Demon Slayer manga sales: 220 million copies and Oricon's 2020 record
The manga's run was short but explosive. The numbers show what an anime adaptation and a pandemic-era audience can do for a series.
Published: 2026-08-19. Updated: 2026-08-19.
Short answer: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba has sold over 220 million copies worldwide as of July 2025, with 164 million copies in Japan and 56 million overseas, according to publisher Shueisha. In 2020 alone, Oricon recorded 82 million copies sold in Japan, the highest annual total for a manga series in the available Oricon record. The series concluded its main story in May 2020 with 23 volumes.
How many Demon Slayer manga copies have sold?
Oricon reported that Demon Slayer sold 82 million copies in Japan in 2020 alone. That was more than ten times the second-place series that year, Kingdom, which sold 8 million copies.
As of July 17, 2025, publisher Shueisha announced that the series had reached 220 million copies in circulation worldwide. The total includes 164 million copies in Japan and 56 million overseas, with digital editions included.
Demon Slayer circulation milestones reported by Shueisha, via Oricon News.| Milestone | Date | Copies |
|---|
| TV anime begins | April 2019 | 3.5 million |
| Manga concludes | May 2020 | 60 million |
| Mugen Train release | October 2020 | 100 million |
| Final volume release | December 2020 | 120 million |
| Post-anime peak | February 2021 | 150 million |
| Latest reported total | July 2025 | 220 million |
What was Demon Slayer's record 2020?
Oricon's annual ranking for 2020 placed Demon Slayer first by an enormous margin. The 82 million copies sold in one year represent the highest annual sales figure publicly reported for any manga series in Oricon's history.
The timing mattered. The manga concluded in May 2020, the anime was widely watched, and the COVID-19 pandemic kept many readers at home. The October 2020 release of Demon Slayer: Mugen Train added further momentum.
How did sales trend after the manga ended?
CBR reported that Demon Slayer sold 29.5 million copies in Japan in 2021, placing second behind Jujutsu Kaisen. That is a sharp drop from 2020 but still one of the highest annual totals of the decade.
After 2021, the series no longer appeared near the top of the annual sales rankings because no new main-series volumes were released. Sales continued through reprints and spinoffs, which is how the total circulation rose from 150 million in 2021 to 220 million in 2025.
What is the difference between copies sold and copies in print?
Oricon's annual sales figures count copies actually sold to consumers during the tracking year. Shueisha's circulation figures count all copies printed and distributed, including digital editions, overseas editions, and copies still in the retail channel.
This is why total circulation can rise even when the series no longer tops the annual sales chart. Reprints, international licensing, and digital sales all add to circulation without necessarily appearing in Oricon's physical retail ranking.
Per-volume average: Oricon's special feature notes that all 23 main-series volumes sold more than 5 million copies each, for an average of 6.52 million copies per volume.
Where does public evidence stop?
Shueisha does not publish a country-by-country breakdown beyond the Japan/overseas split. We know overseas copies are 56 million of the 220 million total, but not which countries account for how much.
Digital sales are also not broken out by platform. The 220 million figure includes digital, but Oricon's annual figures do not. Readers should not add the two numbers together.
Frequently asked questions
How many Demon Slayer copies sold in 2020?
Oricon recorded 82 million copies sold in Japan in 2020.
Is Demon Slayer the best-selling manga?
It is one of the best-selling manga ever, with 220 million copies in circulation, but it remains behind series such as One Piece in total volume.
Does 220 million include digital copies?
Yes. Shueisha's July 2025 announcement says the 220 million total includes digital editions. Oricon's annual sales figures do not.
Sources and methodology
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Surpasses 220 Million Copies in Print, Oricon. Shueisha announcement of 220 million total copies, with 164 million Japan and 56 million overseas, as of July 17, 2025.
- Special Feature: Looking Back at Demon Slayer by the Numbers, Oricon. 2020 annual sales of 82 million copies, per-volume average of 6.52 million, and all 23 volumes above 5 million.
- Jujutsu Kaisen Slays Demon Slayer, MHA to Become Japan's Best-Selling Manga of 2021, CBR. 2021 Oricon ranking with Demon Slayer at 29.5 million copies.
- 2020~2023 Oricon Annual Manga Sales Ranking in Japan, Oricon. Official Oricon summary placing Demon Slayer at #1 for 2020 and describing the tracking methodology.