Death Note manga sales: 30 million copies and what comes next
Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata's supernatural thriller is a compact, globally influential hit, but its total circulation has not been publicly updated in a decade.
Published: 2026-08-19. Updated: 2026-08-19.
Short answer: Death Note has 30 million collected volumes in circulation worldwide, according to CBR and League of Comic Geeks. The figure was current as of April 2015. The manga ran for 12 tankobon volumes in Weekly Shonen Jump from 2003 to 2006. No more recent circulation update has been published in English-language sources.
How many copies of Death Note are in circulation?
CBR reports that as of April 2015 there were 30 million copies of Death Note's 12 volumes in circulation worldwide. League of Comic Geeks gives the same figure for the series' collected volumes.
The 30 million total counts tankobon volumes shipped to retailers plus digital sales. It is a cumulative circulation figure, not a point-of-sale count.
The series was created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and artist Takeshi Obata, the same duo behind Bakuman. and Platinum End.
Publication history and volume count
Death Note was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump from December 2003 to May 2006. CBR notes the series was collected into 12 tankobon volumes.
The manga's relatively short run, at 108 chapters, means its per-chapter circulation is high. However, its total cumulative sales are far below the biggest long-running shonen franchises.
Shueisha released a single 2,400-page omnibus edition in Japan for 2,500 yen, according to CBR, giving readers a lower-cost entry point into the completed story.
Death Note publication timeline and circulation milestone.| Milestone | Date or figure | Source |
|---|
| Serialization start | Dec 2003 | CBR |
| Serialization end | May 2006 | CBR |
| Total tankobon volumes | 12 | CBR |
| 30 million copies worldwide | Apr 2015 | CBR |
| Collected volumes in circulation | 30 million | League of Comic Geeks |
Why the figure has not been updated publicly
The 30 million figure dates to 2015. Since then, Shueisha has not released a new English-language circulation update for the original Death Note manga. The franchise has remained active through anime re-releases, the 2017 Netflix live-action film, stage musicals, and a 2026 London musical premiere, but these projects do not come with disclosed manga sales bumps.
Readers should treat 30 million as the last verified publisher-level total. Any higher number found online is either unsourced or estimates post-2015 sales.
This lack of an update is common for completed manga that are no longer the publisher's primary marketing focus, even when the underlying IP remains valuable.
Stale public data: No English-language publisher disclosure has updated Death Note's circulation total since the April 2015 figure. This guide reports that verified number rather than speculate on unannounced sales.
Media adaptations and cultural footprint
Death Note's influence extends well beyond its manga circulation. The 37-episode Madhouse anime won Best TV Anime at the 2007 Tokyo International Anime Festival, according to CBR.
The franchise has also spawned live-action films, a television drama, video games, novels, and multiple stage musicals. These adaptations have kept the property visible but do not add directly to the manga circulation total.
The 2017 Netflix live-action adaptation and subsequent stage productions introduced the story to new audiences, though none of these projects provided updated manga sales figures.
What 30 million means per chapter
With 108 chapters and 30 million volumes in circulation, Death Note has one of the higher per-chapter averages among completed shonen series. That efficiency is part of why the series is often cited as a commercial success despite its shorter length.
However, the per-chapter average should not be compared directly to per-volume averages of longer series. Different franchises use different metrics, and publishers rarely disclose enough detail for exact comparisons.
For licensors and analysts, the more important point is that Death Note achieved global recognition with a compact, finite story, making it a repeatable template rather than a multi-decade commitment.
Frequently asked questions
How many copies of Death Note have been sold?
The most recent verified figure is 30 million collected volumes in circulation worldwide as of April 2015.
How many volumes of Death Note are there?
The manga was collected into 12 tankobon volumes.
Has Death Note's circulation been updated since 2015?
No English-language publisher disclosure has updated the figure beyond 30 million copies. This guide reports the last verified total.
What is Death Note's per-chapter circulation?
With roughly 108 chapters and 30 million volumes in circulation, the series has a high per-chapter average, though exact chapter counts vary by source.
Sources and methodology
- Massive Death Note Collection Packs 2400 Pages, CBR. Reports 30 million copies of Death Note's 12 volumes in circulation worldwide as of April 2015, plus the anime award.
- Tsugumi Ohba, League of Comic Geeks. States Death Note has 30 million collected volumes in circulation.