Frieren Overtakes One Piece as Japan's Top-Selling Manga in 2026 First Half Despite Hiatus

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End has claimed the top spot on Oricon's 2026 first-half manga sales chart, surpassing One Piece by roughly 20,000 copies despite the series being on indefinite hiatus since October 2025.

The Full Top 10

Oricon's half-year data covers the period from November 17, 2025 through May 17, 2026, tracking physical sales only (digital copies excluded). Here is the complete top-10 breakdown:

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End: 1,618,588 copies (Shogakukan)

One Piece: 1,598,476 copies (Shueisha)

Jujutsu Kaisen: 1,433,563 copies (Shueisha)

Blue Lock: 1,266,011 copies (Kodansha)

Chainsaw Man: 1,147,619 copies (Shueisha)

Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo: 1,137,742 copies (Shueisha)

Spy x Family: 913,662 copies (Shueisha)

The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity: 908,667 copies (Kodansha)

Sakamoto Days: 876,937 copies (Shueisha)

The Apothecary Diaries: 859,898 copies (Square Enix/Shogakukan)

Shueisha dominates the list with five entries (six counting Jujutsu Kaisen: Modulo as a separate title), while Shogakukan, Kodansha, and Square Enix round out the publisher representation.

How Frieren Won Without New Volumes

The most remarkable aspect of Frieren's first-place finish is that creator Kanehito Yamada placed the manga on indefinite hiatus as of October 18, 2025 meaning zero new volumes shipped during the entire tracking window. Volume 15, the most recent release, came out on December 18, 2025, barely scraping into the measurement period's start, and moved 521,551 copies.

The series' momentum stems almost entirely from backlist sales fueled by the anime's second season, which premiered on January 16, 2026. Season 2 drove new readers to catch up on the manga's existing 15 volumes, generating enough sustained demand to edge past One Piece's formidable output.

One Piece's Individual Volume Dominance

While Frieren won the series-level chart, One Piece Volume 114 released on March 2, 2026 moved 1,006,359 copies, making it the only individual volume to cross the million-copy threshold during the half-year period. Frieren Volume 15 ranked third in individual volume sales by comparison.

One Piece typically releases three new volumes per year, and Volume 115 is already scheduled for July 3, 2026, with another expected in fall. This cadence makes it likely that Eiichiro Oda's series will reclaim the annual crown by December.

The JJK Factor and New-Gen Surge

Jujutsu Kaisen's third-place finish at 1,433,563 copies is notable given that the manga concluded in September 2024. Like Frieren, its continued sales are anime-driven Season 3 kept demand alive throughout the tracking period. The spin-off Jujutsu Kaisen: Modulo, which launched as a sequel manga, separately charted at sixth place with 1,137,742 copies, meaning the combined JJK franchise actually outsold both Frieren and One Piece at nearly 2.6 million total copies.

Blue Lock and Chainsaw Man round out the top five, both benefiting from ongoing anime adaptations. Blue Lock's second season aired during the period, while Chainsaw Man's continued serialization and movie anticipation kept Tatsuki Fujimoto's series in heavy demand.

What This Means Going Forward

Frieren's hiatus leaves its second-half prospects uncertain. With no new volumes announced and Season 3 of the anime not expected until 2027, the backlist boost will inevitably taper. One Piece, with at least two more volumes slated for the back half of 2026, is well-positioned to retake the annual title.

Still, Frieren's achievement stands as a testament to how a high-quality anime adaptation can sustain and even grow manga sales well beyond the publication's active run. For now, the elven mage sits atop Japan's manga sales throne, a position few would have predicted for a series with no new chapters in eight months.