In the Japanese market, a vast number of regional and national manga magazines are serialized simultaneously.
Every year, an equally massive number of manga single volumes are released.
Because of this sheer volume of works, the Japanese manga industry naturally has many professional statistical agencies responsible for compiling rankings and sales data.
Among them, the most popular destination for fans is the anime rating and data website Opinionhub.
After all, in addition to fan ratings, nearly all sales data for manga volumes, anime discs, Blu-rays, and figures can be found on this platform.
This year's total annual sales chart for manga single volumes in Japan has little relevance to Hunter. A manga that began serialization in June and only released its first volumes near the end of the year naturally cannot appear on the annual total sales ranking.
Similarly, the per-volume cumulative sales chart for serialized manga does not include works whose volumes have only recently been released.
The only ranking where new manga like Hunter can appear is the first-week sales chart for manga single volumes.
At first glance, Hunter's second volume ranking fourth in first-week sales might not seem particularly remarkable.
But in reality, the situation is completely different.
Among the top thirty best-selling titles on that chart, which one is not a popular manga that has been serialized continuously for several years?
Take Source War Chronicle as an example. It released five single volumes this year, yet only three of them managed to enter the top thirty on the chart.
Across the entire top thirty, the leading works from different manga magazines are largely familiar and stable.
There is only one exception.
That exception is Echoes of the End, the number one ranked manga on Monogatari Comic. It released six single volumes this year and occupied four of the top ten positions on the chart.
Before the release of Hunter's second volume, Echoes of the End happened to hold the first through fourth places in first-week sales among all manga single volumes released in Japan this year.
Then Hunter's second volume posted first-week sales of 5.86 million copies, pushing the volume of Echoes of the End down to fifth place.
That fifth-place ranking was glaring.
It drove the more obsessive fans of Echoes of the End nearly insane, and it also caught the attention of media outlets that had recently been focused almost entirely on One-Punch Man.
Just the second volume, and it already achieved first-week sales exceeding 5.8 million copies?
If this manga continues its serialization long-term, it feels entirely possible that its per-volume sales could eventually surpass 16 million copies.
At this point, many people began to feel that something was off about Shirogane.
One-Punch Man had already become the viewership champion of the Japanese animation industry this quarter.
So how had Hunter quietly begun gaining momentum at the end of the year without anyone noticing?
The most amusing part was this.
Shirogane's original animation One-Punch Man had climbed to the top by stepping directly on Burning Sin, the second-ranked manga on Monogatari Comic.
And now Hunter's manga sales data looked strangely familiar.
Although the two works belonged to different magazines, Shirogane had first overtaken Burning Sin in the animation field and delivered it a heavy blow.
Now, he appeared to be launching a frontal assault on Echoes of the End in the manga market as well.
Having learned from previous experience, the Monogatari Group reacted swiftly. They immediately initiated a full-network promotional campaign for Echoes of the End.
Manga single-volume releases are usually slow-paced, but Shirogane was a true "tentacle monster," releasing one volume almost every month.
He might not be able to lead Dream Comic into directly challenging Monogatari Comic's position as the top magazine.
However, if his work truly surpassed Echoes of the End in annual total sales and single-volume weekly sales, the situation would become extremely serious.
The title of Japan's most popular manga held by Echoes of the End would be questioned, and even the stock price of the Monogatari Group could experience fluctuations.
Naturally, Hoshimori Group would not miss such an opportunity.
They also increased promotional efforts for the Hunter manga.
After all, competition between magazines was a separate matter.
But since Hunter has a chance to compete with Echoes of the End, there was no reason for Hoshimori Group to back down.
Losing would mean no real loss, while winning would bring enormous gains, so they naturally chose to support it with full force.
As a result, December became an unusually lively month for the Japanese manga market.
As for the anime market, the first season of One-Punch Man finally delivered a episode that would be unforgettable for anime fans across Japan.
The absolute ceiling of all Monsters in the entire series appeared at last.
A being with genuine world-destroying power.
The cosmic overlord, Boros.
In this arc, many S-Class Heroes of the Hero Association also appeared together for the first time.
Among them was King, the character with the second-highest meme presence in One-Punch Man, known as the Strongest Man on Earth. He made his first public appearance in episode eleven.
With his overwhelming presence and the terrifying sound of his Emperor Engine, King immediately captured the audience's attention and became the focus of discussion.
At the same time, the Hero Association's internal meeting finally revealed more than just names.
Heroes such as Tanktop Master, Atomic Samurai, Superalloy Darkshine, and the S-Class Rank 2 hero Tornado all made their formal appearances.
Previously, one of the biggest mysteries that kept viewers invested was the true lineup of the S-Class Heroes.
Especially Blast, the S-Class Rank 1 hero who had been endlessly hyped within the story.
Could Blast withstand a second punch from Saitama?
This question had been circulating among fans for weeks.
Now, a new question emerged.
If King were to fight Saitama, could this so-called Strongest Man on Earth survive even a single punch?
All of these questions were partially answered in episode eleven of One-Punch Man.
As Saitama casually wandered through Boros's spaceship, he eventually reached the main control room and encountered Boros himself.
Boros had spent decades traveling the universe, coming to earth because of a prophecy that foretold the existence of someone capable of fighting him.
As it turned out, that prophecy was correct.
At least two people on earth could truly fight Boros.
One was Blast, the S-Class Rank 1 hero who had never appeared in the original manga.
Although he did appear later in Murata's revised manga version, that portrayal dissatisfied many fans.
The other was Garou, who had not yet fully grown but would undergo explosive evolution in later arcs.
Unfortunately for Boros, he encountered neither of them.
Instead, he met the Caped Baldy.
Saitama.
The only person on earth he could not defeat.
Episode eleven ended with Saitama and Boros meeting aboard the spaceship, where an impatient Saitama casually punched Boros away.
But this time, Boros did not die.
He was merely sent flying.
This single scene, combined with the buildup surrounding the Hero Association, pushed the anime's popularity to new heights after episode eleven aired.
That Friday night, countless One-Punch Man fans found themselves unable to sleep.
For the first time in the entire series, a Monster had appeared who could withstand one punch from Saitama and survive.
Did this mean Saitama's character setting was finally breaking?
Moreover, since the start of the Boros arc in episode ten, viewers could clearly feel a significant improvement in production quality.
Whether it was ordinary Monsters or the various S-Class Heroes, every character was given a distinct and memorable portrayal.
The episode concluded with an atmosphere thick with impending chaos.
Audience anticipation and satisfaction reached their highest point since the anime's premiere.
That said, criticism still had to be voiced.
Shirogane, would it really kill you not to end every episode on a cliffhanger?
Whether it was manga or anime, these weekly cliffhangers always left viewers restless for an entire week, making seven days feel like a whole year.
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