Doraemon manga sales: 88 million tankobon and a 2020 sales year
Doraemon totals depend on what is counted. We stick to the 88.2 million tankobon figure we could open.
Published: 2026-10-13. Updated: 2026-10-13.
Short answer: As of a March 2020 @DIME article, the 45-volume Doraemon tankobon (1974 to 1996) had passed 88.215 million copies, with volume 1 at 4.331 million. Shogakukan separately reported that Doraemon comics and related books exceeded five million copies in the year from December 2019 to November 2020. Higher worldwide totals circulate online but we could not confirm them on a primary page.
The 45-volume tankobon total
@DIME, a Shogakukan publication, reported on March 19, 2020 that the 45 tankobon volumes published from 1974 to 1996 had passed a cumulative 88,215,000 copies. Volume 1 is the best seller of the set at 4,331,000 copies.
The article labels these as data points without naming an underlying source, so we treat them as press-reported. They cover the main 45-volume tankobon run only. Spin-off books and the film comics are not part of this count.
A five million-copy year
In a press release on PR TIMES dated November 27, 2020, Shogakukan said Doraemon comics and related books exceeded five million copies in the 12 months from December 2019 to November 2020, counting print only and excluding e-books. The same release said the Tentomushi Comics Doraemon series itself exceeded 1.41 million copies in that period.
This is a single-year print figure tied to the 50th anniversary of the manga. It should not be compared directly to a cumulative total.
Why larger numbers appear elsewhere
Larger worldwide totals circulate online, but we could not confirm them on a primary page, so we do not use them here. Totals of that kind would have to include related books, the long film adaptation comics and overseas editions, which the 88.2 million figure does not.
How to use these figures
The two Doraemon numbers we can source measure different things: a cumulative count of the 45 volumes as of March 2020, and a one-year print count for comics and related books to November 2020. Neither is a current total.
Where public evidence stops: We found no Shogakukan statement of a current cumulative total after 2020, no annual Oricon history for the series, and no sourced worldwide figure. The 88.2 million number covers only the 45 tankobon volumes and dates from March 2020.
Frequently asked questions
How many copies of the Doraemon manga have been sold?
The 45 tankobon volumes had passed 88.215 million copies as of a March 2020 @DIME article. Totals including related books and overseas editions are higher but are not sourced here.
Which Doraemon volume sold the most?
Volume 1, at 4.331 million copies, according to the same March 2020 article.
How many Doraemon comics were printed in one year?
Shogakukan reported more than five million copies of comics and related books from December 2019 to November 2020, print only.
Sources and methodology
- Data-led look at 50 years of Doraemon (Japanese), @DIME. Dated March 19, 2020. States the 45 tankobon passed 88,215,000 copies and volume 1 reached 4,331,000.
- Doraemon exceeds five million copies in a year (Japanese press release), Shogakukan via PR TIMES. Dated November 27, 2020. Comics and related books exceeded five million copies, December 2019 to November 2020, print only; Tentomushi Comics over 1.41 million in the same period.