Oricon conducted a survey with 10,564 Japanese people, determining which are the most popular mangas from the first half of 2026. There is a winner who even surpasses the best anime of all time.
Who is the most popular manga from 2026? In first place in the survey by Oricon is the manga series “The Pharmacist’s Diaries.” The manga received exactly 1,200 votes, with 82% of those votes coming from women.
In the next place is “Frieren – At the End of the Journey.” The current best anime comes in at 2nd place with 1,118 votes. Overall, the top 10 looks like this:
- 1st place: The Pharmacist’s Diaries, 1,200 votes
- 2nd place: Frieren – At the End of the Journey, 1,118 votes
- 3rd place: Spy x Family, 831 votes
- 4th place: Demon Slayer, 685 votes
- 5th place: Do Not Say Mystery, 653 votes
- 6th place: Jujutsu Kaisen, 587 votes
- 7th place: One Piece, 557 votes
- 8th place: Detective Conan, 535 votes
- 9th place: Anata no Oshiro no Kibito-san, 514 votes
- 9th place: Kingdom, 514 votes
What stands out? 9th place is represented twice because two mangas received exactly the same number of votes.
Additionally, it is noticeable that well-known works like Jujutsu Kaisen or One Piece only appear later in the rankings. Even Demon Slayer did not manage to secure a spot on the podium. Shonen mangas are clearly behind the more peaceful slice-of-life mangas in this ranking.
Oricon is considered the gold standard in Japan
How meaningful is this survey? Oricon is seen as a benchmark in the Japanese entertainment industry, comparable to the Billboard charts. When sales figures for music, manga, or similar topics are discussed in Japan, the industry references Oricon.
Among the participants, nearly equal numbers of men and women were surveyed, including all age groups from 10 to 60 years. Additionally, only individuals who actively used digital manga apps or websites in the past year were surveyed.
Therefore, it can be summarized that the survey holds a very high degree of credibility. The only drawback is that only a selected catalog of 131 of the best-selling manga titles was available. Hidden gems or purely niche works had no chance of appearing in the rankings.
What do you think of this ranking? Do you agree with it, or would you have placed them differently? Feel free to let us know in the comments.
Through the same platform, it was announced last year that Demon Slayer is now on par with Dragon Ball and Naruto in terms of manga. It sold over 220 million copies last year: A manga from the Gen Alpha era reaches the league of the greats, achieving something only Dragon Ball and One Piece have managed
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