How Many Volumes of Monster Manga? 18 or 9, Depending on the Edition
If you’re wondering how many volumes of Monster manga there are, here’s the short answer: Naoki Urasawa’s Monster contains exactly 162 chapters. Those chapters are collected in either 18 volumes (the original edition) or 9 volumes (the Perfect Edition). Both editions tell the identical, complete story — nothing is added and nothing is cut. The volume count is different because the packaging is different, not because one version has more content.
If you’re new to manga, a quick primer: chapters are individual story installments (typically 15–20 pages each), and volumes are the physical books that collect several chapters together. Monster’s 162 chapters were first published one at a time in a Japanese magazine — a process called serialization — before being gathered into book form.
Monster ran in Shogakukan’s Big Comic Original, a bi-monthly seinen manga magazine for adult readers, from December 1994 to December 2001. It’s a finished series — no new chapters are coming, and there’s no sequel manga. Urasawa wrote and illustrated the entire thing, with Takashi Nagasaki collaborating on the story. The series won several of Japan’s top manga awards, including the Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize (considered one of the highest honors in the medium), the Shogakukan Manga Award, and the Japan Media Arts Festival Excellence Prize. It’s one of the most acclaimed manga in the seinen (adult) demographic.
If you’re looking to collect it, you only need to decide which edition works best for you. We’ll break that down below.
Why You See Two Different Volume Counts
If you’ve been searching “how many volumes of Monster manga” and getting two different answers, you’re not losing your mind. Retailers, wikis, and forums list both “18 volumes” and “9 volumes” without always explaining why. Here’s the deal.
In 2008, Shogakukan — Monster’s original Japanese publisher — re-released the series as a premium oversized reprint that combines two original volumes into one larger book. This format is called a kanzenban in Japanese. In English, Viz Media (the publisher that handles Monster’s English-language release) calls it the Perfect Edition. It’s the same practice used for other acclaimed manga like 20th Century Boys and Fullmetal Alchemist: take a beloved series, print it on better paper in a larger format, and package it more efficiently.
So when one source says “18 volumes” and another says “9 volumes,” they’re both right. They’re just talking about different editions of the same 162-chapter story. Neither edition is incomplete or abridged.
Original Edition — 18 Volumes
The original Japanese edition was published by Shogakukan between June 1995 and February 2002. These are standard-sized manga volumes — roughly 5 by 7.5 inches, around 200 pages each.
Viz Media published the English translation as 18 individual volumes from February 2006 through December 2008. These English volumes are now out of print, meaning the publisher has stopped producing new copies. If you find them at all, it’ll be on the secondhand market, where individual volumes often sell for $20 to $50 or more depending on condition. Buying used also comes with the usual risks: incomplete sets listed as “full,” damaged spines, and sellers bundling only partial runs.
If you already own some of the original volumes, they contain the exact same chapters as the corresponding Perfect Edition volumes. You’re not missing any story content. But if you’re starting from scratch, hunting down 18 out-of-print volumes at inflated prices doesn’t make much sense when there’s a better option readily available.
Perfect Edition — 9 Volumes (The One to Buy)
The Perfect Edition is the version currently in print and widely available from retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Viz Media released the English Perfect Edition under their VIZ Signature line between July 2014 and July 2016. Each volume runs approximately 426 to 482 pages in a larger 5.75 by 8.25 inch format — noticeably bigger than the originals.
Beyond the larger size, the Perfect Edition restores color pages from the original magazine serialization that were printed in black and white in the standard collected volumes. You also get individual chapter title pages and extras that were trimmed from earlier editions, all on higher-quality paper stock.
Monster: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 1
Each volume has a retail price of $22.99 USD each, putting the complete set at roughly $207 before any discounts. A 9-volume box set is also available if you want to grab the whole series at once — it’s often priced below what you’d pay buying all nine individually, and you can find it through the same retailers that carry the individual volumes.
The Perfect Edition is also available digitally through the Viz Media website and app, as well as other digital manga platforms, if you prefer reading on a screen.
Side-by-Side Comparison — Original vs Perfect Edition
This is the comparison that’s surprisingly hard to find elsewhere. Here’s everything laid out in one place:
| Original Edition | Perfect Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Volumes | 18 | 9 |
| Total Chapters | 162 | 162 |
| Pages Per Volume | ~200 | 426–482 |
| Book Size | ~5 × 7.5 in | 5.75 × 8.25 in |
| Color Pages | No | Yes (restored) |
| Paper Quality | Standard | Premium |
| Currently In Print | No (out of print) | Yes |
| Approx. Total Cost | $360–$900+ (secondhand) | ~$207 at retail |
| Story Content | All 162 chapters | All 162 chapters |
The takeaway: the story content is identical — same art, same dialogue, same 162 chapters. The Perfect Edition just gives you a better reading experience for significantly less money.
Which Edition Should You Buy?
For the vast majority of readers, the Perfect Edition is the way to go. It’s in print, easy to find at major retailers, features larger artwork with restored color pages, and costs a fraction of what you’d spend tracking down the out-of-print individual volumes. There’s really no downside.
Monster: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 2
The original 18-volume individual editions only make sense if you’re a collector who specifically wants first-edition English printings and you’re prepared to pay a steep premium for them. For reading purposes, there’s no advantage — the Perfect Edition actually includes more bonus content.
Budget tips:
- Look for the 9-volume box set — it’s often priced below what you’d pay buying each volume individually.
- Check for retailer discounts. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online bookstores frequently run manga sales that can bring the per-volume price down to $13–$15.
- If physical shelf space is a concern, the digital version is available through Viz and other platforms at a few dollars less per volume than the $22.99 physical price.
Complete Volume-by-Chapter Breakdown
This reference table maps each Perfect Edition volume to its chapter range and the corresponding original volumes. It’s especially useful if you own a partial set and want to know exactly where to pick up.
| Perfect Edition | Chapters | Original Volumes |
|---|---|---|
| Vol. 1 | Chapters 1–16 | Vols. 1–2 |
| Vol. 2 | Chapters 17–32 | Vols. 3–4 |
| Vol. 3 | Chapters 33–50 | Vols. 5–6 |
| Vol. 4 | Chapters 51–68 | Vols. 7–8 |
| Vol. 5 | Chapters 69–86 | Vols. 9–10 |
| Vol. 6 | Chapters 87–104 | Vols. 11–12 |
| Vol. 7 | Chapters 105–122 | Vols. 13–14 |
| Vol. 8 | Chapters 123–141 | Vols. 15–16 |
| Vol. 9 | Chapters 142–162 | Vols. 17–18 |
Volume 1 contains 16 chapters, volume 2 contains 16 chapters, volumes 3–7 each contain 18 chapters, volume 8 contains 19 chapters, and the final volume (Vol. 9) contains 21 chapters and is slightly thicker at 482 pages.
Another Monster — The Companion Novel
Another Monster is a companion piece that sometimes causes confusion about the total volume count. It’s a prose novel, not a manga volume, published in 2002 by Urasawa and Nagasaki. Written as a fictional investigative report, it provides additional backstory on key characters and events that the main manga only hints at.
A few important things to know:
- It is not part of the 162-chapter story. Monster is complete without it.
- It has never been officially published in English by Viz Media. It’s available in Japanese, Spanish, and Italian.
- It’s worth seeking out if you’ve finished all 162 chapters and want to spend more time in that world, but it’s supplementary material — completely optional.
Don’t let Another Monster confuse you about the volume count. When people talk about Monster’s volumes, they mean the 18-volume or 9-volume manga editions, not the companion novel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Monster manga finished?
Yes. Monster completed serialization in December 2001, and all 162 chapters have been collected in volume form. The story is done. There is no sequel manga, and Naoki Urasawa has moved on to other series.
Does the Monster anime cover the full manga?
Yes. The 74-episode anime adaptation by Madhouse, which aired from April 2004 to September 2005, faithfully covers all 162 chapters with no filler episodes. If you’ve watched the anime, the manga tells the same story — the main draw of reading it is experiencing Urasawa’s original artwork and pacing on the page.
Can I read Monster digitally?
Yes. The Perfect Edition is available digitally through the Viz Media website and app, as well as other digital manga platforms. Digital volumes are typically a few dollars less per volume than the $22.99 physical price.
How long does it take to read all of Monster?
At a moderate reading pace, expect roughly 30 to 40 hours to get through all 162 chapters. It’s a dense, dialogue-heavy thriller — the kind of series where you’ll want to take your time rather than rush through it.