How Many Persona 5 Manga Volumes Are There?
To recap the numbers at a glance:
- English volumes available: 15
- Japanese volumes available: 16
- Series status: Ongoing
- Latest English release: Volume 15 (May 12, 2026)
The English edition has been steadily catching up to the Japanese run. Since only one volume separates the two editions, English readers are close to being current with the Japanese serialization.
The Easiest Way to Collect All Persona 5 Manga Volumes
Collecting Persona 5 is refreshingly straightforward. Here’s what you need to know about format options:
Format: Single-Volume Paperbacks Only
All 15 English volumes are standard single-volume paperbacks. There are no omnibus editions (collected books that bundle multiple volumes into one), no deluxe hardcovers, and no oversized formats available for this series. Each volume is a standard manga-sized paperback — compact, typically priced around the standard manga list price of $10–$13, and easy to shelve.
Box Sets and Multi-Volume Sets
There is no deluxe collector’s box set with exclusive extras for this series, though a multi-volume set bundling Volumes 1–9 is available through major retailers. If you want to start the series in bulk, that set is an option; individual volumes are also all available separately.
Digital Is an Option
If shelf space is a concern or you prefer reading on a screen, digital editions are available through platforms like Kindle and other major digital manga storefronts. This can be a good way to start if you want to sample a volume or two before committing to physical copies.
Plan for Growth
Since the Japanese run is at 16 volumes and still ongoing, the English edition will continue to add new volumes over time. If you want to own every volume, just know that you’re buying into a series that hasn’t finished yet. Each volume is affordably priced at standard manga retail, so the ongoing cost is manageable — just pick up new volumes as they release to stay current.
Volume Breakdown — Key Story Arcs to Know
One of the best things about Persona 5’s structure — both the game and the manga — is that the story moves through distinct Palace arcs (self-contained story sections, each focused on a different villain and their supernatural fortress). Each Palace is a warped supernatural world shaped by a specific villain, and each one has its own tone, themes, and brand of psychological horror. Here’s how the early volumes break down:
Volumes 1–2: Kamoshida Palace Arc
This is where it all starts, and it’s the darkest opening arc in the series. The first Palace belongs to a predatory volleyball coach whose twisted mind has transformed his school into a medieval castle where he rules as a tyrannical king. The themes here are heavy — abuse of authority, exploitation, and the psychological damage inflicted on students who have no power to fight back in the real world.
A note for sensitive readers: This arc deals with themes of abuse and predatory behavior from the very first volume. The series doesn’t shy away from dark subject matter, so be aware going in.
For horror manga readers, this arc sets the tone immediately. The concept behind Palaces — where a person’s warped worldview literally reshapes a supernatural dimension into a nightmarish landscape — gives the series a unique psychological horror edge. Each villain also has a shadow self, a monstrous creature that represents who they truly are beneath their public mask. These shadow forms are genuinely unsettling in their designs. Murasaki’s art leans into the grotesque when depicting Palace rulers and their shadow forms, and the Kamoshida arc doesn’t pull punches on how dark the source material gets.
This is also where you meet the core cast: the protagonist (a transfer student who goes by the code name “Joker” when operating as a thief), his brash friend Ryuji, fellow student Ann, and the mysterious cat-like creature Morgana. The Phantom Thieves are formed here, and their first successful heist establishes the formula that carries through the rest of the series.
Volumes 3–4: Madarame Palace Arc
The second major arc shifts from physical abuse to artistic exploitation and psychological manipulation. Madarame is a celebrated artist whose public image hides the fact that he’s been stealing his students’ work and passing it off as his own — while emotionally controlling the young artists under his care.
His Palace takes the form of a gaudy museum, a monument to his own ego and stolen glory. The horror here is more insidious: manipulation, deception designed to make victims doubt their own reality, and the destruction of creative identity. This arc introduces Yusuke, one of Madarame’s victims and a gifted artist in his own right, who becomes a new Phantom Thief.
For readers who find psychological manipulation scarier than physical threat, this arc delivers. The supernatural distortions are more subtle but no less disturbing.
Volumes 5–6: Kaneshiro Palace Arc
Arc three takes on organized crime and the warped mind of greed. Kaneshiro is a crime boss who preys on teenagers, trapping them in debt and exploiting their desperation. His Palace is a floating bank vault in the sky — a fortress built on the suffering of people he views as nothing more than walking ATMs.
The stakes escalate here. The Phantom Thieves are no longer just dealing with individual bad actors in their immediate circle — they’re going up against someone with real criminal power. Makoto, a sharp-minded student council president, joins the team in this arc, and the heist elements get more elaborate.
Later Volumes
Volumes beyond the sixth continue adapting successive Palace arcs from the game. Without spoiling specifics, each new Palace introduces a new villain with their own flavor of corruption and a corresponding supernatural world that reflects their distorted mind. The pattern holds: each arc escalates in both darkness and supernatural stakes.
If you’ve played the game, you know the arc structure and can anticipate what’s coming. If you’re going in fresh, expect a series that keeps finding new ways to unsettle you — each Palace is essentially a different psychological horror scenario wrapped in Persona 5’s signature stylish aesthetic.
Availability and Buying Tips for Persona 5 Manga Volumes
Good news: collecting Persona 5 manga is about as painless as it gets right now.
All Volumes Currently in Print
As an actively publishing series, all 15 English volumes should be readily available through major retailers. There are no known out-of-print issues, no rare early volumes commanding inflated prices, and no gaps in availability. This is one of those series where you can just start buying from Volume 1 and work your way through without hunting for scarce copies.
Upcoming Releases
With the Japanese edition at 16 volumes and the series still running on MangaONE and Ura Sunday, additional English volumes will continue to roll out. The most recent English release — Volume 15 — arrived in May 2026, so you can expect the next volume to follow in the months ahead.
Persona 5, Vol. 15
Buying Strategy
The most straightforward approach is to buy individual volumes as you read. A multi-volume set covering Volumes 1–9 is available if you want to start in bulk, but picking up volumes individually as you go works just as well. Grab Volume 1, see if the adaptation clicks for you, and keep going from there.
If you prefer digital, that’s a perfectly fine way to go — especially if you’re unsure whether a manga based on a video game will work for you as a reading experience. Sample a volume digitally, and if you like it, you can always switch to physical for the rest.
Is the Persona 5 Manga Worth Reading?
Let’s be real about what this manga is and who it’s for.
Best For
- Persona 5 game fans who want to experience the story in manga form. If you loved the game and want to see Murasaki’s interpretation of the Palaces, shadow selves, and Phantom Thieves, this is a treat. The manga condenses the game’s sprawling narrative into something tighter and more focused.
- Dark manga readers drawn to supernatural and psychological horror with a stylish edge. The Palace concept is genuinely creepy — each villain’s hidden fortress is shaped by their worst traits, and Palace rulers transform into grotesque monsters that reflect their inner corruption. The shadow-self imagery gets under your skin. Even without any game familiarity, the horror elements stand on their own.
- Readers who like heist stories with a supernatural twist. The Phantom Thieves structure — planning an infiltration, navigating a dangerous otherworld, stealing a supernatural treasure to change someone’s heart — gives the series a propulsive, mission-based rhythm that keeps things moving.
Maybe Skip If
- You want a standalone horror manga. This is an adaptation of a video game, and it carries some of that DNA. Certain narrative beats — the slice-of-life school scenes between Palaces, the pacing of new team member recruitment, the relationship-building moments — follow the rhythms of the original game rather than a typical manga. If you’re coming from pure horror manga, some of these slower stretches might feel like detours from the action.
- You need a completed series. With 15 English volumes out and more coming, Persona 5 is a mid-length commitment that isn’t finished yet. If you only read completed series, you’ll want to wait.
The Bottom Line on Persona 5 Manga Volumes
At 15 volumes in English and still going, Persona 5 is a manageable commitment that rewards readers who enjoy psychological darkness layered over a heist-team structure. The Palace-by-Palace format means each arc delivers its own distinct flavor of horror, and the escalating stakes keep things from getting repetitive. It’s stylish, it’s dark, and it’s one of the better game-to-manga adaptations out there.
If any of that sounds appealing, Volume 1 is the place to start — it’s widely available through major retailers in both physical and digital formats.