When it comes to the biggest market for both anime and manga, it's no surprise to know that the primary one is none other than Japan, the home country of this industry. However, over the last few years, anime has become mainstream, and things have gotten to a point where it's arguably just as popular globally, especially in countries like France. France is one of the biggest consumers of manga in the whole world, and often, it's interesting to see which series do best over there.
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Recently, the figures that various manga series racked up in France were officially revealed via France’s biggest publishers, notably Glénat and Kana. It has become apparent that Japan's number one manga, One Piece, is also France’s biggest hit. One Piece has proven once again that it's the king of manga, and in doing so, it has also surpassed both Dragon Ball and Naruto abroad as well. One Piece is definitely not slowing down anytime soon, be it in Japan or worldwide.
One Piece Has Ruled As Japan’s Best Selling Manga For a While
When speaking of the best-selling manga, one can never forget about One Piece. After all, One Piece has proven over a decade ago that it is the best-selling manga in the whole world. The series is ahead of every other story out there, and at the moment, it's estimated to have around 600 million copies in circulation with 113 volumes. This incredible success that One Piece has experienced has not only made Oda the best-selling mangaka of all time, but it has also made him one of the best-selling independent authors in general, rivaling the likes of JK Rowling with the Harry Potter series.
Nevertheless, this amount of success is not only due to One Piece's large volume count. Many other manga series feature a lot of volumes, some even more than One Piece, but none come close to its sales numbers. Keeping an audience this captivated with the series for almost three decades now is almost unheard of with any other franchise.
The second best-selling manga in Japan is Doraemon and even then , it has only achieved around half of One Piece's current numbers, with 300 million copies in circulation. This major One Piece success, however, is not only coming from Japan. Other countries are also greatly supporting the success of this manga in more recent years.
One Piece Is Officially France’s Best-Selling Manga
- It Has Defeated Dragon Ball and Naruto
Recently, sales numbers by French publishers Glénat were revealed, and with that, fans have been able to take a look at some of the best-selling series in France.
It has become quite apparent that One Piece is, by far, the best-selling manga in France. The numbers are clear for the fans to see as One Piece currently has over 51 million sales in France, which is absolutely staggering.
In comparison, the number two series, Naruto, is only at 35 million, with the likes of Dragon Ball even further behind. One Piece has definitely been a dominating force in France, and its popularity shouldn’t surprise many. After all, it was expected to have a dominant sales record in the country. Fans should remember that when One Piece Film: Red came out, France got special treatment, and French fans even received a thank-you message from Oda. One Piece's popularity in France has been clear, and this only cements it with the latest revealed sales figures.
Other Hit Manga In France At The Moment
French manga readers have two major publishers in the country: Glénat and Kana. Through their sales records, fans can see France’s best-selling series. While the number one series in France is, of course, One Piece, other big hits stand out. The second best-selling manga in France has proven to be Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto, with 35 million copies in circulation. After Naruto, it's the Dragon Ball series that stands tall at 33 million copies sold in the country.
After the three gigantic shonen series is actually a seinen manga. This seinen manga is Berserk, and it has known great success in France with 8.7 million sales total. Quite clearly, Berserk is way behind the likes of One Piece, Naruto, and Dragon Ball, but still holds a very impressive number for a manga with such a small anime presence.
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After Berserk fans also see Bleach. While Bleach is one of the Big Three alongside One Piece and Naruto, it's obvious that its sales both in Japan and abroad are not comparable to those of the other two. The likes of Death Note, Hunter x Hunter, and Detective Conan are also major hits in France with sales ranging between 3 and 5 million. To the surprise of many, Tokyo Revengers is also a top-performing manga in France, with 3.6 million copies in circulation. Tokyo Revengers is definitely popular worldwide, but for it to have sales comparable to the likes of HxH is definitely impressive for a new gen series.
One Piece Is Far Bigger Than Naruto And Dragon Ball
It's no secret that One Piece is the true biggest manga series in the world. While Dragon Ball is the most influential, referred to as the father of shonen, influencing the newer generation of creators, it has definitely experienced dips over the last decade. Naruto has generally better global success than One Piece, but that is also changing rapidly.
One Piece has the most potential out of these three series, and the popularity of these series is definitely shifting globally. Previously no. 1 only in Japan, One Piece is getting a global reach through various projects. For example, the series recently got a live-action adaptation by Netflix that actually went on to become a success. Many fans actually enjoyed it, as opposed to the Dragon Ball live-action.
Meanwhile, Naruto, after its conclusion a decade ago, is barely getting any new animated content. In stark comparison, One Piece’s Toei adaptation is still ongoing, and it's already getting a remake by WIT Studio.
Dragon Ball's anime was on hiatus for quite a long time, but now, it's also making a return, as was announced recently. Still, One Piece is definitely unstoppable at the moment and its global popularity is only going to increase over the next few years, leaving both Dragon Ball and Naruto in the dust.
Fans can't wait to see what the future holds for One Piece as it continues to grow even further both in terms of the anime and the manga. With the series edging closer to the end, it is also expect for the sales to skyrocket even further, pushing it even further beyond the reach of all other competitors
Eiichiro Oda's One Piece focuses on the journey of Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates as they sail the seas to lay claim to the grand treasure known as the One Piece. The manga is currently in its Final Saga. One Piece will be featured in this week's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1172 is February 1, 2026. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday, which is 11:00 AM EST, or 8:00 AM PT. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus and the Shonen Jump apps. Doing so will ensure that fans always support the author.