Background information
Anime over Hollywood: how Japan is redefining storytelling
by Luca Fontana
Young readers ditching Asterix for Son Goku as manga gains popularity
30.4.2026
Translation: Katherine Martin
Japanese manga are now more popular with readers under 25 than comics. As today’s young adults immerse themselves in Japanese pop culture, watching anime series on streaming platforms and joining manga communities on social media, a Galaxus analysis shows Asterix and Tintin have become the preserve of middle-aged readers and their children.
«By Toutatis!» That’s probably how Asterix would react if he caught a glimpse of Galaxus’s sales figures for comics and manga. The online retailer’s customers bought three times as many comics and manga in 2025 as they did in 2023.
And in 2026, demand’s still rising. In the first few months of the year, Galaxus sold 58 per cent more comics and 36 per cent more manga than in the same period in 2025. Based on the actual number of issues sold, manga have the edge on comics.
Younger generation scouring the web for Japanese works
So, is Son Goku taking Tintin’s place? Has Naruto deposed Lucky Luke? And have the One Piece pirates replaced Asterix and Obelix? Well, readers in Switzerland under the age of 25 are increasingly going for Japanese comics instead of European or US classics. In fact, young adults account for around one sixth of manga sales. By contrast, that same figure was as low as one fourteenth in 2023.
Özgür Oyman, Category Business Manager at Galaxus, is responsible for the shop’s comic and manga range. When asked to explain the hype around manga among the younger generation, he says: «Thanks to the global success of anime series on streaming platforms, an increasing number of people have been coming into contact with these stories and characters over the years. Among young people, that effect’s reinforced by social media platforms such as TikTok, where there are huge manga and anime communities sharing insights into those worlds and stories. A lot of them then start reading manga because they come across the publications their favourite anime are based on.»
The under-25 age group’s also growing increasingly interested in European and US comics – albeit not quite as much as in manga. Lucky Luke and the like are particularly popular with customers aged 35 to 44. «This is partly down to the fact that many people in this age bracket are parents. They prefer buying their kids comic series they’re already familiar with and know are suitable for children,» says Özgür.
Asterix and Obelix is currently the most popular traditional comic. The latest volume, Asterix in Lusitania, published last October, is ranked number one. In the manga charts, One Piece, which follows the adventures of straw hat-wearing Monkey D. Ruffy, comes out on top.
Fiction
EUR79,–
One Piece Sammelschuber 2: Alabasta (inklusive Band 13–23)
German, Ayumi von Borcke, Eiichiro Oda, 2022
What’s your favourite comic or manga? Feel free to drop your recommendations in the comments.
Header image: Shutterstock
Tobias Heller
Communications Manager
Tobias.Heller@digitecgalaxus.chBehind the scenes
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