Japan’s 2026 Shonen Crown Goes to the Fan-Favorite Franchise After Oricon Rush

Anime and manga have hit a new level of mainstream attention in Japan, and that has turned the yearly popularity race into a real battlefield. Fans are pushing hard for their favorites to climb the monthly Oricon sales charts, aiming to see their series crowned as the most popular and best-selling by the time the year wraps up.

In 2025, One Piece finished on top as Japan’s most popular manga and the highest-selling manga series, moving 4.2 million copies overall. But in 2026 so far, it hasn’t held the number-one spot. With heavy fan support, Japan has officially named Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End as the best-selling and most popular shonen series of 2026 in the first half. Still, with half the year left, the rankings are likely to shift significantly.

Oricon First-Half Numbers for 2026 Point to Frieren as the Top Shonen Right Now

Oricon is widely regarded in Japan for delivering dependable sales rankings across multiple media categories, including manga. Shonen titles frequently dominate these charts, and 2020 was a clear example—year after year, the biggest attention tends to land on shonen releases. The first six months of 2026 show that same pattern, with Japanese buyers backing Frieren strongly enough to place it at the top as the most popular shonen in the country so far this year.

Looking at the official figures, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End has claimed the lead with 1.61 million copies sold across the first half of 2026. That total is expected to rise as more sales roll in over the rest of the year. In second place, One Piece posted 1.598 million copies, trailing by only a few thousand. Rounding out the top three, Jujutsu Kaisen sold 1.43 million copies, which is particularly notable given that it does not currently have an active manga run.

Even more surprising, Jujutsu Kaisen: Modulo landed in sixth place with 1.13 million sales. Taken as a franchise, that would technically make the Jujutsu Kaisen series the biggest shonen brand in Japan during this window. However, when you look strictly at individual series, both Jujutsu Kaisen and Jujutsu Kaisen: Modulo fall short of the top tier. With Frieren Season 2 already aired, the anime boosted visibility, and manga sales followed—something fans clearly noticed.

Frieren Season 2 Fueled Manga Backlog Sales

Frieren Season 2 aired beginning January 16, 2026, and wrapped up its 13-episode run on March 27, 2026. At the same time, Season 3 was announced and is scheduled for October 2027. With the series set to keep going, its momentum as a new-generation shonen appears likely to keep growing in Japan. The second season was especially successful, and it helped the manga sell more copies while reinforcing its lead as the country’s most popular shonen.

Frieren’s influence isn’t limited to Japan either. On community hubs such as MyAnimeList, Frieren continues to hold the top spot as the highest-rated anime series of all time, with a score of 9.26/10. Achieving that rating isn’t easy, and it underlines just how dominant the series remains. With consistent sales growth expected in the second half of 2026, the bigger question is whether Frieren can stay above One Piece for the full year.

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Why One Piece Could Retake the Lead in the Second Half of 2026

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End absolutely delivered in the first half of 2026 by becoming Japan’s top new shonen series. But expecting it to hold the top spot through year-end may be unrealistic. The main factor is that the manga is currently on an indefinite hiatus, and no return date has been confirmed. On top of that, the anime finished its run on March 27, 2026, which means the series has already cashed in most of the backlog boost it can realistically get.

Because there’s no clear sign of new manga volumes launching in Japan during the second half of 2026, Frieren likely won’t see a major sales surge in that period. Its anime momentum can help, but without ongoing volume releases, the numbers may not grow fast enough to defend the lead.

One Piece, meanwhile, should keep building sales through new volume releases. One Piece Volume 115 is already scheduled for a Japan release on July 3, 2026. Like previous volumes, it’s expected to reach at least a million copies sold. Then fans will get another release in Fall 2026 with One Piece Volume 116. In total, One Piece will have three volume releases during the second half, and with combined sales, it’s projected to cross 4 million overall—matching what it achieved in 2025.

One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda is finally giving Sanji the full power of the Demon God Ifrit in the climax of the Elbaf arc.

That’s why Frieren, despite putting up strong competition during the first half thanks to its volume sales, may not be able to match those totals without a new volume release of its own. If Frieren weren’t on hiatus, it likely would have been crowned Japan’s biggest new shonen series of 2026 based on how fast it was selling earlier in the year. Unfortunately, the break is still ongoing, and fans are left hoping the manga returns soon. For now, the expectation is that One Piece will keep climbing in sales and popularity and reclaim the top spot in the coming months.

Even so, if Frieren manages to finish the year in second place, that would still be a major achievement for a series that will have no volume releases across the entire year and only a relatively limited anime boost. Regardless of the final ranking, its popularity in Japan is clear—and in some ways, it may be higher than One Piece at the moment.

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All episodes of One Piece and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End are available to watch on Crunchyroll.