Ahead of the premiere of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, Shueisha, the parent company behind the manga’s serialization, announced that the franchise has achieved another major milestone. On July 17th, just a day before the movie’s debut, Shueisha revealed that the manga has reached a total circulation of 220 million copies worldwide. Of this, 164 million copies were sold in Japan, with the remaining circulation coming from overseas markets. This update comes four and a half years after the previous report in February 2021, when the series had hit 150 million copies in circulation.
Over the past four years, circulation has grown by an impressive 70 million copies, underscoring the franchise’s sustained global popularity. The earlier figure was announced following the release of the manga’s final volume and the record-breaking success of Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, both of which significantly boosted sales. With the manga’s climactic arc now being adapted into a multi-part movie series set to span the next several years, these developments are expected to drive circulation even higher, cementing Demon Slayer as an enduring cultural phenomenon.
Demon Slayer’s Popularity Has Soared Since the Anime’s Debut
According to Oricon News, before the anime debuted in April 2019, the manga had sold 3.5 million copies. However, circulation skyrocketed after the first season concluded in September 2019, reaching 12 million copies, nearly four times the previous figure, thanks to the anime’s massive success. From that point on, sales continued to climb steadily, aided by the manga’s compelling narrative, which was then covering its final arc. By the time the manga ended in May 2020, circulation had soared to 60 million copies, earning a spot among the top 50 best-selling manga of all time.
Before the release of Mugen Train, circulation had already surpassed 100 million copies. Following the movie’s record-breaking run and the manga’s final volume release, another 20 million copies were added, bringing the total to 150 million by February 2021. In the past four and a half years, the number has grown by 70 million, a slower pace compared to the explosive gains during the final arc of the manga.
While the manga’s narrative deserves significant credit for this success, it is evident that it wouldn’t have been possible in remotely the same way without the stellar anime adaptation by Ufotable. Ufotable’s exceptional anime adaptation played a pivotal role in drawing audiences to the source material. With 220 million copies now in circulation, Demon Slayer ranks as the seventh best-selling manga of all time, just behind Naruto with 250 million. Considering that the final arc is still set to be adapted, divided into three movies, it’s highly likely that the series will surpass Naruto, potentially even Dragon Ball, in the coming years.
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