Uploaded March 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Manga is one of Japan's favorite national pastimes and is beloved by children and adults. Learn about some of Japan's quirkiest comics with our manga facts.
10 面白い (Interesting) Manga Facts
1. One of manga's trademark features—disproportionately large eyes drawn on most characters—was originated by Osamu Tekuza, a Japanese artist who took his inspiration from the Disney character Bambi.
2. Manga are generally categorized into five different types, according to target audience: Shonen (aimed at male teens), Shojo (for teen girls), Seinen (adult men), Josei (adult women), and Kodomomuke (young children).
3. Kitazawa Rakuten published the first-ever manga, titled "Tagosaku and Mokabe's Sightseeing in Tokyo," in 1902.
4. A 2002 New York Times article cited the Japanese love of manga as being responsible for Japan's low literacy levels. The Times was forced to retract the piece when it was pointed out that Japan's literacy rates are higher than those in the United States.
5. The best-selling manga of all time is "One Piece," a 96-volume series starring a pirate named Monkey D Luffy. As of 2022, over 516 million copies have been sold, and there are multiple new volumes still waiting to be released.
6. The manga series "Killer Shark in Another World" is about a summoner in a fantasy world who manages to summon a shark from a "B" movie made on planet Earth. The two become friends.
7. In the Japanese manga "The Female Fridge no. 1," the main character wakes up to discover that she has become the refrigerator in the kitchen of her boy-crush.
8. There is a Japanese manga version of Adolf Hitler's autobiography, "Mein Kampf."
9. Twenty-five percent of all graphic novels sold in the U.S. are manga.
10. Katsuhiro Otomo's beloved masterpiece Akira, serialized from 1982–1990 and adapted to anime in 1988, takes place in Neo-Tokyo, 2020, which is prophetically hosting the Olympics.
For more interesting manga facts, check out our manga article here: factretriever.com/manga-facts
Manga is one of Japan's favorite national pastimes and is beloved by children and adults. Learn about some of Japan's quirkiest comics with our manga facts.
10 面白い (Interesting) Manga Facts
1. One of manga's trademark features—disproportionately large eyes drawn on most characters—was originated by Osamu Tekuza, a Japanese artist who took his inspiration from the Disney character Bambi.
2. Manga are generally categorized into five different types, according to target audience: Shonen (aimed at male teens), Shojo (for teen girls), Seinen (adult men), Josei (adult women), and Kodomomuke (young children).
3. Kitazawa Rakuten published the first-ever manga, titled "Tagosaku and Mokabe's Sightseeing in Tokyo," in 1902.
4. A 2002 New York Times article cited the Japanese love of manga as being responsible for Japan's low literacy levels. The Times was forced to retract the piece when it was pointed out that Japan's literacy rates are higher than those in the United States.
5. The best-selling manga of all time is "One Piece," a 96-volume series starring a pirate named Monkey D Luffy. As of 2022, over 516 million copies have been sold, and there are multiple new volumes still waiting to be released.
6. The manga series "Killer Shark in Another World" is about a summoner in a fantasy world who manages to summon a shark from a "B" movie made on planet Earth. The two become friends.
7. In the Japanese manga "The Female Fridge no. 1," the main character wakes up to discover that she has become the refrigerator in the kitchen of her boy-crush.
8. There is a Japanese manga version of Adolf Hitler's autobiography, "Mein Kampf."
9. Twenty-five percent of all graphic novels sold in the U.S. are manga.
10. Katsuhiro Otomo's beloved masterpiece Akira, serialized from 1982–1990 and adapted to anime in 1988, takes place in Neo-Tokyo, 2020, which is prophetically hosting the Olympics.
For more interesting manga facts, check out our manga article here: factretriever.com/manga-facts
