The world of manga and anime has many popular sports series. While football fans have choices like the current hit Blue Lock and the classic Captain Tsubasa, when it comes to volleyball, one series consistently stands above the rest: Haikyu!!
Haruichi Furudate’s Haikyu!! first appeared in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump on February 20, 2012, and quickly became a huge success. It rose to become one of the most beloved sports manga, gaining fans worldwide. The series concluded on July 20, 2020, with its 402nd chapter, leaving many fans searching for a new volleyball manga. Now, Kodansha’s Monthly Afternoon magazine has delivered a promising new series, Dig It, which has the potential to fill the void left by Haikyu!! and is sure to appeal to its dedicated fanbase.
The Immense Impact Of Haruichi Furudate’s Haikyu As A Beloved Volleyball Manga All Over The World
The Haikyu manga started appearing in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2012 and quickly became one of the magazine’s most popular sports series. Over its eight-year run, it achieved incredible sales, reaching 75 million copies across 45 volumes – averaging 1.6 million sales per volume. The original manga concluded in 2020, and although a short sequel was released, many fans still fondly remember the main series.
The Haikyu!! anime currently consists of four seasons and three movies, with a new movie released in 2024. The remaining chapters of the manga will be adapted into further films beginning in 2027. At the current rate, the anime is expected to conclude within the next five years. While it’s sad to see such a beloved sports anime end, fans have the new series, Dig It, to look forward to. Dig It, being a seinen manga, promises a potentially more mature and complex storyline than Haikyu!!.
Dig It Stands As Japan’s New Hit Seinen Volleyball Manga in Kodansha’s Monthly Afternoon Magazine
While many popular manga and anime focus on sports, volleyball series are less common. Currently, ‘Haikyu!!’ is the most well-known. However, a new manga called ‘Dig It’ is quickly gaining attention and could become just as popular. Created by Yoshidamaru, ‘Dig It’ launched in Kodansha’s Monthly Afternoon magazine in April 2025 as a manga for young adult men. Although it’s only been around for a year and has just three volumes, ‘Dig It’ has already sold over 300,000 copies. Selling 100,000 copies per volume is a fantastic achievement for a manga that hasn’t been adapted into an anime, and it suggests a very bright future.
If you enjoyed Haikyu!!, you’ll likely enjoy Dig It, but it’s important to remember they’re very different stories. Where Haikyu!! centers on Hinata and the Karasuno team, Dig It follows Shishiya Gaku and his ambition to become a better volleyball player than his father – a former member of Japan’s national team. Dig It is aimed at a slightly older audience (Seinen), meaning it’s more mature and explores deeper themes with a complex storyline. Even though it’s still new, the series has received incredible feedback in Japan, with fans particularly loving the artwork and writing.
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Dig It’s 2026 Award Nominations Prove It Is Ready To Succeed Haikyu As Anime Adaptation Becomes A Possibility
Dig It is a relatively new manga series, and there isn’t a lot of content available for readers yet. Having only been around for a little over a year, it still has a lot of potential to grow. To truly follow in the footsteps of Haikyu!!, Dig It needs an anime adaptation. If a studio picks it up and animates it, it could eventually become just as popular. However, Dig It needs to keep its momentum going and continue selling well. Luckily, current sales numbers are very promising, suggesting an anime adaptation is likely on the horizon.
Dig It has been recognized with several important nominations in Japan. It ranked 11th on Takarajimasha’s 2026 list of the best manga for male readers, a very strong showing. The series also placed fourth in the Nationwide Bookstore Employees’ Recommended Comics and took third place in the 2026 Sanyodo Bookstore Comic Awards.
Dig It has gotten off to a fantastic start in Japan, suggesting it’s secure and will continue to gain popularity. The first year is often the most challenging for new manga, and Dig It has clearly succeeded. This means fans can look forward to continuing Gaku’s story, and within the next two to three years, Yoshidamaru’s series could even be adapted into an anime. By that time, the manga will likely have even higher sales and a larger fanbase.
What Dig It Needs To Do To Become The Next Haikyu
Volleyball is central to Haikyu!!, but what really drew me in, and so many other fans, were the characters. The team at Karasuno, and even the players from other schools, were just so endearing. If the new series, Dig It, wants to reach the same heights, it needs to create characters as captivating as those we already love – it can’t rely on just one interesting personality to carry the show.
Dig It seems poised for success and is currently the best ongoing volleyball manga. As long as the author keeps up the good work, it has the potential to attract even more fans.
All chapters of Dig It are available to read on K Manga.
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2026-05-13 20:07