Slam Dunk manga sales: the 170 million-copy basketball classic
A completed 1990s series that returned to the top of annual sales charts after a new movie and re-edition campaign.
Published: 2026-08-19. Updated: 2026-08-19.
Short answer: Takehiko Inoue's Slam Dunk has sold more than 170 million copies worldwide, according to its official tourism and franchise pages. The 31-volume manga ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1990 to 1996. In Oricon's 2023 annual manga ranking, the series placed sixth with roughly 4.97 million copies sold, driven by renewed interest after The First Slam Dunk film.
The headline circulation figure
Slam Dunk is one of the best-selling sports manga in history. Its official franchise pages cite a cumulative worldwide circulation of more than 170 million copies across 31 tankobon volumes.
That number includes decades of print sales, reprints, and international editions. Because it is a cumulative circulation figure, it does not tell us how many copies sold in any specific year.
A late-career Oricon surge
Oricon's 2023 annual manga ranking placed Slam Dunk sixth for the year with an estimated 4,968,484 copies sold. That performance was fueled by the December 2022 release of The First Slam Dunk anime film, which drove readers back to the original manga.
The 2023 ranking shows how a completed series can re-enter the annual top ten when a film or new edition refreshes demand. It also illustrates the difference between a decades-old cumulative total and a single strong retail year.
Oricon annual manga ranking for Slam Dunk, 2023 ranking period.| Year | Oricon annual rank | Estimated copies sold |
|---|
| 2023 | 6 | 4,968,484 |
Tracking period and retailer coverage: Oricon's 2023 annual ranking covers a roughly twelve-month period ending in November 2023. The figures are estimates drawn from a panel of Japanese bookstores and online retailers, not a complete census of every copy sold.
Publication history and format
Slam Dunk debuted in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump in October 1990 and concluded in June 1996. The 276 chapters were collected into 31 volumes.
The series has been reissued in new editions and has remained in print for decades. Its continued availability is part of why the film was able to generate a fresh wave of manga sales more than 25 years after the original ending.
Movie tie-in effect
The First Slam Dunk, written and directed by Takehiko Inoue, was released in Japanese theaters in December 2022 and grossed roughly $279 million worldwide, according to Netflix's announcement of the streaming rights.
That theatrical success translated directly into manga backlog sales. The Oricon 2023 ranking captures this rebound, while the 170 million cumulative figure captures the franchise's entire lifetime footprint.
How Slam Dunk fits in manga history
A 170 million-copy total places Slam Dunk among the top-selling completed shonen manga. Its per-volume average is also unusually strong because the story reached a definitive conclusion after 31 volumes rather than running indefinitely.
Like other pre-digital-era hits, Slam Dunk's official numbers are cumulative circulation rather than a full year-by-year Oricon history. The 2023 Oricon data is the clearest annual retail snapshot currently available.
Frequently asked questions
How many copies of Slam Dunk have been sold?
Official franchise sources cite more than 170 million copies in circulation worldwide.
Did Slam Dunk top Oricon's annual manga chart?
It ranked sixth in Oricon's 2023 annual manga ranking with about 4.97 million copies sold, likely boosted by The First Slam Dunk film.
When did Slam Dunk manga end?
The manga ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from October 1990 to June 1996 and was collected into 31 volumes.