The highest-selling manga in America during the fall 2023 period was unexpectedly Berserk, created by the late Kentaro Miura and continued after his passing by Kouji Mori and Studio Gaga.
Berserk managed to surpass expected top sellers like One Piece, Blue Lock, and Jujutsu Kaisen as well as exceed the sales of the also very popular Demon Slayer manga.
Even though Kentaro Miura sadly could not be there to see it, the respect and care put into continuing his seminal dark fantasy series allowed it to find major commercial success decades after its inception.
The staff’s commitment to Miura’s vision helped Berserk ascend in a competitive market filled with new hits.
For fall 2023 at least, Kentaro Miura’s iconic Black Swordsman Guts slashed his way to the peak of American manga sales through the efforts of those carrying on Miura’s legacy.
Berserk’s Surprising Manga Sales Champion of Fall 2023
The COVID-19 pandemic sparked immense growth in anime’s global popularity, driving increased manga sales as viewers sought out the source material to continue the stories after finishing the anime adaptations.
While manga had impressive sales totals in 2023 overall, with Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura’s Blue Lock selling an astounding 10.5 million copies, the specific sales rankings for fall 2023 contained a major surprise.
Industry sales trackers ICv2 released the top manga properties list for fall 2023, and the #1 spot did not go to any of the usual suspects like One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, or Attack on Titan which typically dominate the charts.
Instead, a dark horse series emerged that managed to outperform even those hugely popular manga juggernauts in sales for the fall period.
This unexpected champion that seized the top spot impressed everyone by beating out many famous and established franchises that normally lead to manga sales.
Its fall 2023 performance proved it could compete with and surpass some of the industry’s biggest names.
After the tragic passing of creator Kentaro Miura, many expected his dark fantasy series Berserk would cease publication.
However, Miura’s close associates Kouji Mori and Studio Gaga surprisingly took over the franchise with the aim of continuing his life’s work.
Despite only releasing nine new chapters in 2023 within volume 42, Berserk managed to top the manga sales charts for Fall 2023 in the United States.
Berserk came out ahead of the second place finisher, Koyoharu Gotouge’s Demon Slayer, followed by the ever-popular One Piece in third. This was an unexpected victory given Berserk’s limited new content in 2023.
A potential factor for its chart dominance could be pricing – while One Piece volume 104 costs $11.99, Berserk volume 41 has a cover price of $14.99.
And Berserk’s deluxe hardcover editions run as high as $59.99. So Berserk managed to turn fewer unit sales into higher monetary intake.
In any case, the passion of Miura’s hand-picked successors allowed his dark, fantastical story to enjoy one last moment at the top before concluding. They ensured Miura’s legacy and life’s work could make one final triumphant sales run.
Berserk, An Unforgettable Journey from Darkness to Hope
Berserk tells an extraordinarily impactful and transformative story matched by phenomenal artwork that astonishes with its meticulous detail achieved without digital assistance.
Through protagonist Guts, readers bear witness to a saga of endless tragedy, from his birth from a corpse to a merciless childhood of violence that includes sexual assault – experiences leaving Guts rightfully distrustful of all.
The first glimmer of hope comes when Guts finds camaraderie among the Band of the Falcon and its charismatic leader Griffith. But this brotherhood sets in motion events that irreversibly alter Guts’ destiny for the worse.
To fully appreciate the epic scope and emotional weight of Guts’ painful journey from perdition to salvation, Berserk is best experienced in its uncensored, unabridged manga form.
Key moments omitted from the anime convey the series’ grand themes of struggling against causality and finding meaning through companionship.
Through its flawed, human characters and philosophical undertones, Berserk proves emotionally resonate fantasy masterpiece.
Guts’ travel from hopelessness to hope makes for an unforgettable saga that redefines darkness in fantasy.
