In theory, One Piece has long been recognized as the biggest manga in the world. Eiichiro Oda’s nearly 30-year journey is not only the best-selling manga of all time, with over 600 million copies sold worldwide, but it has even surpassed the iconic Superman.
However, entering 2026, this once unbeatable force now faces unprecedented challenges from newer generations.
Shock from the 2026 Mid-Year Oricon Rankings
Despite reclaiming glory in 2025 and boasting volume 114 with record sales of over 1 million copies in a short time, One Piece officially lost its top spot. According to Oricon’s mid-2026 statistics, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End and Jujutsu Kaisen have impressively surpassed the Shonen Jump veteran to claim the highest ranks.
Specifically, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End narrowly surged ahead with 1.62 million copies sold, pushing One Piece to second place with 1.6 million copies. But that’s not the only pressure.
While One Piece still ranks above the two Jujutsu Kaisen titles individually (1.43 million and 1.14 million copies), combining the entire Jujutsu Kaisen series as one story brings total sales to 2.57 million copies, a figure that completely dwarfs One Piece.
The Boost from Anime and a Generational Shift
The dominance of Frieren and Jujutsu Kaisen largely stems from the strong media push of their new anime seasons released last winter. The addition of the Modulo expansion also helped Gege Akutami’s creation maintain high levels of discussion.
The fact that these two series easily surpassed the manga giant shows that readers’ tastes are becoming more diverse, and One Piece no longer holds an absolute monopoly.
Can One Piece Make a Comeback?
Although temporarily dethroned mid-2026, One Piece still has a wide-open chance to reclaim its crown by year’s end. The series plans to release two to three new volumes in the second half of the year, which could easily push its annual sales to around 5 million copies.
Meanwhile, Frieren is currently on hiatus, and Jujutsu Kaisen’s main storyline is nearing its conclusion. As the anime hype cools down, these competitors may struggle to maintain strong growth for a long-term battle against a consistently performing series like One Piece.
The rise of new manga generations over the past decade is a positive sign for Japan’s comic industry. Even if One Piece has to step back temporarily, it still proves its supreme status and has enough momentum to retake the throne before 2026 ends.