If you bring up collecting manga to most readers they will likely picture a shelf full of individual tankobon volumes of different series. While that’s definitely the most accessible and popular format to collect, my mind immediately goes to the original magazines (zasshi) that these stories were published in. Titles like Weekly Shonen Jump, Young Magazine, and Nakayoshi are the origin points for many of the most popular series, characters, and creators in the manga and anime world and as a former comic book collector these are the issues I personally choose to hunt.

I’m not alone in this hobby. Over the past several years the audience for these “disposable” magazines has been growing as anime has exploded in popularity. Now books containing the first appearance of Goku, Luffy, Guts, and others are commanding high prices on the secondary market with more collectors hunting for them day by day.

If you’re curious about the most valuable issues in the hobby, below is a list of some of the highest final price public online auctions of manga zasshi that I could find archived (with some assistance from fellow collector Rui Couto). Photos are of the actual issues that sold, taken from their original listings. I’ve chosen to leave out private and graded sales as they don’t reflect the wider market and can often skew the reality of what collectors are paying for these rare magazines. Keep in mind that these are the highest recorded sales, which are usually for the highest quality issues. Don’t let these prices deter you from joining the hobby if you’re interested, rather use them as a barometer for what the most desired issues are.

Monthly Shonen Gangan 2001 no. 8

Sold for ¥632,000 in November 2025 on Yahoo! Auctions Japan

While Monthly Shonen Gangan had its share of popular works during its first 10 years of publication, this specific issue is a turning point for the magazine. Marking the debut of Hiromu Arakawa’s Fullmetal Alchemist, this issue introduced the world to Edward and Alphonse Elric and birth the magazine’s biggest hit to date. Despite ending in 2010, the series still remains a representative work for Enix’s manga business.

Nakayoshi 1992 no. 2

Sold for ¥684,420 in November 2024 on Yahoo! Auctions Japan

Naoko Takeuchi struck gold with her Codename: Sailor V series, which was being published in the quarterly Nakayoshi RunRun magazine. The concept was so strong that she was asked by her editor to create a team series, which was simultaneously being developed as an anime. That new series, Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon, made its debut with an incredibly eye-catching cover in this issue of the main Nakayoshi magazine. A few years later the series would make its way to the west and become a massively successful global property which persists in popularity today.

Kobunsha Shonen 1952 no. 4

Sold for ¥710,000 in September 2025 on Mandarake Big Auction

This issue of Shonen contains the first chapter of Osamu Tezuka’s Tetsuwan Atom manga, better known the world over as Astro Boy. Carrying over from his previous series, Ambassador Atom, the character of Atom proved so popular with readers that Tezuka chose to make him the star of his own series. A turning point in the world of manga, Astro Boy would also go onto becoming a massively popular and influential anime series and contribute to the global recognition of Japan’s creative spirit.

Omoshiro Book 1954 no. 10

Sold for ¥723,000 in November 2025 on Yahoo! Auctions Japan

While Godzilla is world-famous today, there was once a time when the King of Monsters was completely unknown. While this issue doesn’t mark his introduction, that would be the radio drama Kaiju Godzilla which debuted earlier in the year, it was part of a promotional push ahead of the first Godzilla movie’s November release. Contained inside the pages of this Shueisha-published magazine is an insert that contains the first part of Godzilla storybook  geared towards a younger audience. It’s not technically a manga, but Omoshiro Book is a precursor to Shonen Jump and also featured manga in its pages so it still counts.

Science Adventure Picture Story Godzilla 

Sold for ¥826,806 in September 2025 on Yahoo! Auctions Japan

A direct follow up to this list’s previous entry, this furoku (appendix) marks the first time Godzilla appeared on the cover of a standalone manga related item. Still more of a short storybook than a manga, its inclusion with copies of Omoshiro Book give it a pass in the eyes of many collectors. This is sometimes incorrectly credited as the first manga appearance of the character, which also contributes to its value and demand.

Young Magazine Pirate Edition 1989 no. 5

Sold for ¥913,000 in December 2025 on Yahoo! Auctions Japan

As one of the most famous cyberpunk stories ever created, one might be surprised to hear that the original Ghost in the Shell manga by Masamune Shirow was relegated to the pages of an irregularly published spinoff of Weekly Young Magazine. This irregular publication schedule and accompanying lower print run has made issues of this magazine rather scarce, which when compounded with the first chapter of Ghost in the Shell makes this a highly desirable issue among collectors.

Kobunsha Shonen 1951 no. 7

Sold for ¥1,000,000 in August 2025 on Mandarake Big Auction

The July 1951 issue of Shonen features the fourth chapter of Osamu Tezuka’s Ambassador Atom, a short series which would introduce several characters and concepts that would be revisited in Tetsuwan Atom. This particular issue features the first appearance of Atom (Astro Boy), and Dr. Tenma, as well as Atom’s origin story. Following this chapter, Atom would become an important character in the series which contributed to his popularity and the creation of his own standalone series.

Weekly Shonen Jump 1997 no. 34

Sold for $6875 (¥1,035,512) in October 2025 on Heritage Auctions

If the flashy cover didn’t give it away, this issue marks the publication of the first chapter of Eiichiro Oda’s legendary One Piece. While this issue doesn’t feature any significant first appearances due to the prior Romance Dawn one-shots, Nami sneaks her way onto the cover several issues before her formal debut. Although the previously mentioned one-shots are well known, the cover appeal of this issue is a major contributor to its demand and places it squarely above Luffy’s prior adventures in the eyes of collectors.

Be careful if you’re on the hunt for this book as not only has it been re-printed, but counterfeits also exist on the market. There are some telltale signs to look for, such as the pirate in the lower left corner missing an eye on the fakes, or the advertisement on the back cover missing on the reprints.

Animal House 1989 no. 10

Sold for ¥1,800,000 in November 2025 on Mandarake Big Auction

Kentaro Miura’s Berserk may not be as mainstream as some of the other entries on this list, but real ones know that this series is the stuff of legend. This issue of Animal House contains the first chapter of the serialized series, marking the beginning of Miura’s epic tale. It’s not a book that pops up very often, and fan demand for it is high which usually results in a bidding war even on lower condition copies.

ComiComi 1988 no. 11

Sold for ¥2,000,000 in November 2025 on Mandarake Big Auction

Nearly a full year before the first chapter of Berserk hit the pages of this list’s previous entry, a one-shot “prototype” for the series appeared in the pages of the penultimate issue of ComiComi. This prototype features the first appearance of Guts and Puck, albeit with some personality and appearance differences. As the magazine was on its way out, this issue wasn’t published in high quantities to begin with, which makes surviving copies rather scarce. A special issue of Animal House was published with a reprint of this one-shot which also commands a relatively high price in the secondary market, which speaks to the collectibility of this particular chapter.

Weekly Shonen Jump 1984 no. 51

Sold for ¥3,800,000 in March 2025 on Mandarake Big Auction

Well this entry shouldn’t be a surprise in the least if you’ve been paying attention throughout the list. Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball is arguably the most famous manga/anime property globally, so it would stand to reason that its first serialization appearance would drive a ton of demand. This first chapter marks the first appearances of Goku, Bulma, and Shenron following a few different prototype one-shots that Toriyama used to refine the concept. This issue isn’t as rare as others on the list, but demand and condition combined in a perfect storm as this particular sale was for one of the highest quality examples of the issue still surviving 40 years later. 

Copies of this book can definitely be found for less, but you’ll get what you pay for condition-wise. Be careful if you’re in the market for this issue as counterfeits do exist in the market. Pay close attention to the cover, as the fakes don’t have the discolored spot on Goku’s staff holder.

Honorable Mentions

The low end on our list starts at ¥600,000 but I also wanted to shine a light on a couple of other major issues that aren’t too far behind. These honorable mentions are each issues I expect to see demand to increase for as more collectors enter the hobby.

Halloween 1987 no. 2

Sold for ¥485,100 in September 2025 on Yahoo! Auctions Japan

This issue of the horror-themed Shojo magazine features Junji Ito’s original Tomie one-shot, which is also his debut professional work.

Weekly Shonen Sunday 1994 no. 5

Sold for ¥449,444 in December 2025 on Yahoo! Auctions Japan

Gosho Aoyama’s massively popular Detective Conan series got its start in the pages of this issue of Weekly Shonen Sunday.

Shonen Jump 1996 Summer Special

Sold for ¥418,000 in January 2026 on Mercari Japan

Eiichiro Oda’s original Romance Dawn one-shot was said to be erroneously published in this quarterly special issue of Shonen Jump. The one-shot featured in this issue marks the first appearance of Monkey D. Luffy and Shanks, a full year before One Piece would begin.