The Rise of Manga in America: 'One Piece,' 'Kaiju No. 8', 'Spy x Family' Lead the NYT May List

If you are a fan of manga, you might be interested in the latest rankings of the New York Times’ monthly Graphic Books and Manga bestseller list.

This list reflects the sales of graphic novels and manga in the United States for the month of May 2023. Three manga volumes made it to the top 15 of the list, showing the popularity and diversity of the manga industry.

The first manga volume on the list is “One Piece,” volume 102 by Eiichiro Oda, ranked #7. “One Piece” is a long-running shonen manga that follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew of pirates as they search for the legendary treasure One Piece.

The series has been serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine since 1997 and has over 490 million copies worldwide. The 102nd volume covers the events of the Wano Country arc, where Luffy and his allies face off against the tyrannical Kaido and his army.

The second manga volume on the list is “Kaiju No. 8” volume 6 by Naoya Matsumoto, ranked at #8. “Kaiju No. 8” is a relatively new manga series that has gained popularity and acclaim since its debut in 2020.

The series is published on Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+ online platform and has over 5 million copies in circulation. The story revolves around Kafka Hibino, a man who dreams of becoming a member of the Defense Force that fights against giant monsters called kaiju. However, his life changes when he becomes infected by a mysterious parasite that turns him into a kaiju himself.

The third manga volume on the list is “Spy x Family,” volume 9 by Tatsuya Endo, ranked at #13. “Spy x Family” is another manga series that has been serialized on Shonen Jump+ since 2019 and has over 10 million copies in circulation.

The series is a comedy-action spy thriller that follows the exploits of Twilight, a master spy who has to create a fake family for his latest mission. He adopts a telepathic girl named Anya and marries a deadly assassin named Yor, who are unaware of his true identity and profession. The ninth volume continues the saga of Twilight’s mission to infiltrate an elite school and prevent a war.

These three manga volumes showcase the variety and quality of the manga industry, which has been growing and expanding in the United States and worldwide.