Manga Magazines: A Staple of Childhood in Japan
(From left to right: © CoroCoro Comic March 2025/Shogakukan, © Weekly Shonen Sunday 2025 No.12/Shogakukan, © Weekly Shonen Jump 2025 No.12/SHUEISHA)
There is one pastime that unites nearly all Japanese children, as well as many adults: reading manga. Manga, or Japanese comics, are pervasive in Japan. Together with their animated counterpart, anime, they have spread around the world to become industries worth billions of dollars. But while these days many people abroad are familiar with manga and anime, few may be aware of the heart of both these industries: manga magazines. Nearly all anime series, from ASTROBOY in the 1950s, to DRAGON BALL and PRETTY GUARDIAN SAILOR MOON in the 1990s, to more recent hits like ONE PIECE and NARUTO, originated as serialized manga in the pages of Japanese manga magazines.
Left: ONE PIECE is the story of a pirate crew searching for a mythical treasure. It has been running in the manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump since 1997. (©Eiichiro Oda/SHUEISHA)
Middle: NARUTO, the story of a boy who dreams of becoming the greatest ninja in his village, ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1999 to 2014. (©Masashi Kishimoto, Scott/SHUEISHA)
Right: TORIYAMA Akira's globetrotting adventure series DRAGON BALL became a global phenomenon around the 1990s. It originated as a serialized manga in Weekly Shonen Jump. The saga continues to develop today in both manga and anime format. (©BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA)
Top: ONE PIECE is the story of a pirate crew searching for a mythical treasure. It has been running in the manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump since 1997. (©Eiichiro Oda/SHUEISHA)
Middle: NARUTO, the story of a boy who dreams of becoming the greatest ninja in his village, ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1999 to 2014. (©Masashi Kishimoto, Scott/SHUEISHA)
Bottom: TORIYAMA Akira's globetrotting adventure series DRAGON BALL became a global phenomenon around the 1990s. It originated as a serialized manga in Weekly Shonen Jump. The saga continues to develop today in both manga and anime format. (©BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA)
What Are Manga Magazines?
Walk into any Japanese convenience store and you will surely see them in the magazine racks, if not up front by the register: an array of hefty volumes with colorful cartoon characters seemingly bursting from their covers to grab your attention. These are Japan’s manga magazines, and they have been a staple of Japanese childhood since as far back as the 1950s.
Each issue of a manga magazine contains the latest chapters of around twenty different ongoing serialized manga. At upwards of 500 pages each, they can be as thick as 3 to 5 centimeters (about 1 to 2 inches) or more. In addition to manga, they also typically include celebrity interviews, manga-related news such as anime or movie adaptations, giveaways, and contests.
Left: The table of contents in a 2025 issue of Weekly Shonen Sunday, a popular manga magazine. A typical manga magazine might contain the latest chapters of about twenty manga series. (Photo courtesy of Shogakukan Inc.)
Right: Manga magazines are thick, containing hundreds of pages of manga each. The recycled paper used in manga magazines often comes in pastel colors. In addition to demarcating different sections of the magazine and creating visual variety, this colored paper helps to keep production costs low, as they require less bleaching.
Top: The table of contents in a 2025 issue of Weekly Shonen Sunday, a popular manga magazine. A typical manga magazine might contain the latest chapters of about twenty manga series. (Photo courtesy of Shogakukan Inc.)
Bottom: Manga magazines are thick, containing hundreds of pages of manga each. The recycled paper used in manga magazines often comes in pastel colors. In addition to demarcating different sections of the magazine and creating visual variety, this colored paper helps to keep production costs low, as they require less bleaching.
Manga magazines are generally cheap, both in price and in print quality, and that’s by design. By using recycled newsprint and low-cost printing methods, manga magazines keep their prices low. At just a couple hundred yen for hours of fun, they are an economical form of entertainment that is easily afforded on a child’s allowance.
Like newspapers, manga magazines are meant to be read and recycled, rather than collected. Fans of a particular series may collect it when it is compiled and published later as tankobon, a higher-quality book format. Pictured here are the first twelve volumes of the series ONE PIECE in tankobon format. (©Eiichiro Oda/SHUEISHA)
A Manga Magazine for Everyone
Different manga magazines exist to cater to different demographics. Shonen manga magazines represent the largest readership. These magazines generally target young boys (although many girls are fans, too!). These magazines tend to feature stories of whirlwind adventures, epic fantasy battles, and plucky underdog athletes. Weekly Shonen Jump, guided by its keywords of “friendship, effort, and victory” has produced such worldwide hits over the decades as DRAGON BALL, ONE PIECE, and NARUTO. Competitors in the shonen field like Weekly Shonen Sunday or Bessatsu Shonen Magazine are the birthplace of further hits like INUYASHA and ATTACK ON TITAN.
A panel from ONE PIECE in Weekly Shonen Jump. Protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his crew epitomize the magazine’s three keywords: friendship, effort, and victory. (©Eiichiro Oda/SHUEISHA)
DETECTIVE CONAN (also known as CASE CLOSED) is a detective manga that has been running in Weekly Shonen Sunday since 1994. It follows a high school detective who was transformed into a small child by a mysterious organization as he tries to solve various crimes. (©Gosho Aoyama / Shogakukan)
Shojo manga magazines, on the other hand, generally target the young girl demographic. They tend to put a stronger emphasis on romance and complex interpersonal dramas, though they can also be rich in action and adventure. Famous series like PRETTY GUARDIAN SAILOR MOON and THE ROSE OF VERSAILLES originated in the pages of shojo magazines like Nakayosi and Margaret.
Left: CARDCAPTOR SAKURA ran in Nakayosi from 1996 to 2000. The manga follows an elementary school girl as she tries to track down cards that possess magical powers. (©CLAMP,ShigatsuTsuitach CO.,LTD. / KODANSHA)
Middle: MARMALADE BOY follows high school student Miki whose life suddenly changes when her family merges with the family of a handsome boy her age. It ran in Ribon from 1992 to 1995. (©Wataru Yoshizumi/SHUEISHA)
Right: Set during the French Revolution, THE ROSE OF VERSAILLES is a historical fiction that explores themes of politics and gender roles. It ran in Margaret from 1972 to 1973. (©Ikeda Riyoko Production / SHUEISHA)
Top: CARDCAPTOR SAKURA ran in Nakayosi from 1996 to 2000. The manga follows an elementary school girl as she tries to track down cards that possess magical powers. (©CLAMP,ShigatsuTsuitach CO.,LTD. / KODANSHA)
Middle: MARMALADE BOY follows high school student Miki whose life suddenly changes when her family merges with the family of a handsome boy her age. It ran in Ribon from 1992 to 1995. (©Wataru Yoshizumi/SHUEISHA)
Bottom: Set during the French Revolution, THE ROSE OF VERSAILLES is a historical fiction that explores themes of politics and gender roles. It ran in Margaret from 1972 to 1973. (©Ikeda Riyoko Production / SHUEISHA)
While the shonen market is the largest, there are manga magazines for every age group, gender, and interest. Other manga magazines target college-aged men, adult women, younger children, and so on.
The Production Pipeline
Release timelines vary from publication to publication, but many of the most popular magazines are released on a weekly basis. This means manga artists must keep incredibly tight production schedules in order to meet deadlines. While superhero comics in the Western world often trade hands from year to year, a Japanese manga artist tends to be in charge of his or her series for its entire duration, which may last decades. For example, popular boxing manga series HAJIME NO IPPO has been running since 1989 and has over one thousand installments, all written and illustrated by creator MORIKAWA George. Indeed, Japanese manga artists may be some of the most prolific and industrious artists in any medium in the world.
Left: The cover of the first volume of HAJIME NO IPPO (also known as FIGHTING SPIRIT), a popular boxing manga. The series has been running since 1989 in Weekly Shonen Magazine. (HAJIME NO IPPO / George Morikawa / KODANSHA)
Right: A bookstore display of the many tankobon volumes of HAJIME NO IPPO. The series has currently has over one thousand chapters published in over 140 volumes, all written and illustrated by creator MORIKAWA George. (HAJIME NO IPPO / George Morikawa / KODANSHA)
Top: The cover of the first volume of HAJIME NO IPPO (also known as FIGHTING SPIRIT), a popular boxing manga. The series has been running since 1989 in Weekly Shonen Magazine. (HAJIME NO IPPO / George Morikawa / KODANSHA)
Bottom: A bookstore display of the many tankobon volumes of HAJIME NO IPPO. The series has currently has over one thousand chapters published in over 140 volumes, all written and illustrated by creator MORIKAWA George. (HAJIME NO IPPO / George Morikawa / KODANSHA)
Left: Manga creators are generally in charge of their manga for the entirety of its duration. The process of making a single page of ONE PIECE begins with creator ODA Eiichiro deciding the story and composition with a loose storyboard sketch called a “name” in Japanese.
Middle: The creator then refines the page into a rough draft in pencil.
Right: Next, the characters and other main parts are outlined with ink. (©Eiichiro Oda/SHUEISHA)
Top: Manga creators are generally in charge of their manga for the entirety of its duration. The process of making a single page of ONE PIECE begins with creator ODA Eiichiro deciding the story and composition with a loose storyboard sketch called a “name” in Japanese.
Middle: The creator then refines the page into a rough draft in pencil.
Bottom: Next, the characters and other main parts are outlined with ink. (©Eiichiro Oda/SHUEISHA)
Left: Manga creators generally have a few assistants to help them with the next three steps. First, background scenery is added.
Middle: Next, graphic effects such as motion lines are added.
Right: Next, large sections are filled in with ink. (©Eiichiro Oda/SHUEISHA)
Top: Manga creators generally have a few assistants to help them with the next three steps. First, background scenery is added.
Middle: Next, graphic effects such as motion lines are added.
Bottom: Next, large sections are filled in with ink. (©Eiichiro Oda/SHUEISHA)
Left: Final touches are added, such as using whiteout to correct small mistakes.
Right: At last, a single page of ONE PIECE is complete. (©Eiichiro Oda/SHUEISHA)
Top: Final touches are added, such as using whiteout to correct small mistakes.
Bottom: At last, a single page of ONE PIECE is complete. (©Eiichiro Oda/SHUEISHA)
Each week on the night before their release, manga magazines are delivered to Japan’s network of tens of thousands of convenience stores, such that they are available for purchase early in the morning around the country without fail. When a popular series has left fans with a particularly tantalizing cliffhanger, the release of the latest issue of a manga magazine can almost seem like a national event among kids in Japan.
Kids all over Japan look forward to the release of the latest issue of their favorite manga magazine. Copies of a single issue can number in the hundreds of thousands or even millions.
Fostering the Best in Storytelling
Part of the success of manga magazines, and therefore the success of the entire manga and anime industries, lies in their format. Comics in other countries are often sold individually, but by publishing many different series together in one magazine, Japanese manga magazines create a culture of competition and give more creators a chance to prove themselves. Readers who pick up a magazine to read the latest adventure in a popular long-running series may get hooked on another series, or they may check out the first chapter of a new series by an up-and-coming artist. Reader surveys allow manga magazines to tell which series are hits and which series should be replaced. This drives artists to constantly up their game and strive to create more and more compelling stories and artwork.
Each week is a chance to hook new readers, so many manga include helpful plot summaries and character profiles in the margins to help onboard new readers. (©Rumiko Takahashi / Shogakukan)
“One-shot” manga (a short, self-contained manga consisting of a single chapter) are also sometimes included in manga magazines, allowing new ideas or new artists to be test-run. Any one-shot has the potential to become the next global phenomenon. For example, the hit series ONE PIECE, now in its 28th year and the basis of a popular live-action television series, began as a one-shot called ROMANCE DAWN.
Manga magazines, with their broad readership of passionate manga fans, are also the perfect place to scope new talent. Many magazines periodically advertise contests within their pages to discover the next great manga artist. Most of the great manga artists, from TORIYAMA Akira (creator of DRAGON BALL) to INOUE Takehiko (creator of SLAM DUNK), were once mere fans who got their big break in such contests.
A Gateway to Japanese Culture
Manga has made a lasting cultural impression around the world. Interest in Japan among people from other countries is at an all-time high, and many people cite anime and manga as the origin of their interest. Series like NARUTO have sparked interest in historical Japanese ninja culture and even Japanese cuisine. A 2024 survey found that NARUTO was the most influential series in getting people abroad interested in Japanese food, thanks to Naruto’s famous passion for ramen. Through slice-of-life series like YOUR LIE IN APRIL, readers abroad have become intrigued by the unique aspects of daily school life in Japan. Even something like uta-garuta, the traditional Japanese poem-based card game, has found fans abroad thanks to the series CHIHAYAFURU. Though these series are not usually in magazine format by the time they reach other countries, all of them originated in the pages of Japan’s lively ecosystem of manga magazines.
Left: Naruto is famous for his love of ramen. His enthusiasm for the noodle dish has caused fans abroad to become interested in it as well. (©Masashi Kishimoto, Scott/SHUEISHA)
Right: Naruto loves miso ramen topped with extra pork belly slices.
Top: Naruto is famous for his love of ramen. His enthusiasm for the noodle dish has caused fans abroad to become interested in it as well. (©Masashi Kishimoto, Scott/SHUEISHA)
Bottom: Naruto loves miso ramen topped with extra pork belly slices.
With digital manga readership increasing through official manga magazine apps, today’s fans have more ways than ever to enjoy their favorite manga. But regardless of format, due to the unique role they play, Japan’s manga magazines will continue to be the heart of the manga and anime industries.