In news that should surprise no one considering several reports of end-of-year numbers, Jujutsu Kaisen was the best-selling franchise in Japan in 2022. The numbers tell a definite story of a series that practically prints money at this point. Shonen Jump manga series are always huge, but Jujutsu Kaisen is currently an unstoppable giant, bolstered even further by anime blu-ray sales
To drop the numbers: Jujutsu Kaisen made a hair over 10 billion Yen (converts to roughly $77 million). We knew back in November 2022 that Jujutsu Kaisen had beaten out One Piece (and everything else) when it came to most copies sold. All of this, and Jujutsu Kaisen has only put out 21 volumes at the time of writing in Japan. It comes in nowhere close to One Piece’s staggering 104 volumes, yet it is soundly defeating the manga juggernaut.
Despite these impressive results, there might not be all that much steam left in this money train. Jujutsu Kaisen mangaka Gege Akutami has recently suggested that this might be the final year of the manga. Volume 22 will be out in Japan in March, which means the series will potentially end on volume 24, putting it one above Demon Slayer.
Chainsaw Man found itself at 11th, but that will likely change in 2023 as the anime had a rather late release; it will presumably influence sales going into this year.
While the Jujutsu Kaisen numbers are incredible, it’s interesting that one non-Japanese piece of media managed to squeak through. Top Gun came in at 24th, thanks to Top Gun: Maverick, which dominated the box office worldwide.