DAYS Manga Reading Order: All 42 Volumes Guide

DAYS Manga Reading Order: Start at Volume 1 and Read Straight Through

Here’s the beautifully simple answer: read Volume 1 through Volume 42. That’s it. That’s the reading order.

DAYS has no alternate versions, and no side stories available in English outside the main series. (There is one Japanese spinoff, Days Gaiden, released in four volumes from 2017 to 2018, but it was never licensed in English — so for English readers, the reading path remains the main 42-volume series.) Tsuyoshi Yasuda wrote the entire series as a single continuous story, published chapter by chapter in Weekly Shonen Magazine before being collected into volumes — and what you see in those 42 volumes is the complete work.

This makes DAYS one of the easiest sports manga to follow in order. There’s no confusion about bonus episodes or “should I read a prequel first?” debates. You open Volume 1, you meet Tsukushi on his first day of high school, and you follow him all the way through to the final chapter in Volume 42.

For readers coming from longer-running sports series where reading order can get genuinely complicated — with reference books slotted between story sections, or companion series that fill in backstory — DAYS is a breath of fresh air. One series, one reading path, one story.

The reading order:

• Volume 1 → Volume 42
• 376 chapters total
• Completed series (no waiting for new volumes)

That’s the whole thing. Now let’s talk about how to actually get your hands on these volumes in English.

English Edition Guide — What’s Available and How to Read It

DAYS is published in English by Kodansha Comics, one of the major manga publishers, and the English release covers all 42 volumes — matching the Japanese edition one-to-one. Every volume number in the English edition corresponds exactly to the same volume number in Japanese, so there’s zero confusion when looking up reading order information from Japanese sources.

Here’s the important thing to know: the English edition is digital-only. There are no physical English-language volumes of DAYS. If you were hoping to line up paperbacks on a shelf, that option unfortunately doesn’t exist for this series in English. It’s a common frustration for collectors, and the only physical volumes available are the Japanese-language originals. But the upside of the digital format is that all 42 volumes are available right now — you can read the entire series from start to finish without hitting any gaps or waiting for future releases.

The digital volumes are available through major e-book platforms, including Amazon’s Kindle store, Apple Books, Kobo, and other retailers that carry Kodansha Comics releases. Any of these will work — just pick whichever platform you already use for digital reading.

Because there’s only one English edition format — no collected multi-volume editions, no deluxe hardcovers, no 2-in-1 or 3-in-1 compilations — the reading order maps perfectly. Volume 1 in English is Volume 1 in Japanese. Volume 42 in English is Volume 42 in Japanese. You won’t run into the situation some manga readers face where a collected edition “Volume 3” actually contains original volumes 7, 8, and 9.

If you want to start reading right away, grabbing the first volume digitally is the easiest entry point. The individual digital volumes are affordable enough that you can test the waters without a big commitment.

Detail	Info
English Publisher	Kodansha Comics
Total English Volumes	42
Format	Digital only (no physical English edition)
Volume Numbering	1:1 match with Japanese edition
Collected Editions	None — single volumes only

The Complete DAYS Reading Order by Story Arc

While the reading order itself is just “Volume 1 through 42,” it helps to know what you’re getting into at each stage of the story. In manga, a “story arc” is simply a stretch of chapters that covers one major storyline or challenge — think of it like a season of a TV show. DAYS follows a fairly classic sports manga structure — the underdog joins a team, faces increasingly tough opponents, and grows through each challenge. But Yasuda’s execution gives every section its own distinct emotional weight.

Here’s a general breakdown of what to expect as you read through the series. The story flows naturally from one phase to the next, but the major story beats break down roughly like this:

Tsukushi’s Introduction and Joining Seiseki (Early Volumes)

The series opens with Tsukushi Tsukamoto, a timid and physically unremarkable high schooler who has never played soccer. A chance encounter with the talented Jin Kazama leads him to Seiseki High School’s soccer club — one of the best in the prefecture. The early volumes establish the core dynamic that drives the entire series: Tsukushi has no natural talent, but he has an almost absurd level of determination and willingness to run himself into the ground.

These opening volumes introduce the team members, establish the club’s culture and competitive aspirations, and let you get to know Tsukushi as a protagonist. His total lack of skill is played honestly — he’s not secretly gifted, and his teammates are understandably skeptical at first. What makes these chapters work is watching the small moments where his effort starts to matter.

First Tournament Challenges

As Tsukushi begins to find his footing (literally — early on, even basic ball control is a struggle), the team enters tournament play. These volumes cover Seiseki’s initial competitive matches, where Tsukushi has to prove that his presence on the team isn’t a liability.

The tournament matches introduce rival schools and opposing players who become important throughout the series. This is where DAYS starts to show its strength as a sports manga — the match sequences are well-paced, and you begin to see how Tsukushi’s relentless running and effort can actually shift the momentum of a game, even when his technical skills lag far behind his teammates.

Inter-High and Rivalry Escalation

The stakes ramp up significantly as Seiseki pushes toward the Inter-High tournament — a major nationwide high school competition. This stretch of volumes is where many of the series’ most memorable rivalries take shape. Opposing teams aren’t just obstacles — their players have their own motivations, backstories, and reasons for fighting to win.

Tsukushi’s role on the team also evolves here. He’s still not the most skilled player on the field by a long shot, but his impact on team morale and his ability to disrupt opponents through sheer stamina and positioning starts to become a genuine tactical factor. The matches get more intense, and the emotional investment in each game deepens because you’ve spent enough time with these characters to care about the outcomes.

Selection Matches and Character Development

As the series progresses, DAYS takes time between tournaments to deepen its characters beyond the field. Selection matches and training sections give the supporting cast room to grow — and DAYS has a large, well-developed supporting cast. Seiseki’s players each get moments that flesh out their motivations, their relationships with each other, and their individual growth as athletes.

This middle stretch is where readers who came for the action might feel a slight change in pace, but it’s laying groundwork that makes the later tournament sections hit much harder. The bonds formed during these quieter volumes are what give the big match moments their emotional punch.

National Tournament and Climactic Matches

The national tournament section represents the peak of competitive intensity in DAYS. Everything the team has built — every training session, every hard-fought match, every moment of doubt overcome — comes together as Seiseki faces the best teams in the country.

These later volumes contain some of the series’ most thrilling match sequences. The art gets more dynamic, the page compositions become more ambitious, and the emotional stakes reach their highest point. Without spoiling specifics, this stretch of the manga rewards everything you’ve invested in the characters up to this point.

Final Volumes — Tsukushi’s Growth and the Team’s Journey

The final volumes of DAYS bring Tsukushi’s story to its conclusion. By this point in the series, the contrast between where Tsukushi started and where he ends up is genuinely moving. He’s still not the star player — that’s not what this story is about — but his journey from a boy who couldn’t control a pass to someone who meaningfully contributes to a nationally competitive team is deeply satisfying.

The ending wraps up the team’s story as well, giving closure to the major character relationships and competitive storylines that have been building across 42 volumes.

A Note on Skipping

There are no filler sections or skippable chapters in DAYS. The character development is cumulative — moments that seem small in early volumes often pay off dozens of volumes later. This is a series best experienced in full, in order, from beginning to end.

Where the Anime Fits In

A TV anime adaptation (an animated television series based on the manga) of DAYS was produced by studio MAPPA and aired in 2016. If you watched the anime first and are now looking to read the manga, here’s what you should know.

The anime’s 24-episode season covers the early portion of the manga story. The manga continued running until 2021 — five years after the anime aired — and tells a much longer and more complete version of events. The anime adaptation does not reach the later tournament storylines or the series finale, so if you only watched the anime, you’ve experienced just a fraction of what DAYS has to offer.

The recommendation for anime viewers: Start reading from Volume 1.

Even if you feel like you know the early story from the anime, the manga contains more detail, more character development, and more nuance in its storytelling than the anime was able to fit in. Starting from the beginning also ensures you don’t miss any details that become important later — and since the manga goes so far beyond where the anime stops, you’ll want a solid foundation for the story sections the anime never adapted.

If you absolutely want to skip ahead past the events the anime covered, you’d need to find where the anime’s story ends in the manga. But given that the early volumes read quickly and the digital format makes them easy to access, starting from Volume 1 is the smoother experience. You’ll appreciate the additional detail, and the complete journey from Volume 1 to Volume 42 is what makes DAYS such a rewarding read.

What to Know Before Starting DAYS

If DAYS caught your eye and you’re not sure what to expect going in, here are some things that might be helpful to know:

You don’t need to understand soccer to enjoy this series. DAYS is extremely beginner-friendly when it comes to the sport itself. Because the protagonist Tsukushi starts with literally zero soccer experience, the rules and strategies of the game are introduced naturally through his perspective. You learn as he learns. If you’ve never watched a soccer match in your life, you’ll still follow everything perfectly.

The protagonist is an unconventional sports manga lead. Tsukushi isn’t a prodigy hiding latent talent. He’s not secretly the best. He’s genuinely, persistently average-to-below-average in terms of raw soccer ability. What makes him compelling is his refusal to give up, his impact on the people around him, and his willingness to fill whatever role the team needs — even if that role is just “run more than anyone else on the field.” If you’re tired of sports manga where the main character is secretly the chosen one, DAYS is a refreshing change.

The series rewards patience. The early volumes are deliberately paced. You’re spending time getting to know Tsukushi, his teammates, and the dynamics of Seiseki’s soccer club. If you’re looking for immediate high-stakes tournament action, the first few volumes might feel slow. Stick with it. The character bonds established early on are what make the tournament sections so emotionally gripping later. Readers who rush through or skip the setup tend to miss what makes the payoff so satisfying.

Try a few volumes before committing to all 42. Since the digital volumes are individually priced and there’s no box set or bundle to consider, you can pick up the first two or three volumes to see if the tone clicks for you. DAYS has a very specific emotional wavelength — warm, earnest, and deeply invested in the idea that effort matters even when talent is lacking. If that resonates with you in the opening volumes, you’re in for a great ride.

The art evolves alongside the story. Like many long-running manga, Yasuda’s visual style in Volume 1 is noticeably different from his work in the later volumes. The match sequences become more dynamic and visually exciting as the series progresses, and the character designs sharpen. It’s one of the satisfying things about reading a long series — you get to watch the creator grow alongside the characters.

Start Here — The Simplest Way to Read DAYS Today

Let’s make this as easy as possible:

Step 1: Pick up DAYS Volume 1 digitally from Kodansha Comics on your preferred e-book platform.

Step 2: Read straight through to Volume 42. No detours, no spinoffs, no alternate editions to worry about.

Step 3: That’s it. You just read the complete DAYS manga in the correct order.

If you enjoyed the 2016 anime, start from Volume 1 anyway. The anime covers only the early portion of the manga story, and the manga goes far beyond that — the complete journey from Tsukushi’s first day to the series finale is something the anime only scratched the surface of.

DAYS is one of those sports manga that sneaks up on you. It’s quiet at first — no flashy superpowers, no genius protagonist — but by the time you’re deep into the tournament sections, you realize you care about these characters more than you expected. Tsukushi’s journey from a kid who can barely kick a ball to someone who earns his place on a competitive team is the kind of story that sports manga does better than any other medium.

All 42 volumes are waiting. Grab Volume 1 and see for yourself.