Shueisha announced on Sep 28, 2023, that Yasuhisa Hara’s Kingdom manga has acheived a historic milestone, as it became the 19th manga series to hit 100 million copies in circulation.

Moreover, with the release of its 70th volume on Nov 17, 2023, Kingdom will become Shueisha’s first seinen manga series to surpass the 100 million copies mark, including digital versions.

Mangaka Yasuhisa Yara shared his thoughts reflecting on the journey that led to this achievement, stating that seventeen years ago when the first volume of Kingdom was released it got an intial print of 25,000 copies. He also noted that the manga volumes struggled to get reprinted, and that by the time the 3rd volume released, the print run had dropped to 15,000 copies.

“Seventeen years ago, when ‘Kingdom’ Volume 1 was released, it started with an initial print run of just 25,000 copies. From the beginning of the serialization, we faced difficulties, much like the rankings in ‘Weekly Young Jump’ surveys. The manga volumes also struggled to get reprints, and by the time Volume 3 was released, the initial print run had dropped to 15,000 copies. I keenly felt the challenge of getting people to read it.“

Despite these challenges, the mangaka’s unwavering determination in creating the manga paid off, as he realized more people began to read Kingdom. As it gained more traction, the series started to recieve more oppurtunities for adaption into games, anime, movies, and even stage plays, which expanded its reach.

“By not giving up week after week and persevering in drawing the manga, I gradually realized that more and more people were reading ‘Kingdom.’ We received opportunities for adaptations into games, anime, movies, and even stage plays, which expanded the reach of Kingdom.“

Hara then went on to express his delight at achieving the long-cherished hitting hundred million copies.

“And now, I’m delighted to say that we’ve reached the incredible milestone of 100 million copies in total.“

He also expressed his gratitude to the readers who have been instrumental in making Kingdom a success.

“Right now, as I hold this volume in my hands, including digital copies, there are 100 million copies distributed throughout the country. It’s a quantity that I couldn’t have imagined. I sincerely want to express my gratitude to all the readers who have picked up ‘Kingdom.’ Thank you very much. The story of ‘Kingdom’ will continue from here. As we move toward the unification of China, toward the Supreme Commander of All Under Heaven, I will draw it even more interestingly and passionately. I hope that as many people as possible will stay with us until the final chapter.“

To commemorate this achievement of 100 million copies sold, various projects has been unveiled.

Among them is the “Kingdom Frame Maker” collaboration project with GEORGIA (The Coca-Cola Company), which allows users to create a single “Kingdom“-themed photo by combining scenes from the manga with their own photos through a web service.

In addition, Shueisha’s Weekly Young Jump issue #51 and #52, releasing on Nov 16 and 22 respectively, will feature Kingdom on the cover pages.

Kingdom is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yasuhisa Hara. It has been serialized in Shueisha’s seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump since January 2006, with its chapters collected in 69 tankōbon volumes as of July 2023.

The series was adapted into a four-season anime television series by studio Pierrot. The first 38-episode season aired from June 2012 to February 2013; a second 39-episode season aired from June 2013 to March 2014; a third 26-episode season by Studio Signpost and Pierrot aired from April 2020 to October 2021; a fourth 26-episode season aired from April to October 2022; a fifth season is set to premiere in January 2024.

A live-action film was released in April 2019; a sequel film premiered in July 2022; a third film premiered in July 2023; a fourth film was recently announced.

Source: Oricon