Not many expected Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End to be as popular as it is today, but the series has exceeded all expectations and has established itself as a worldwide sensation since 2023. Three years later, its popularity is still growing, especially with the release of its second anime season.
While it goes without saying that the series has shown tremendous growth over the last few years in the anime sphere, the manga has also witnessed a great boost. That said, it was recently beaten by a brand new series from Weekly Shonen Jump despite seeing the release of a new manga volume. Weekly Shonen Jump's newest hit, Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo, recently dropped its first volume, and it has surpassed the sales of Frieren for the first week of Shoseki. That is definitely impressive for a brand new series, but fans expect Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End to take the edge back soon, especially with its brand new anime season airing.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Has Become A Worldwide Sensation
- Frieren’s anime has made the manga of the series insanely popular
- One of Shogakukan’s Biggest Hits
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End first saw tremendous growth in 2023 following the release of its first TV anime season. After its premiere, the series would go on to air for 28 episodes and conclude in 2024. Since then, fans have been waiting for the return of Frieren, and their wishes were finally answered in 2026. Frieren has returned to TV with a second season, and it goes without saying that it has been an absolute sensation so far.
Of course, with great anime success comes amazing manga sales. After all, the main reason for manga to get an anime is to advertise it to a bigger audience and boost sales. Needless to say, Frieren's anime succeeded at that. The hit series has become one of the biggest titles of the Shogakukan Magazine, and it has definitely been dominating for the last few years, with each of its volumes averaging over 2 million sales. At the moment, Frieren's total sales are around 32 million, and this figure is expected to only go higher.
Frieren Was Beaten By Shonen Jump’s Newest Hit in Manga Sales Last Week
- Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo took the number one Spot for Best Selling Mangas Last week
- Modulo showcases impressive sales for a new series
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is definitely one of the biggest series of the last few years. However, recently, a new Weekly Shonen Jump series has beaten it rather comfortably. This new series goes by the name of Jujutsu Kaisen: Modulo, and fans would probably recognize it as being the sequel series to Gege Akutami's Jujutsu Kaisen. Modulo received its first volume in January, and the numbers paint quite a clear picture. Last week, JJK Modulo sold more than Frieren, which is definitely impressive to achieve for a new series with only one volume out.
Not only that, but Frieren was actually also beaten by another newer Weekly Shonen Jump manga, and that's Kagurabachi. Frieren was only fifth overall. There were two other Weekly Shonen Jump manga above it, one being Dandadan, and one being Rurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc. It must be noted that all four manga above Frieren saw a newer volume release the week before, while that wasn't the case for Frieren.
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Overall, when comparing Frieren and Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo’s sales, Frieren was still more impressive. This is because overall, for its latest volume releases, Frieren has amassed over 500k sales so far. It is too early to tell how the numbers will look for Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo, but the signs are very good at the moment.
Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Is Impressive, But Frieren Is Currently on Hiatus
It goes without saying that it's impressive for a new manga like Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo to sell as it has with its first volume. It has become one of the highest-selling new manga on Weekly Shonen Jump, achieving numbers that have seldom been seen before.
Nevertheless, it must be remembered that Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo is the legacy of a major Shonen manga, Jujutsu Kaisen. As such it holds a big advantage. While on a weekly basis, it edged out Frieren, overall, Frieren is still ahead by a mile. In fact, Frieren is one of the highest selling mangas in all of Japan, and that's likely not going to change anytime soon.
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End's latest manga volume dropped a lot earlier, on December 18, 2026, which is now over a month ago. With that, it's expected to see a drop in sales, and Frieren still maintaining the fifth spot is still very telling of its popularity.
Fans should also remember that Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is currently on a hiatus, which definitely impacts the popularity of the manga. The two mangakas working on Frieren are both dealing with health issues and have had to go on a break again. When they will return is currently unknown, which is unfortunate and puts the future of this series in jeopardy as the anime catches up faster than the manga publishes new content at the moment.
Frieren Could be The Highest Selling Manga Again Due To Season 2
- Frieren Season 2 is already the best-rated anime of all time
While it's true that, at the moment, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is witnessing a drop in sales after a month following its newest manga volume release, this could be changing very soon. Even with no new volumes for Frieren coming out in the near future, fans are well aware of the fact that the anime has well and truly returned.
Indeed, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2 is currently airing. The series will soon experience heavy backlog sales. The manga volumes covering the currently unfolding Frieren arc in the anime will get a huge boost, which means that in the upcoming week or so, the manga could be seen even higher on the best-selling charts. It can be said that Frieren, alongside Jujutsu Kaisen, will be among the best sellers due to major anime returns.
At the moment, Frieren's popularity is undeniable. With only one episode, its second season has already been crowned as MyAnimeList's number one anime of all time, surpassing its own score held by the first season of the anime. The only anime that can beat Frieren is Frieren, and in terms of manga, it'll continue to dominate as well, despite stiff competition from Jujutsu Kaisen.