Kinnikuman has officially surpassed Hunter x Hunter in total circulation, with 85 million copies of the manga now in print, according to its author’s post on X.
The long-running series, created by writer Takashi Shimada and artist Yoshinori Nakai under the pen name Yudetamago, reached the milestone after nearly five decades of serialization.
Shimada reflected on the achievement, stating that it was the product of a steady 46-year journey alongside Nakai, beginning when the pair were just 18 years old.
“This is the result of steadily continuing to draw for 46 years with Nakai, encouraging each other and hardly taking breaks,” he wrote, emphasizing that the accomplishment was possible only because of the fans who have supported the series from its early days to the present.
While Kinnikuman grew more slowly, he expressed pride that the series had still achieved 85 million copies thanks to the dedication of fans over nearly five decades.
“I’m honestly happy that the total number of copies of the Kinnikuman comics has surpassed 85 million. My partner Nakai and I have been running full speed ahead from age 18 to 64, for 46 years straight. Unlike in the past, today’s hit manga can sell millions of copies just in the first edition, and there are plenty of works that have exceeded 100 million in total circulation. But even if our progress was slow, thanks to the fans who have supported us for 46 years, we’ve gone beyond 85 million, and that makes me the happiest.“
He added that when he next meets Nakai, they plan to celebrate the milestone together, with Nakai toasting with oolong tea and Shimada raising a glass of shochu soda.
Kinnikuman manga was originally published in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from 1979 to 1987, before receiving its first anime adaptation by Toei Animation, which ran for 137 episodes on Nippon Television from 1983 to 1986. The series restarted publication in 2011 in Shueisha’s digital magazine Shu Play News and has since inspired multiple spin-off manga and anime, anime films, video games, and a wide variety of merchandise.
A new anime television series produced by Production I.G aired from July to September 2024 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the original anime. The series was released globally on Netflix.
Its second season aired between January and March 2025 on the same programming block, with a third season already announced.
