One Piececurrently holds the crown as the best-selling manga of all time, on the road to overthrowing evenSuperman’s worldwide sales. However, the popularity of Koyoharu Gotouge’s manga is undeniable, asDemon Slayeris on the verge of shattering a record in the industry that evenOne Piececouldn’t match.
Demon Slayeris one of the most popular manga franchises of recent years. This is proven by Shueisha’s latest report, revealing thatDemon Slayerbecame the 7th best-selling manga in history after achieving 220 million copies in circulation. After this milestone,Demon Slayer’s manga is dangerously close to another major record:the highest average sales per volume of all time.
Demon Slayer is Close to Breaking a 50-year-Old Record in the Manga Industry
Demon Slayer Just Surpassed a Legendary Manga by Osamu Tezuka
According to the listcompiled by Manga No Blog, as of 2025, the current manga with the highest average sales per volume is Go Nagai’sDevilman,with a record of 10 million copies sold. However, with the updated number of 220 million copies sold,Demon Slayercurrently has an average of 9.57 million, surpassing the classic mangaBlack Jackby Osamu Tezuka.
1972
5
50 million
10 million
Demon slayer
2016
23
220 million
9,57 million
1973
25
176 million
7,04 million
1984
42
260 million
6,19 million
1990
31
185 million
5,97 million
1997
111
510 million
4,59 million
1952
100 million
4,35 million
2009
34
140 million
4,12 million
1981
26
3,85 million
1983
Burunson and
27
3,70 million
Even after the manga’s ending,Demon Slayerpassed from an average of 6.52 million in 2021,according to Oricon’snumbers, to 9.57 million in only four years, thanks to the boost from the anime. This is a significant number, taking into consideration that Demon Slayer has almost doubled the sales per volume ofOne Piece.
Furthermore, the boost from the anime’s popularity has maintained the manga at the top of the yearly sales. Because of this, it’sonly a matter of time beforeDemon Slayerbecomes the manga with the highest average sales per volume ever, breaking the record set byDevilmanfifty years ago.
Demon Slayer May Become the Most Successful Manga in History
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is Shattering Records
One of the reasons behindDemon Slayer’s incredible salesmay be due to its short length, having only extended to 23 volumes, which makes it appealing to collect for many manga enthusiasts. Yet, this sales milestone following the manga’s ending signals the potential of the franchise for greatness in the upcoming years.
Even thoughDemon Slayeris far from being among the top best-selling manga of all time (still surpassed byOne Piece,Doraemon,Golgo 13,Detective Conan,Dragon Ball, andNaruto), it has become one of the biggest anime franchises, breaking multiple records with the release of the first part of the movie trilogyDemon Slayer: Infinity Castle.
With therelease ofDemon Slayer: Infinite Castle, the manga’s popularity might increase and bring unprecedented sales.This highlightsDemon Slayer’s potential to become the most successful manga in history. Nevertheless, whileDemon Slayeris just short of the sales needed to surpassDevilman’s record, it still has a long way to go to reach the top of the industry.
