Short answers, pulled from the story.
Manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, with roots traced to picture scrolls such as Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga dating back to the 12th century. In Japan the term refers to both comics and cartooning, while outside Japan it usually means comics originally published in Japan.
The domestic manga market in Japan reached a record high of 704.3 billion yen in 2024. Of that total, the digital segment accounted for 512.2 billion yen, while print made up about 200 billion yen. The market first topped 600 billion yen in 2020.
Eshinbun Nipponchi, created in 1874 by Kanagaki Robun and Kawanabe Kyosai, is credited as the first manga magazine ever made. It was heavily influenced by Japan Punch, founded in 1862 by the British cartoonist Charles Wirgman, and ended after only three issues.
Osamu Tezuka, creator of Astro Boy, and Machiko Hasegawa, creator of Sazae-san, were central to the post-war explosion of manga creativity. Tezuka pioneered a cinematographic panel technique, while Hasegawa's focus on daily life shaped later shōjo manga. As of 2026, Hasegawa remains the only manga artist to have received the People's Honour Award.
Manga stories are typically printed in black-and-white due to time constraints, artistic reasons since coloring could lessen the impact of the artwork, and to keep printing costs low. Some full-color manga exist, such as Colorful, but the black-and-white format dominates even in web manga.
Manga made up 76% of overall comics and graphic novel sales in the US in 2021, according to NPD BookScan. In 2021-24.4 million units were sold in the United States, an increase of about 160% over 2020. In France, 55% of comics sold in 2021 were manga, making France the biggest manga importer.