Weekly Manga Sales in Japan: Solo Leveling at the Top, One Piece Excites with Elbaf
Japan's most prestigious news sources, Comic Natalie and Oricon, have shared the weekly manga tankobon sales figures for the period between March 30 and April 5, 2026. In this critical week coinciding with the start of the spring season, a surprise name took the top spot on the list. The 24th volume of the Solo Leveling (Ore dake Level Up na Ken) series outperformed its competitors in physical sales to finish the week in first place. This success once again proves how deeply rooted the series' global popularity has become in the Japanese domestic market.
The second spot on the list was taken by the 9th volume of the highly popular The Ogre's Bride (Oni no Hanayome) series, while the third spot went to the 69th volume of the long-running soccer-themed production Giant Killing. In particular, The Ogre's Bride has doubled its sales momentum following the announcement that it will receive both a TV anime and a live-action film adaptation in 2026. This diversity shows that the interest of Japanese readers in both new-generation fantasy series and classic sports dramas continues in a balanced way.
The most talked-about developments of the week occurred on the front of legendary series. One Piece, by Eiichiro Oda, brought the excitement of the Elbaf Arc to its peak with chapter 1179, released on April 5. As the war on the island of giants continues at full speed, the series is expected to greet its fans with at least 35 new chapters throughout 2026. On the other hand, Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo, the short-term sequel series to Gege Akutami's phenomenal work Jujutsu Kaisen, completed its serialization at the beginning of March. Fans are now eagerly awaiting the 3rd and final volume of Modulo, which will hit shelves on May 1, 2026.
Looking at the sector, 2026 is on its way to being a golden year for the manga industry. While the global manga market is projected to exceed $23 billion by the end of the year, it is noteworthy that the digital consumption rate has reached 72%. Furthermore, this week, the historical epic series Kingdom surpassing the 100 million copies sold mark worldwide became the most concrete example of how massive the sector has become. In the coming weeks, the charts are expected to be reshaped with new issues from giants such as Dandadan (Volume 18) and Blue Exorcist (Volume 32).
