Blue Lock manga sales: from 3.5 million to 2023's 10.5 million top spot
Blue Lock's sales curve shows how a sports manga can break out after an anime adaptation. The 2023 Oricon crown was a first for Kodansha in the modern ranking era.
Published: 2026-08-19. Updated: 2026-08-19.
Short answer: Blue Lock sold 3,548,238 copies in Japan during Oricon's 2022 tracking year, then jumped to 10,527,146 copies in 2023 to become the year's best-selling manga series. Sales fell to 3,881,269 copies in 2024. The manga has over 40 million copies in circulation worldwide as of September 2024. Oricon's figures count physical sales from late November to late November.
How did Blue Lock sell year by year?
Oricon's annual rankings show Blue Lock at #7 in 2022 with 3,548,238 copies, #1 in 2023 with 10,527,146 copies, and #5 in 2024 with 3,881,269 copies. The 2021 ranking does not include Blue Lock in the top tier of publicly available Oricon data.
The 2023 total made Blue Lock the first Kodansha manga to top Oricon's annual ranking in the modern era. It was also the only series to surpass 10 million copies that year.
Blue Lock annual physical manga sales in Japan, per Oricon.| Year | Oricon rank | Copies sold | Year-over-year change |
|---|
| 2022 | 7 | 3,548,238 | - |
| 2023 | 1 | 10,527,146 | +197% |
| 2024 | 5 | 3,881,269 | -63% |
What drove Blue Lock to #1 in 2023?
The first season of the Blue Lock anime aired from October 2022 to March 2023, squarely within Oricon's 2023 tracking window. The anime introduced the series to a broad audience and drove back-catalog sales alongside new volumes.
The manga also benefited from a soccer-themed story at a time when Japan's national team was attracting attention. Oricon's official summary notes that the series ignited a boom after the anime debuted.
What is Blue Lock's total circulation?
Anime Corner reported in November 2024 that Blue Lock had over 40 million copies in circulation worldwide as of September 2024. That total includes digital editions and overseas print runs.
The circulation grew rapidly from roughly 1.9 million in August 2020 to over 40 million four years later, according to reports compiled by Pinkvilla.
How does Blue Lock compare to other sports manga?
Haikyu!!, another soccer and volleyball-adjacent hit, placed #8 in Oricon's 2024 ranking with 3,077,085 copies despite publishing zero new volumes that year. Blue Lock's 2024 total of 3,881,269 copies was higher, but both series show that sports manga can sustain strong annual sales after their anime peaks.
Blue Lock's 2023 crown is unusual because the annual #1 spot is typically held by long-running shonen action series such as One Piece or Jujutsu Kaisen.
Tracking period note: Oricon's annual ranking runs from late November to late November. The anime's October 2022 start meant its full impact appeared in the 2023 window.
Where does public evidence stop?
Kodansha does not publish monthly sales data for Blue Lock. The annual Oricon rankings are the most reliable public source for year-to-year comparison.
The 40 million circulation figure is a publisher-reported total, but Kodansha has not broken it down by country or by print versus digital. Readers should treat it as a headline reach number, not a precise audited figure.
Frequently asked questions
What was Blue Lock's best-selling year?
2023, with 10,527,146 copies sold in Japan according to Oricon.
How many Blue Lock copies are in print?
Over 40 million copies worldwide as of September 2024, according to Anime Corner.
Did Blue Lock beat One Piece?
In 2023, yes. Blue Lock was #1, Jujutsu Kaisen was #2, and One Piece was #3 in Oricon's annual ranking.
Sources and methodology
- 2023 Annual Manga Sales Ranking Announced by Oricon, Oricon. Official Oricon 2023 ranking: Blue Lock #1 with 10,527,146 copies.
- Oricon (Japan) Manga Sales 2024, Install Base. Oricon 2024 series ranking: Blue Lock #5 with 3,881,269 copies.
- Oricon (Japan) Manga Sales 2022 White Paper, Install Base. Oricon 2022 series ranking: Blue Lock #7 with 3,548,238 copies.
- Blue Lock Season 2 Reveals Preview Images for Episode 5, Anime Corner. Reports over 40 million copies of Blue Lock in circulation as of September 2024.