Kingdom manga sales: Oricon history and circulation milestones
Yasuhisa Hara's historical epic has been an Oricon fixture for years, with annual sales and total circulation moving on different timelines.
Published: 2026-08-19. Updated: 2026-08-19.
Short answer: Kingdom ranked 7th on Oricon's 2024 best-selling manga series chart with estimated sales of 3,234,204 copies during the November 20, 2023 to November 17, 2024 tracking period. Shueisha announced in December 2024 that the series had surpassed 110 million copies in circulation. Annual Oricon sales and total circulation are different measures and should not be treated as the same thing.
How Oricon tracks Kingdom's manga sales
Oricon publishes an annual ranking of Japan's best-selling manga series based on estimated physical tankobon sales at tracked retailers. The counting year runs from late November of the previous year through late November of the listed year, not the calendar year.
The rankings are widely used because they are public, consistent year to year, and cover most major manga publishers. They do not include digital sales, overseas sales, or sales through every independent retailer.
How did sales move year by year?
The table below lists the Oricon fiscal-year ranks and estimated series sales we were able to verify from public year-end charts. Oricon counts physical tankobon sales at tracked retailers, so digital sales and some channels are not included.
A rank tells you how the series performed against every other manga that year, while the sales figure is the estimated number of copies sold during that 12-month window. It is not the same as total copies in circulation.
Kingdom Oricon annual series rank and estimated sales, 2018 to 2024.| Year | Oricon tracking period | Series rank | Estimated sales |
|---|
| 2018 | Nov 20, 2017 to Nov 18, 2018 | 6 | 4,970,171 |
| 2019 | Nov 19, 2018 to Nov 19, 2019 | 3 | 7,661,361 |
| 2020 | Nov 18, 2019 to Nov 22, 2020 | 2 | 8,251,058 |
| 2021 | Nov 23, 2020 to Nov 21, 2021 | 9 | 4,672,612 |
| 2022 | Nov 22, 2021 to Nov 20, 2022 | 6 | 3,832,688 |
| 2023 | Nov 21, 2022 to Nov 19, 2023 | 10 | 3,207,691 |
| 2024 | Nov 20, 2023 to Nov 17, 2024 | 7 | 3,234,204 |
What does the trend show?
Kingdom's Oricon sales peaked around the 2019 to 2020 window, when the series ranked 3rd and then 2nd with roughly 7.7 million and 8.3 million copies sold. After 2020, annual sales settled into a lower but still top-10 range of about 3.2 million to 4.7 million copies per counting year.
The 2024 rank of 7th place, with 3.23 million copies sold, shows the series holding its position despite having fewer new volumes than some younger hits. Kingdom's sales are driven partly by new volume releases and partly by steady back-catalog purchases.
How do annual sales compare to total circulation?
Total circulation is a separate figure from annual sales. Shueisha announced that Kingdom surpassed 110 million copies in circulation, including digital editions, when volume 74 released in December 2024. That cumulative number reflects nearly 19 years of serialization since the series began in Weekly Young Jump in 2006.
The 110 million figure is not the number of copies sold in any single year. Oricon's annual sales figures count only the copies sold during each 12-month tracking window, so the two numbers answer different questions.
Rank versus total sales: A high annual rank means a series sold more copies that year than most rivals. Total circulation counts every volume printed or shipped since the start. A long-running series can have a huge total without topping a single annual chart, while a new hit can top one year with far fewer total volumes.
Where does this fit in the manga market?
Kingdom belongs to a small group of ongoing seinen series that maintain top-10 Oricon ranks year after year. Its sales curve differs from anime-boosted shonen hits that spike sharply and then fade; Kingdom's performance has been more durable.
For readers researching manga sales, the cleanest comparison is Oricon annual series rank over the same tracking period. Mixing circulation announcements, digital estimates, and regional sales without labeling them invites confusion.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kingdom's best Oricon annual rank?
Kingdom's best verified Oricon annual rank is 2nd place, achieved in the 2020 counting year with estimated sales of 8,251,058 copies.
How many copies of Kingdom are in circulation?
Shueisha announced in December 2024 that Kingdom had surpassed 110 million copies in circulation, including digital editions.
Does Oricon count digital manga sales for Kingdom?
No. The Oricon annual series rankings used here count physical tankobon sales at tracked retailers. Digital sales are tracked separately and are not included in these figures.
What year does Oricon's 2024 ranking cover?
Oricon's 2024 ranking covers estimated sales from November 20, 2023 to November 17, 2024, not the full calendar year.
Sources and methodology
- Oricon (Japan) Manga Sales 2024, Install Base (Oricon data compilation). Top 50 best-selling manga series for the Oricon period November 20, 2023 to November 17, 2024, with year-to-date sales and ranks.
- Oricon (Japan) Manga Sales 2023 White Paper, Install Base (Oricon data compilation). Top 50 best-selling manga series for the Oricon period November 21, 2022 to November 19, 2023, with ranks and sales.
- Oricon (Japan) Manga Sales 2022 White Paper, Install Base (Oricon data compilation). Top 50 best-selling manga series for the Oricon period November 22, 2021 to November 20, 2022, with ranks and sales.
- Kingdom Manga Surpasses 110 Million Copies in Circulation, ORICON NEWS. Publisher announcement of 110 million copies in circulation, including digital editions, with the release of volume 74.