Assassination Classroom manga sales: 25 million copies and the 2016 volume data
A 21-volume Weekly Shonen Jump series with a clear 2016 circulation milestone and one-million-copy volumes, but no recent official total.
Published: 2026-10-13. Updated: 2026-10-13.
Short answer: Anime Corner reports that the Assassination Classroom manga exceeded 25 million circulating copies in September 2016. It ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from July 2012 to March 2016 and ended with 21 volumes. We found no newer official total, so 25 million is a 2016 milestone, not a current count.
The sourced circulation milestone
Anime Corner's article of July 21, 2025 states the manga exceeded 25 million circulating copies in September 2016 and ended with 21 volumes after a Weekly Shonen Jump run from July 2012 to March 2016. The article does not name the original publisher announcement.
Earlier, Anime News Network reported on February 18, 2016 that the series had more than 20 million copies in print. The two figures are consistent with a growing cumulative total, but they come from different outlets and months, and ANN does not say whether its count is Japan only.
Oricon estimates for individual volumes
Anime News Network's list of top-selling manga in Japan by volume, credited to Oricon and covering November 23, 2015 to November 20, 2016, places five Assassination Classroom volumes in the top 100.
These are estimated Japanese print sales of single volumes in that survey window, not circulation.
Oricon estimates via Anime News Network, survey period November 23, 2015 to November 20, 2016.| Rank | Volume | Estimated sales | Release |
|---|
| 9 | Volume 18 | 1,027,550 | March 2016 |
| 10 | Volume 17 | 1,009,268 | December 2015 |
| 15 | Volume 20 | 939,893 | June 2016 |
| 16 | Volume 19 | 930,105 | April 2016 |
| 22 | Volume 21 | 830,176 | July 2016 |
Reading the two kinds of number
Circulation counts copies in the market across the whole run, and it is cumulative. The Oricon table counts estimated retail sales of individual volumes in one year-long window. The two cannot be added or compared directly: the table covers only five volumes in one window.
Publication run
ANN's February 2016 report said the manga, launched in July 2012, would end in five more chapters in the 16th issue of Weekly Shonen Jump that year. Anime Corner gives the final tally as 21 volumes, with the run ending in March 2016.
The 2016 volume data above therefore captures the series in its closing months, when the last volumes (19 to 21) were released.
Where public evidence stops: We found no official circulation update after September 2016, no overseas split, and no Oricon totals for volumes 1 to 16 or for years after 2016. Treat 25 million as a dated milestone.
Frequently asked questions
How many copies of Assassination Classroom have been sold?
Anime Corner reports more than 25 million circulating copies as of September 2016. We found no newer official total.
How many volumes does Assassination Classroom have?
21 volumes, after a Weekly Shonen Jump run from July 2012 to March 2016.
Did any Assassination Classroom volumes sell over one million copies?
Oricon estimates via Anime News Network show volume 18 at 1,027,550 and volume 17 at 1,009,268 in the survey window from November 23, 2015 to November 20, 2016.