Manga Reading Order: 10 Series with Clear Paths

10 Manga Franchises That Need a Reading Order

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Attack on Titan, Tokyo Ghoul, Naruto, Dragon Ball, Berserk, Tsubasa/xxxHolic, and Junji Ito’s horror library — these are the 10 manga franchises covered in this guide. Each one has sequels, spinoffs, or structural quirks that make “just start at Volume 1” insufficient advice.

A quick note on terminology: a volume is a collected book (typically ~200 pages containing several chapters). A spinoff is a side story featuring secondary characters or alternate settings. Throughout this guide, publisher names (VIZ Media, Kodansha USA, Dark Horse Comics) identify who releases the official English editions — these are the companies that translate and print the manga for English-speaking readers. Their books are available at major bookstores, online retailers, and digital manga platforms.

Most manga is simple: pick up Volume 1 and read to the end. This article is about the exceptions — franchises with multi-part sagas (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure), direct sequels published under different titles (Tokyo Ghoul:re), prequel spinoffs (Attack on Titan: No Regrets), or parallel stories designed to be read simultaneously (Tsubasa and xxxHolic).

This article is not about how to read manga panels right-to-left — that’s a completely different topic.

One common source of confusion: anime branding that creates false splits. “Naruto Shippuden” and “Dragon Ball Z” are anime-only labels — in manga form, each is one continuous series. We’ll clear that up below.

For each series, you’ll get a beginner path (the fewest volumes needed to get the core experience) and a completionist path (everything published, in order).

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Reading Order — 9 Parts, Two Universes, 139+ Volumes

JoJo’s is the most structurally complex mainstream manga you’ll encounter. Written by Hirohiko Araki and published by VIZ Media, it spans 9 numbered Parts across two separate storylines (called “universes” by fans — the original timeline and a later reboot with new characters). Each Part has its own protagonist, setting, and self-contained story, but characters and lore carry forward between Parts.

If this section looks overwhelming, skip ahead to a shorter series (Tokyo Ghoul is just 30 volumes total) and come back to JoJo later.

Beginner Path (Start Here)

If 139+ volumes sounds like too much, start with the first three Parts:

• Part 1: Phantom Blood — 5 volumes (Victorian-era supernatural horror)
• Part 2: Battle Tendency — 7 volumes (1930s globe-trotting action)
• Part 3: Stardust Crusaders — 16 volumes (globe-trotting adventure with supernatural battles)

These 28 volumes give you the complete foundation. Part 3 is where the series became a global phenomenon and introduced Stands — supernatural abilities unique to each character that define the combat for everything after. If Part 1 feels slow (it’s the shortest Part at just 5 volumes), push through. The payoff starts in Part 2.

Full Reading Order (All 9 Parts)

Original Universe (Parts 1–6, ~80 volumes): These six Parts form one connected timeline where events and characters carry across generations.

• Part 1: Phantom Blood — 5 volumes
• Part 2: Battle Tendency — 7 volumes
• Part 3: Stardust Crusaders — 16 volumes
• Part 4: Diamond Is Unbreakable — 18 volumes
• Part 5: Golden Wind — 17 volumes
• Part 6: Stone Ocean — 17 volumes

Alternate Universe (Parts 7–9): A fresh start — new characters, new world, no requirement to have read Parts 1–6 (though it enriches the experience).

• Part 7: Steel Ball Run — 24 volumes
• Part 8: JoJolion — 27 volumes
• Part 9: The JOJOLands — 8+ volumes (ongoing, serializing monthly in Ultra Jump, a Japanese manga magazine)

You can start at Part 7 (Steel Ball Run) if you want the alternate universe — it’s a fresh start with entirely new characters. But the emotional weight hits harder after Parts 1–6 give you context for what came before.

Attack on Titan Reading Order — 34 Volumes + 3 Spinoffs

The main series by Hajime Isayama is straightforward: 34 volumes, 139 chapters, complete. Published by Kodansha USA. The confusion comes from three spinoff manga that fill in backstory for side characters.

Core Path

Read the main 34 volumes first, start to finish. This is the full story — the spinoffs are supplementary, not required.

Where Each Spinoff Fits

Spinoff	Length	When to Read
No Regrets	2 volumes (Levi’s origin)	After main series Volume 5
Lost Girls	2 volumes (Mikasa & Annie focus)	After main series Volume 8
Before the Fall	17 volumes (art by Satoshi Shiki)	Anytime — works as standalone prequel

Completionist order: Main Vols 1–5 → No Regrets → Main Vols 6–8 → Lost Girls → Main Vols 9–34 → Before the Fall

Tokyo Ghoul Reading Order: Two Series, One Story

Two series, one story. Written by Sui Ishida, published by VIZ Media. Dark, psychological horror about ghouls hidden in modern Tokyo. You read them in exactly one order:

• Tokyo Ghoul — 14 volumes
• Tokyo Ghoul:re — 16 volumes

That’s it. :re is a direct sequel, not a reboot and not a spinoff. The total story is 30 volumes.

Optional extras:

• Tokyo Ghoul: Jack (one-shot prequel) — can be read after volume 5 of the original
• Three light novels (Days, Void, :re Quest) — supplementary world-building, not required for the plot

Common mistake: starting with :re because it looks like a standalone title. It spoils everything from the original series. Always start with Tokyo Ghoul volume 1.

Naruto Reading Order — One Manga Split into Two Anime

In the manga, there is no “Shippuden.” Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto is one continuous 72-volume series published by VIZ Media. The anime split it into two shows; the manga never did.

Core Naruto (72 Volumes)

• Part I (roughly the first half): Young Naruto, ninja academy years
• Part II (roughly volumes 28 onward): Teenage Naruto after a time skip (the story jumps forward several years)

These aren’t separate purchases or separate series — it’s volumes 1 through 72 of “Naruto.” The Part I/Part II split is just a years-long gap within the story where the main character ages from a child into a teenager.

Continuing to Boruto

• Naruto Gaiden: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring — 1 volume (bridge story between generations)
• Boruto: Naruto Next Generations — ~18 volumes (art by Mikio Ikemoto)
• Boruto: Two Blue Vortex — ongoing (post-timeskip continuation, started 2023)

Completionist order: Naruto Vols 1–72 → Gaiden → Boruto: Naruto Next Generations → Boruto: Two Blue Vortex

Dragon Ball Reading Order — The “Z” Confusion Explained

Akira Toriyama wrote ONE manga: Dragon Ball, 42 volumes, published by VIZ Media. The “Dragon Ball Z” label was invented for the anime’s second half — it does not exist in the original manga.

Reading Order

• Dragon Ball Volumes 1–42 — the complete original story
• Dragon Ball Super Volumes 1–23+ — ongoing sequel (art by Toyotarou), picks up after the Buu Saga (the final story segment of the original 42 volumes)

One thing to watch for: some English editions use “Dragon Ball Z” branding on later volumes for marketing purposes. It’s the same manga — check the volume numbering on the spine to confirm where you are in the sequence rather than relying on the title alone.

Berserk Reading Order — One Straight Path Through 43 Volumes (With a Caveat)

No spinoffs, no branching paths, no alternate titles. Berserk by Kentaro Miura (published by Dark Horse Comics) is one long, extremely violent dark fantasy epic: read Volume 1 through Volume 43. Content warning: Berserk contains graphic violence, sexual assault, and body horror far beyond what most manga depicts. It is not suitable for younger readers.

The caveat: Miura passed away in May 2021. His final chapter was Chapter 364. The series continues under his close friend Kouji Mori (story supervision) and Studio Gaga, Miura’s former assistants who handle the art. Publication continues on an irregular schedule.

For beginners: The opening volumes are a flash-forward that drops you into the middle of events without context. The story’s chronological beginning starts a few volumes in with the Golden Age — a self-contained story segment that most readers consider the series’ emotional core. If the opening feels confusing or off-putting, keep going.

CLAMP’s Tsubasa and xxxHolic Reading Order — Two Manga Read in Parallel

This is a unique case in manga: two separate series by the creative team CLAMP (published by Kodansha USA) that were published simultaneously and share synchronized crossover events. The full experience is 47 volumes across both series.

• Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle — 28 volumes (fantasy adventure across dimensions)
• xxxHolic — 19 volumes (supernatural mystery set in modern Japan)

Volume-by-Volume Sync Guide

• Tsubasa Vols 1–3, then xxxHolic Vols 1–3 (first crossover point)
• Tsubasa Vols 4–6 ↔ xxxHolic Vol 4
• Tsubasa Vols 7–8 ↔ xxxHolic Vols 5–6
• Tsubasa Vols 9–14 ↔ xxxHolic Vols 7–8
• Tsubasa Vol 15 ↔ xxxHolic Vol 9 (major crossover — events in one series directly affect the other)
• Tsubasa Vols 16–21 ↔ xxxHolic Vols 10–13
• Tsubasa Vols 22–28 ↔ xxxHolic Vols 14–19 (parallel climax)

You can read each series independently — they each have complete plots. But the crossover reveals feel like puzzle pieces clicking together when you read both in parallel. Fan communities on MyAnimeList (a manga/anime database site) maintain even more granular chapter-by-chapter sync guides.

Beginner Path

If committing to 47 volumes feels like too much: read xxxHolic alone (19 volumes). It’s the more self-contained of the two, with a complete story that works without Tsubasa context.

Junji Ito Reading Order — When Standalone Works Create Choice Paralysis

Unlike every other entry on this list, Junji Ito’s works (published by VIZ Media) are almost entirely standalone horror. No sequels, no spinoffs, no shared continuity between books. The challenge isn’t what order to read them in — it’s choosing where to begin when faced with dozens of unconnected titles.

Best Entry Points (in This Order)

• Uzumaki (3 volumes / 1 deluxe hardcover edition) — his masterpiece. A town slowly consumed by spirals. Start here
• Tomie (3 volumes / 1 deluxe edition, 20 chapters) — his first published work. An unkillable girl who drives people to obsession and madness
• Shiver (1 volume, 9 stories) — an author-curated short story collection and the single best sampler of his range

After those three: Smashed, Fragments of Horror, Gyo, Remina. Each book is a complete, self-contained horror experience. Pick whatever sounds interesting — this is the one franchise on this list where you genuinely cannot go wrong with any order.

Simple Manga Reading Orders — Just Read Volume 1 to the End

Not every long manga is complicated. These popular series are one continuous story with no spinoffs or confusing numbering:

• Bleach — 74 volumes (Tite Kubo, VIZ Media, supernatural action). One spinoff exists: Burn the Witch (1 volume, same universe but completely standalone and set in London)
• Claymore — 27 volumes (Norihiro Yagi, VIZ Media, dark fantasy). Complete, no extras
• Gantz — 37 volumes (Hiroya Oku, Dark Horse Comics, sci-fi horror with extreme violence). Complete, no extras

The rule is simple: if a series has one title and sequential volume numbers, you don’t need a reading guide. Just start at Volume 1.

How to Figure Out the Manga Reading Order for Any Series

The examples above cover some of the most-asked-about series, but there are thousands more. Here’s how to figure out the reading order for any manga on your own:

• Step 1: Check if the series has multiple titles (sequels, spinoffs, prequels). If it’s one title with sequential volume numbers, just read it straight through — no guide needed
• Step 2: Search “[series name] reading order” on MyAnimeList (a community-maintained manga/anime database) or the series’ fan wiki. Fan communities maintain detailed guides for complex franchises
• Step 3: Check the publisher’s website (VIZ, Kodansha, Yen Press). They list series in recommended reading order and show what’s currently in print
• Step 4: When in doubt, publication order is almost always correct. Read what was published first

The general rule: main series first, spinoffs second. Prequels are written assuming you already know the main story — they add context to events you’ve already experienced, and they’ll spoil reveals if you read them first.