DanMachi novels sell 20 million copies – first GA Bunko series to ever reach that milestone

The massively successful anime series Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? has not only captured the attention of people around the world, it has also helped the light novel series its based on sell 20 million copies.

Yep, you read that right.

Fujino Ōmori and Suzuhito Yasuda’s light novel series (also known as DanMachi) is published by SB Creative imprint GA Bunko, with the Japanese publisher announcing earlier today more than 20 million copies have now been printed.

This is the first time any GA Bunko-published work has ever hit that milestone.

The official X account of the series also confirmed that 20 million number earlier today with a graphic, while also reminding readers:

Please look forward to the continuation of the “DanMachi” series.

The history of the Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? light novel series

The first volume of the fantasy comedy adventure series was published in January, 2013. By April, 2015, the series had sold two million copies and, by March, 2024, 17 million copies were certified as sold.

That means another three million copies of DanMachi have been sold in the last year alone.

Volume 21 will be out in October, and will kick off the final arc of the series.

Since its first publication, a total of 20 volumes are now in print in Japanese, with 19 volumes currently out in English via Yen Press.

Three different manga series based on the light novels have also been published, while several video games based on the series are now out.

The light novel series, and its manga adaptations, have gone on to be not only hugely popular in Japan, but also in many other countries in the world.

In Japan, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? was awarded the Grand Prize at the GA Bunko Grand Prix.

The DanMachi anime adaptation

While the DanMachi light novel series was popular in its own right, sales really went into high gear once Season 1 of its anime adaptation premiered in early April, 2015.

A full-length film — Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?: Arrow of the Orion — then premiered in February, 2019, followed by the anime’s second season in July of the same year.

Season 3 began airing in October, 2020, followed by Season 4 on July 23rd, 2022, and Season 5 on October 5th, 2024.

To say the franchise has been an enormous success would be an understatement.

You can watch Seasons 1 through 4 via Hulu, and buy all 5 seasons plus the film digitally via Amazon Prime Video. (Although why you would do that, when every season plus the film will soon be available on Blu-ray is beyond me?)