for a series this big. Second, the anime adaptation is currently on break, having paused on December 28, 2025, and this has also contributed to the decrease in overall interest.

Although One Piece manga sales are currently a bit down, they’re expected to increase significantly next month. Volume 114 is set to be released on March 4, 2026, and should propel the series back to the top. Plus, the One Piece anime will return in April 2026, which is likely to further boost manga sales, particularly for the exciting Elbaf arc that’s currently unfolding.

Don’t give up, even when things are hard – think of the freedom of the ocean! Let’s carry that spirit over Wano! And anyone who messes with our friends will have to deal with all of us! – Monkey D. Luffy

Despite the ongoing excitement, One Piece sales have generally been decreasing since the popular Summit War storyline. While the series was at its most popular during the Summit War, sales haven’t reached those levels since. The current Final Saga has seen an even bigger drop, though the Elbaf arc has provided a small boost. It’s likely sales won’t return to their peak until the Final War arc officially begins.

One Piece is available to read on MagaPlus and Shonen Jump, through Viz Media.

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2026-02-10 23:41