Captain Tsubasa manga sales: the 90 million-copy figure
Sources agree on roughly 90 million but describe it in different ways, and the franchise is still publishing.
Published: 2026-10-13. Updated: 2026-10-13.
Short answer: A Shueisha MANGA Plus press release in April 2025 states that Yoichi Takahashi's Captain Tsubasa has sold over 90 million copies in Japan. Japanese outlets describe 90 million as the worldwide comics circulation, in a January 2024 article and again in June 2026. The different wording means the scope of the figure is not settled.
What the sources say
A MANGA Plus by Shueisha announcement, reported by Anime News Network and dated April 5, 2025, says the series has sold over 90 million copies in Japan. It is the publisher's own wording.
Denfami Nico Gamer, in an article dated January 5, 2024, says the comics passed 90 million copies in worldwide cumulative circulation as of 2023. AppBank, on June 16, 2026, gives the series-wide worldwide figure as over 90 million. Neither names an underlying source.
Japan or worldwide
The publisher says Japan, the two Japanese outlets say worldwide. We cannot reconcile these from public pages. The safe reading is that the series is at or above 90 million copies, with the geographic scope unconfirmed.
None of the sources says whether the figure is retail sales or circulation, though Japanese outlets use the circulation term.
End of the main manga and what continues
Denfami Nico Gamer reported on January 5, 2024 that Takahashi would end the manga serialization with the chapter in Captain Tsubasa Magazine vol. 20, due in early April 2024. The AppBank article from June 2026 notes that the sequel continues online.
Because the story continues in later arcs, any cumulative total that is not dated will be out of date.
How to use these figures
Every figure we found is a rounded 90 million. The April 2025 publisher release and the January 2024 and June 2026 articles all use the same round number, so none of them shows how the total has moved.
Where public evidence stops: We found no Oricon annual history, no volume-by-volume data, and no Shueisha statement of the total more recent than April 2025. The 90 million figure is a rounded milestone, not an audited count.
Frequently asked questions
How many copies of Captain Tsubasa have been sold?
Shueisha's MANGA Plus release in April 2025 says over 90 million copies in Japan. Japanese outlets report over 90 million worldwide.
Is the 90 million figure for Japan only?
The publisher's wording says Japan. Other outlets say worldwide. The scope is not confirmed on a primary page.
Has the Captain Tsubasa manga ended?
The main manga serialization was announced in January 2024 to end with Captain Tsubasa Magazine vol. 20. A June 2026 article says the sequel continues online.