U.S. Manga Market Grows as Viz Media Dominates Comic Sales Domestically
The popularity of the manga market has spread far past Japan and has become a major player in graphic novel sales in North America. In a recent report for 2022's manga sales in the US, Viz Media might not have taken the number one spot in comparison to North American properties such as Dog Man, Five Nights At Freddy's, and Cat Kid Comic Club, but it did easily gain some of the top spots. Thanks to Viz Media's properties, it was able to be the top publisher for manga sales in North America last year.
The top manga published by Viz that sold the most copies in the US includes the likes of Chainsaw Man, Spy x Family, and Demon Slayer, with the story of Denji leading the charge with the number six spot. These three shonen titles managed to make the top twenty list more than once, as various volumes were able to be a part of the top twenty list for Viz Media. Demon Slayer's rise to power has been unmistakable as the story of Tanjiro and the Demon Slayer Corps was elevated thanks to its second season. On the opposite side, both Chainsaw Man and Spy x Family found success thanks to their respective first seasons of their anime adaptations.
Viz Media: Manga Winner
Viz Media was able to claim sixty percent of manga sales in the United States, making it the far and away winner when it came to most volumes sold. Kodansha, the publishers of series such as Attack on Titan and Blue Lock, came in at a far second with fourteen percent of overall manga sales in the West. Finally, the other parts of the puzzle were publishers including Yen Press, Dark Horse, Seven Seas, and Square Enix to name a few according to The Beat:
Viz's overall manga sales we able to increase by a staggering fifty-seven percent from the year prior. Thanks to anime's continued popularity, who is to say that manga won't continue seeing increased sales in North America in 2023. Certainly, with some of the big new anime adaptations arriving this year, it could give manga series a serious boost across the board.
What do you think of Viz Media's manga supremacy for 2022? What was your favorite manga that was released last year? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of manga.