Oshi no Ko manga overtakes My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen

One of the most popular, exciting, and engaging anime series of the Spring 2023 season is none other than the Oshi no Ko anime series. It is a television anime adaptation of the manga of the same name written by Aka Akasaka and illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari. The series has undoubtedly become one of the most beloved of the season.

Unsurprisingly, following the 90-minute-long first episode which serves as a full adaptation of the manga’s first volume, fans began turning to the manga rather than waiting for the anime. This has created an incredibly high influx of volume purchases and Google searches for the series’ manga, published in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine.

More excitingly, fans can keep up with the series’ weekly releases on Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+ application and the MANGA Plus service, which has an app and a website. Shockingly, the series has climbed to such incredible heights in popularity that it has recently eclipsed the popularity of two flagship Shueisha series, according to MANGA Plus’ metrics.

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Oshi no Ko manga series now more popular than Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia, per MANGA Plus website

While the MANGA Plus ranking system isn’t described in a particularly specific sense by the platform, there is a clear method to the madness. Next to each series, there is an illustration of what appears to be a flame, with a number next to it which is typically valued in hundreds of thousands. These numbers appear to represent the number of reads or interactions with a series since its latest release.

Going off of this ranking system, Oshi no Ko recently ranked in 4th place, with 479,572 reads/interactions. Ahead of the series is the Boruto manga in third with 540,359, which is right behind author and illustrator Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece in second with 725,570. Meanwhile, author and illustrator Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man in first with 904,914.

What’s particularly exciting, however, is the series which Oshi no Ko currently outranks. Sitting below it is author and illustrator Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen in fifth with 465,152 reads/interactions. It is followed by author and illustrator Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia in sixth with 450,137, and author and illustrator Tatsuya Endo’s Spy x Family in seventh with 339,775.

Oshi no Ko is clearly becoming more and more popular as time goes on for both the anime adaptation and the original manga series and for good reason. It has a fantastic narrative, great themes, and an unflinching look at the real-life consequences of parasocial relationships with celebrities and idols. The series is a thought-provoking, engaging, and action-packed read that all should try.

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Be sure to keep up with all anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.