Naruto is undoubtedly one of the most iconic anime series, enjoying global success for decades. With over 250 million copies sold worldwide, Naruto ranks as the sixth best-selling manga of all time.
In Japan, Naruto is the fifth best-selling manga from Weekly Shonen Jump, with around 153 million copies in circulation. This is an impressive figure, but recently a new-generation manga has made history by surpassing this milestone in the domestic market: Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba.
Demon Slayer dominates at home
Kimetsu no Yaiba is a manga with only 23 volumes that has outsold Naruto in Japan, reaching 164 million copies sold.
This achievement is truly remarkable, especially considering Kimetsu no Yaiba reached this milestone with roughly one-third the number of volumes compared to Naruto. Currently, Demon Slayer ranks just behind One Piece in domestic sales in Japan.
The massive success of Kimetsu no Yaiba, largely thanks to Ufotable’s top-tier anime adaptation (including the blockbuster Infinity Castle), has turned the series into an unstoppable cultural phenomenon.
Can Demon Slayer surpass Naruto’s global record?
Although Kimetsu no Yaiba has surpassed Naruto in the Japanese market, it has yet to break the international record. However, the gap is closing. Naruto is estimated to have sold around 250 million copies worldwide, while Demon Slayer is believed to have about 220 million copies sold globally.
The remaining 30 million copies gap could be bridged thanks to the huge success of upcoming Demon Slayer films.