2023 was a very big year for manga releases, so now it’s time to figure out which was the best of the best! Manga, in general, got a lot more recognition in 2023. Thanks to how well anime has been distributed over the course of the year, there has been an increase in interest in the manga that many of these anime releases had been inspired by. With the manga industry also just doing much better in the West than ever before, it’s made each of the standouts all the more intriguing, as they continue to bide their time for their eventual anime adaptations.
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The nominees that reached the top of the heap this year came from a number of surprising places. Not only did we get a series that continued into a brutal new arc following a wave of losses, but a science fiction action series reached new peak levels as its heroes fought off a massive invasion. Then there are some big newbies that really took off with fans before they even released, and a long running classic that’s only getting bigger as it kicked off its Final Saga. But at the end of the day, only one series could win.
And the winner for the 2023 ComicBook.com Golden Issue Award for Best Manga is…
One Piece!
It was a massive year for One Piece as a whole, with the live-action Netflix series drawing in a whole new audience. The anime celebrated its 25th Anniversary, capping off the events of the Wano Country arc before the year came to an end, the manga reached some massive new heights. This year saw some of the biggest moments for the franchise in recent memory. Not only did Luffy unlock the new Gear 5 form in his fight with Kaido, but became an Emperor, following the end of the fight with the massive opponent.
But that was only the beginning, as 2023 ended up being a huge year of big developments. The Final Saga of Eiichiro Oda’s manga series has kicked off, and while it has yet to be revealed how much longer it’s going to last, the chapters this year have really kicked things into high gear. One Piece has truly begun setting the stage for its grand finale, and that means it’s been a very rewarding read this year. The series has started to make some huge reveals about some of the biggest pieces of lore and history that fans have been theorizing about for a long time.
It’s been a year of set up for the series as Luffy and the Straw Hats start their journeys towards the true grand finale, and the promise of what’s to come has been such an intriguing adventure before it all comes to an end. If it continues down this same path, there’s a good chance that this manga could win next year, as well.
The nominees for the 2023 ComicBook.com Golden Issue Award for Best Manga are:
- Dandadan
- Jujutsu Kaisen
- Kagurabachi
- MamaYuyu
- One Piece — WINNER
