Some things that the anime and mangaGolden Kamuyteaches viewers: there is an indian tribe native to Japan known as the Ainu, otter meat is an extremely potent aphrodisiac and it’s possible to fight a battle against all odds with a handful of naked men. What Honto, an online ebook publishing company in Japan, learned aboutGolden Kamuyis that the audience for such a story is more diverse and older than other popular manga.
The anime forGolden Kamuystarted its third season in the fall of 2020 and is one of the more anticipated returning titles of this season. The story follows Saichi Sugimoto (aka The Immortal Sugimoto,) a veteran of the early twentieth century Russo-Japanese War, and his quest to find a huge fortune of gold left by the Ainu people. Aiding him in this quest against a ruthless band of soldiers known as the 7th division is a young Ainu girl named Asirpa.Golden Kamuyis prone to brutal violence and veers off into the realm of being a domestic cooking show sometimes, yet somehow it still manages to be coherent and entertaining. The anime adaptation is faithful to the manga, which according to Honto, has a readership that is aneven split between men and women. Most of the readers surveyed skew into their 30’s (34 percent) and their 40’s (22 percent.)
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The numbers were surprising enough that Noda felt the need to comment on the numbers breakdown in a tweet.To put this in perspective, the top selling titles according to Honto skew much younger thanGolden Kamuyand are dominated by women. The top selling title was Volume 43 of the volleyball mangaHaikyuu!Which has a readership in its 20’s (38 percent fell into that demographic) and women (a whopping 72 percent of readers.)Golden Kamuywas ranked No. 2 sales followed byJujutsu KaisenVolume 11 andMoriarty the PatriotVolume 12. Both of the latter titles had demographics breakdowns very similar toHaikyuu!.
Every single one of the titles that make upthe top four in Honto’s surveyall have an adaptation currently airing in the fall season.Golden Kamuybegan its third season this fall, whileHaikyuu!: To The Topcontinues its Covid-delayed fourth season.Jujutsu KaisenandMoriarty The Patriotboth had their series premieres this fall. The data collected from Honto’s survey spans from July 24, 2025 through July 10, 2025.
There is a well-known pipelinebetween manga and anime that has existed for decades so it makes sense that all ofthe top-selling manga received an adaptationbecause there is a built in audience familiar with the property ready to watch it. Now thatJujutsu KaisenandMoriarty The Patriothave their own adaptations that means the Top 4 best selling manga of that period have an anime.
It’s not clear whether the demographics for the anime versions of all these titles follow their manga brethren, but the fact that more women read titles that are geared toward boys and men is food for thought.
