Summary
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure has grown over its 30 years of release, making it one of the longest running manga series with 133 volumes. Hajime no Ippo, running for 139 volumes since 1989, is a great sports manga that explores the stories of many boxers. The Ginga franchise, with a total of 147 episodes, follows the adventures of Gin the dog and his descendants as they survive in the wilderness.
While many manga authors prefer to create many smaller stories, there are some mangakas who put their energy into continuing a long series, resulting in several long stories. longest manga of all time. This has led to the creation of some of the most iconic franchises in Japan and some of the best manga series out there. Despite their length or perhaps because of that, many of these manga very worth reading.
When evaluating the length of a manga, several different measures can be used. The simplest seems to be the number of chapters, but this can be misleading because many series have different chapter lengths depending on whether they are published daily, weekly, or monthly. The length of time serialized can be another but interrupted measure, which can make shorter series appear longer than they actually are. While still not perfect, the best metric to measure this is the number of tankobon volumes a series has.
Jojo’s 10 Strange Adventures
The adventures of the Joestar family have spanned more than 30 years
Series
Creator
Episodes
Publication date
Ghost blood
Hirohiko Araki
5
1987-1987
Fighting tendency
Hirohiko Araki
7
1987-1989
Stardust Crusaders
Hirohiko Araki
16
1989-1992
Diamonds are unbreakable
Hirohiko Araki
18
1992-1995
Golden Wind
Hirohiko Araki
17
1995-1999
Ocean Rock
Hirohiko Araki
17
1999-2003
Running steel ball
Hirohiko Araki
24
2004-2011
JoJolion
Hirohiko Araki
27
2011-2021
JoJoLands
Hirohiko Araki
2
2023-nay
Hirohiko Araki’s masterpiece Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is unique among other long-form manga in how Its plot and characters are constantly changing. Following the adventures of various members of the Joestar family across nine installments, the series has evolved from the relatively simple sunshine karate in Phantom Blood to the complex Stand battles in Stardust Crusaders and beyond. . Despite switching from weekly to monthly chapters and going through a few hiatuses, the series still has a whopping 133 volumes published since 1987. This number doesn’t even include the spin-off series like Such Spoke Kishibe Rohan, which would make this number even more impressive.
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9 Hajime no Ippo
Ippo’s journey to the top of world boxing is long but wonderful
Series
Creator
Episodes
Publication date
Hajime no ippo
George Morikawa
139
1989-nay
George Morikawa’s Hajime no Ippo is one of the best sports manga of all time. It follows boxer Ippo as he improves his fighting skills and rises to fight to win various championship titles. Part of what makes this series so appealing is how it fleshes out the stories of not only Ippo but also the other fighters it covers. These meandering narrative paths are an important part of what makes the series so long, reaching 139 volumes published since it began serialization in 1989. However, the series is so good that no one Any fans complain about the length.
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8 Kinnikuman
This humorous superhero wrestling story has spanned over 40 years
Series
Creator
Episodes
Publication date
Kinnikuman
Yudetamago
83
1979-1987 and 2011-present
Kinnikuman Nisei
Yudetamago
57
1998-2004
The Kinnikuman franchise, based on the original manga by childhood friends Yoshinori Takai and Takashi Shimada (collectively known as Yudetamago) is both absurd and sincere. Originally started as a parody of Ultraman, the film follows the adventures of muscle-bound superhero Kinnikuman as he participates in intergalactic wrestling competitions. The first series ran from 1979 to 1987, but was later revived in 2011. Combined with the follow-up series Kinnikuman Nisei about Kinnikuman’s son, there are a total of 140 episodes, attesting to its popularity. series despite its relative obscurity in the West.
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7 Ginga Franchise
This dog dynasty has lasted for decades
Series
Creator
Episodes
Publication date
Ginga Nagareboshi Gin
Yoshihiro Takahashi
18
1983-1987
Legend of Ginga Weed
Yoshihiro Takahashi
60
1999-2009
Legend of Ginga Weed: Orion
Yoshihiro Takahashi
30
2009-2014
Ginga: The Last War
Yoshihiro Takahashi
22
2015-2019
Ginga Legend: Noah
Yoshihiro Takahashi
17
2019-2022
The Ginga franchise is a manga series created by Yoshihiro Takahashi later The adventures of Gin the dog and his descendants as they struggle to survive in the wilderness. Since the series first began publication in 1983, fans have seen Gin’s legacy grow even as the original star of the series has aged. This kind of depiction of the passage of time is only possible given the length of the series, which when combined all of its individual series total 147 episodes. Although there is currently no Ginga series being serialized, Takahashi could create another sequel and increase this number.
The Ginga franchise is not available to read in English.
6 Baku riders
This fighting manga makes Jojo look normal
Series
Creator
Episodes
Publication date
Grappler Baki
Itagaki Keisuke
42
1991-1999
Mouth
Itagaki Keisuke
31
1999-2005
Baki Hanma
Itagaki Keisuke
37
2005-2012
Baku East
Itagaki Keisuke
22
2014-2018
bakidou
Itagaki Keisuke
17
2018-2023
Remaining
Itagaki Keisuke
0
2023-nay
While many manga readers consider Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure the gold standard in absurdist battle manga, Keisuke Itagaki’s brutal Baki arguably beats it. Beginning in 1991 with the first series Grappler Baki followed the titular warrior’s quest to hunt down and defeat his powerful father, The franchise in its current form has gone beyond that, even reincarnating famous warriors from Japanese history. The battles are some of the fiercest in all of manga making this series well worth reading for any Shonen fan. With a total of 149 episodes, there’s plenty for new and old fans to enjoy.
Baki is not available to read in English.
5 Dad cooks
This father has been cooking for decades
Series
Creator
Episodes
Publication date
Dad cooks
Tochi Ueyama
168
1985-nay
Tochi Ueyama’s Cooking Papa is a cozy slice-of-life cooking manga about salaryman Kazumi, who is a good chef but doesn’t want his co-workers to find out. The manga also includes recipes for each dish in it., allowing readers to sample its delicious dishes for themselves. Despite its simple premise, the series has flourished since 1985 and is still serialized today. For manga fans who want a fun slice-of-life series with characters they won’t have to say goodbye to anytime soon, Cooking Papa currently has 168 episodes for them to enjoy.
Cooking Papa is not available to read in English.
4 Minami no Tio
This little-known series has spanned more than one work
Series
Creator
Episodes
Publication date
Minami no Tio
Dai Tenoji and Rikiya Go
175
1992-nay
Minami no Tio is a relatively obscure series created by the team of Dai Tennoji and Rikiya Go. The manga is about a loan shark named Ginjirou Manda whose ruthless commitment to debt collection has earned him a fearsome reputation. Although the film does not have much of a following in the West, in Japan it has spawned many films. Additionally, since its debut in 1992, it has released 175 episodes. For manga fans who want to read a series with a unique main character, this means there are plenty of chapters of Minami no Tiio that can satisfy them.
Minami no Tio is not available to read in English.
3 Kochikame: Police beat Tokyo
This Gag Manga satirizes many different periods
Series
Creator
Episodes
Publication date
Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Koen-mae Hashutsujo
Osamu Akimoto
201
1976-2016
Osamu Akimoto’s Kochikame is a humorous manga about a group of police officers patrolling downtown Tokyo. Manga doesn’t really have an overarching story, instead often attacking various fads at the time of publication. This makes it very interesting to read in this day and age as it can partly serve as a cultural history of society as it went through great changes in the late 20th and early 20th centuries. 21st century. With 201 volumes published since it began serialization in 1976, it has certainly captured a large period of time in its unique satirical tone.
Kochikame is not available to read in English.
2 Dokaben
This team’s baseball journey spans many years
Series
Creator
Episodes
Publication date
Dokaben
Shinji Mizushima
48
1972-1981
Dai Koshien
Shinji Mizushima
26
1983-1987
Dokaben professional baseball
Shinji Mizushima
52
1995-2003
Superstar Dokaben
Shinji Mizushima
45
2004-2012
Dokaben Dream Tournament
Shinji Mizushima
34
2012-2018
Shinji Mizushima’s Dokaben brand is made up of many series follow the baseball careers of the main cast of characters from middle school to high school and beyond. This series takes a more grounded approach to the sport than a series like Prince of Tennis did for its sport. This has clearly influenced the iconic Slam Dunk tournament, which takes a similar approach to its chosen sport of basketball. From its start in 1972 until its end in 2018, the Dokaben franchise published 205 volumes, making it the longest running sports manga of all time.
Dokaben is not available to read in English.
1 Golgo 13
This assassin story is the oldest comic series produced
Series
Creator
Episodes
Publication date
Golgo 13
Takao Saito and Saito Manufacturing
211
1968-nay
Manga Golgo 13 by Takao Saito is a very unique series. Started publishing in 1968, it oldest manga still in print and continues even after Saito’s death in 2021. The series follows hardened assassin Golgo 13 as he takes on various missions. Many of these missions are written by other writers, which can sometimes give the series an almost anthological feel. But this type of system has kept it going for over 50 years. With 211 volumes currently published and more likely to be published, Golgo 13 is the longest manga series of all time.
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