Keep in mind, some of the titles on
Japan's best-selling list of mangas and
light novels do not have a U.S. distributor. There's also the fact that most volumes for a series that is licensed in the U.S. are released well behind where the manga/light novel is currently at in Japan due to translation and stricter printing standards.
The number of older titles popping up on the list is also fairly surprising, with Spice and Wolf shockingly cracking the Top 20. You also might be surprised by the fact that One Piece, which absolutely dominates the market in Japan, came in at #33 on the list.
While we don't have specific sales figures, the handy ranking from Diamond Comics Distributors is a fairly good indicator of what's popular in the U.S. and whether a series needs a popular anime to rank high. Continue on to check out all of the titles and let us know if you're reading any in the comment section below.
Top-Selling Manga Titles In the U.S. March 2018 (20-16)
20. BERSERK TP VOL 12
19. SPICE AND WOLF GN VOL 15
18. DRAGON BALL SUPER GN VOL 01
17. TOKYO GHOUL GN VOL 01
16. ONE PUNCH MAN GN VOL 01
Similar to the rankings in Japan, the Dragon Ball Super manga comes in rather low in the rankings, considering the popularity of the franchise. The series just might be one of those ultra-rare cases where the anime is actually more profitable than the manga/light novel. Tokyo Ghoul and One-Punch Man are also high-sellers in Japan that come in rather low on the list despite having popular anime followings.
Top-Selling Manga Titles In the U.S. March 2018 (15-11)
15. BLEACH GN VOL 72
14. KAGUYA SAMA LOVE IS WAR GN VOL 01
13. BLADE OF IMMORTAL OMNIBUS TP VOL 05 (MR)
12. GIRL FROM OTHER SIDE SIUIL RUN GN VOL 04
11. MY HERO ACADEMIA GN VOL 01
Bleach is still going strong in the U.S. it seems as the latest volume ranked #15. It's joined by Kaguya-sama: Love is War, the first ongoing title on the list that doesn't have an anime adaptation and doesn't rank all that high in Japan.
Also on the list is Blade of The Immortal, which undoubtedly received a boost overseas thanks to the live-action film's recent limited theatrical run. Coming in at #11 is the fan-favorite, My Hero Academia.
Top-Selling Manga Titles In the U.S. March 2018 (10-06)
10. BERSERK TP VOL 02 (MR)
09. TO LOVE RU GN VOL 05-06 (MR
08. SPLATOON MANGA GN VOL 02
07. BERSERK TP VOL 01 BLACK SWORDSMAN (MR)
06. BATTLE ANGEL ALITA DELUXE ED HC VOL 02
A video game manga adaptation stands out in the next grouping which sees the Splatoon manga sandwiched between a series of much older titles. Berserk actually manages to appear for a second and third time as both the color version from Dark Horse and the original black-and-white manga take the 10th and 07th spot, respectively. Closing us out is the deluxe edition of the Battle Angel Alita hardcover. Sales may have been boosted by the upcoming live-action adaptation, despite it's recent move from this Summer to December.
Top-Selling Manga Titles In the U.S. March 2018 (06-01)
05. YU GI OH ARC V GN VOL 03
04. MONSTER MUSUME GN VOL 13 (MR)
03. BORUTO GN VOL 03 NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS
02. ONE PUNCH MAN GN VOL 13
01. LEGEND OF ZELDA TWILIGHT PRINCESS GN VOL 03
Believe it or not, the Legend of Zelda series routinely takes the top spot on the Diamond Comics manga charts. As previously mentioned titles like One Piece (33), The Ancient Magus' Bride (30) and Golden Kamuy (43) just aren't as popular as they are in Japan. But it's important to keep the manga market in the U.S. in perspective as the sales for even the #1 title in the U.S. likely wouldn't crack the Top 20 in Japan.