'My Hero Academia' Is Dominating U.S. Book Sales

My Hero Academia is taking over more than just the anime fandom in the U.S., as the original manga holds nine spots in last month's top 20 adult graphic novels list.

My Hero Academia volume 14 was released on Aug. 7, 2018 in English. Apparently, plenty of fans were waiting eagerly for it, as it skyrocketed to nearly the top of NPD BookScan's graphic novel list. According to a report by Anime News Network, volume 14 reached number 2 for the month. Volume 1 was right behind it at number 3, as an influx of new fans apparently delved into the series' comic origins.

All told, My Hero Academia claimed nine out of the 20 spots on the nationwide sales list. That includes My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, the spin-off series by Hideyuki Furuhashi, Betten Court and series creator Kohei Horikoshi himself. Otherwise, the series took rankings between 2 and 18, interspersed with other released such as Tokyo Ghoul:re, Dragon Ball Super, and One Piece manga.

The BookScan list measures the sales of graphic novels meant for adults at Barnes & Noble and other major chains that sell books. It also counts sales at independent book shops and some online purchases. However, it cannot account for volumes bought on Walmart.com or a few other retailers, nor does it count sales at actual comic book stores.

That will reportedly change sometime soon. NPD BookScan just recently announced plans to begin tallying the numbers at North American comic book stores through a partnernship with Diamond Comics. It may take up to a year to get this count going, however.

Meanwhile, in Japan, fans had access to My Hero Academia volume 14 back in June of 2017. The English-language release is far behind its source material, and fans are itching to binge-read the acclaimed series. At the moment, volume 14 leaves off not too far ahead of where the anime has reached in the story. It is likely past the end of the third season, however, which is fast approaching.

Still, the manga does take fans into exciting new territory, with a host of unfamiliar characters -- both heroes and villains. In volume 14, Midoriya strives to enter a work-study program with All Might's former protegeé, Sir Nighteye, with the help of U.A.'s top upperclassman, Mirio Togata. As if these school-sanctioned challenges were not enough, he is also introduced to a dangerous new figure in within the League of Villains -- Kai Chisaki, also known as Overhaul.

My Hero Academia volume 15 hits the shelves in English on Oct. 2, 2018.