Air Gear Manga Volumes: All 37 Books Collecting Guide

Air Gear Manga Volumes: The Complete 37-Book Collection at a Glance

Here’s the quick summary for anyone who just wants the numbers:

• Creator: Oh! Great (大暮維人)
• Total volumes: 37 (both Japanese and English editions)
• Series status: Completed
• Japanese publisher: Kodansha, published chapter-by-chapter in Weekly Shonen Magazine (a weekly manga anthology aimed at teen boys)
• Japanese publication run: 2002–2012
• English publishers: Del Rey (Volumes 1–17) and Kodansha Comics (Volumes 18–37)

The important thing to know right away is that the English edition matches the Japanese release volume-for-volume. All 37 volumes were translated and published. You’re not dealing with a situation where the English run was cancelled partway through — the entire story is available in English, start to finish.

Oh! Great (sometimes written as Oh!great or Ōgure Ito) is known for highly detailed, dynamic artwork, and Air Gear is arguably the series where that style really hit its stride. The art alone is a reason many collectors want physical copies on their shelves.

The series ran in Weekly Shonen Magazine from 2002 to 2012, placing it in the same publication as long-running manga like Hajime no Ippo and Fairy Tail. It carved out its own niche by mixing extreme sports with escalating battle-manga stakes — something that felt genuinely fresh at the time and still holds up as a unique reading experience.

The Easiest Way to Collect All 37 Air Gear Manga Volumes

Let’s be straightforward: collecting all 37 volumes of Air Gear in English requires some patience and flexibility. Here’s why, and here’s how to approach it.

The Publisher Split Changes Everything

The English release was handled by two different publishers:

• Del Rey Manga published Volumes 1 through 17
• Kodansha Comics published Volumes 18 through 37

Del Rey was a manga label under Random House — essentially a sub-brand dedicated to manga publishing — that shut down its manga operations. Because Del Rey stopped publishing, those early volumes are no longer being reprinted by the original publisher. Kodansha Comics (Kodansha’s own US-facing label) picked up the series starting with Volume 18 but published the continuation only — they didn’t reprint the earlier Del Rey volumes under their own branding.

This means the first 17 volumes and the last 20 volumes have different cover designs, different spine formatting, and different visual styling. Lined up on a shelf, they won’t match. If that bothers you, you’ll have to make peace with it — there’s no way around it short of custom dust jackets.

Digital Is the Smoothest Path

If you prioritize convenience and consistency over physical copies, digital editions bypass the biggest headaches. You avoid hunting for out-of-print volumes, you don’t deal with mismatched spines, and you can typically start reading within minutes. Digital editions are available through platforms like Kindle, Kobo, and other major digital manga storefronts.

Physical Collecting: Expect Some Hunting

For physical collectors, here’s the realistic picture:

• Kodansha Comics published omnibus editions that collect multiple volumes per book, giving you an alternative to buying all 37 singles individually. These omnibus releases can also help with the spine-mismatch problem, since they use consistent Kodansha Comics branding.
• No box set exists, so you’re assembling your collection volume by volume (or omnibus by omnibus).
• The Del Rey single volumes (1–17) were printed years ago and may be harder to find as new copies. Used copies, secondhand sellers, and manga-focused marketplaces are likely where you’ll find them. Del Rey volumes can range from a few dollars to significantly more depending on condition, seller, and how scarce that particular volume is at the time.
• The Kodansha Comics single volumes (18–37) are generally easier to locate, though availability varies.

If you’re starting a physical collection, it makes sense to begin by checking which volumes are hardest to find and grabbing those when you spot them at reasonable prices, rather than buying in order and getting stuck waiting on a single elusive volume. The omnibus editions are also worth considering if you’d prefer fewer books on the shelf with a unified look.

Volume 37 — The Final Volume

Volume 37 wraps up the entire 358-chapter story. It’s the one volume where you absolutely want to make sure you can get a copy before committing to the full run — there’s nothing worse than collecting 36 volumes and being unable to find the finale.

Key Air Gear Manga Volumes Worth Knowing Before You Buy

You don’t need a breakdown of every single volume to start collecting, but a few landmark entries are worth calling out. These help you understand the shape of the series and can also serve as checkpoints if you’re reading and trying to decide whether to continue.

Volume 1 — Where It All Begins

Volume 1 introduces Itsuki “Ikki” Minami, a middle schooler who discovers Air Treck — motorized inline skates that allow riders to perform gravity-defying tricks and compete in aerial battles. The opening volume establishes the core appeal: flashy action, Oh! Great’s detailed art, and a protagonist with a big personality and bigger ambitions. If the first volume hooks you, the rest of the series delivers more of what you liked, amplified considerably.

Volume 6 — The Parts War System Kicks In

By Volume 6, the Parts War system is fully established. This is Air Gear’s version of structured competition — organized battles between teams of Air Treck riders where teams wager components of their skates, with specific rules and real consequences for losing. The series shifts from scattered street-level conflicts into something more organized and strategic. If you’ve been enjoying the action but want to know when the series finds its competitive framework, this is the turning point.

Volume 18 — The Kodansha Comics Transition

Volume 18 is notable for a behind-the-scenes reason: it’s the first volume published by Kodansha Comics after Del Rey’s departure. For the story, it’s business as usual. For your shelf, it’s where the cover design changes. If you’re buying physical copies, this is where you’ll see the visual shift between the two publisher eras.

Volume 28 — The Genesis Storyline Escalates

Volume 28 marks a significant escalation in the series’ stakes. The Genesis storyline pushes Air Gear further into territory that goes well beyond competitive skating, raising the scale of conflict considerably. For collectors deciding whether to commit to all 37 volumes, here’s the honest version: the series fully embraces its battle-manga side from this point forward, and the skating becomes more of a vehicle for large-scale action than a grounded sport. Readers who enjoy the escalation tend to find the back half of the series thrilling; readers who wanted the series to stay closer to its street-skating roots may find it harder to connect with. Knowing that going in helps you decide whether the full 37-volume commitment is right for you.

Volume 37 — The Finale

The final volume brings 358 chapters to a close. The story wraps up here completely. There are no cliffhangers left dangling for a sequel that never came, and no situation where you need to track down a separate novel or spinoff for the real ending. When you finish Volume 37, you’ve finished Air Gear.

A quick note: these are selected highlights, not every noteworthy volume in the series. There are plenty of great moments scattered across the full 37-volume run that aren’t called out here.

Availability Pitfalls — The Del Rey / Kodansha Split

This topic deserves its own section because it’s the single biggest practical challenge facing Air Gear manga volume collectors.

The Del Rey Problem

Del Rey Manga published Volumes 1 through 17 of Air Gear in English. When Del Rey’s manga operations shut down, those volumes stopped being actively reprinted. Kodansha Comics took over the series starting with Volume 18 but published the continuation — they didn’t reprint the earlier Del Rey volumes under their own branding.

What this means in practice:

• Del Rey printings of Volumes 1–17 may be scarce in new condition
• Prices on the secondhand market can fluctuate depending on availability
• Some volumes in the Del Rey range may be significantly harder to find than others — availability isn’t consistent across all 17

The Visual Mismatch

Even if you manage to find every volume, the two halves of your collection will look noticeably different:

Feature	Del Rey (Vols 1–17)	Kodansha Comics (Vols 18–37)
Publisher logo	Del Rey / Ballantine	Kodansha Comics
Cover design style	Del Rey visual styling	Kodansha Comics visual styling
Spine formatting	Del Rey standard	Kodansha Comics standard

This is purely cosmetic and doesn’t affect the reading experience at all, but for collectors who care about shelf uniformity, it’s a real consideration. The omnibus editions from Kodansha Comics offer a more uniform alternative, since they use consistent branding throughout.

Digital as a Workaround

If the availability issues and visual mismatch are dealbreakers for your physical collecting plans, digital editions — available on Kindle, Kobo, and similar platforms — sidestep both problems entirely. You get consistent formatting and don’t have to compete with other collectors for scarce printings.

That said, many people collect Air Gear specifically because of Oh! Great’s artwork, and there’s a real argument that the detailed art is best appreciated in physical form. It comes down to your priorities.

Is Air Gear Finished — Will Your Collection Stay Complete?

This is a question that matters a lot when you’re about to spend time and money tracking down 37 volumes, so let’s answer it clearly.

Yes, Air Gear is fully completed. The manga ended its run in 2012, and the final volume (Volume 37) was published the same year in Japan. All 358 chapters are collected across those 37 volumes with nothing left out.

No Sequel, No Continuation

As of the information available, no sequel manga has been announced. The story told across those 37 volumes is self-contained. Oh! Great has moved on to other projects. If you collect all 37 volumes, your set is complete — you won’t suddenly need to buy Volume 38 a year from now.

What About the Anime?

Air Gear did receive adaptations:

• TV anime: 25 episodes, aired April through September 2006
• OVA series (original video animation — episodes released directly to home video rather than broadcast on TV): 3 episodes

Neither the TV anime nor the OVAs cover the full manga story. They adapt portions of the earlier material and then stop. If you watched the anime and want to know what happens next, the manga is where that story continues and concludes. The full 37-volume manga goes far beyond what either adaptation covers.

Your Collection Is Safe

This is one of the genuine advantages of collecting a completed series. You know the finish line. There are no surprise continuations, no “Part 2” announcements that add another 15 volumes to your list. The 37 Air Gear manga volumes on your shelf (or in your digital library) are the complete story.

Who Air Gear Is For — And Who Should Skip It

Air Gear isn’t for everyone, and being upfront about that saves you from buying volumes you won’t enjoy.

You’ll Probably Love Air Gear If…

• You enjoy extreme-sports settings with over-the-top action. Air Gear starts with inline skating and escalates into something much wilder. If that trajectory sounds fun rather than frustrating, you’re in the target audience.
• You appreciate highly detailed manga art. Oh! Great’s drawing skill is genuinely impressive. The Air Treck sequences are dynamic, the character designs are distinctive, and the visual spectacle is a huge part of the appeal. Collectors who value art as much as story will find a lot to admire across all 37 volumes.
• You like battle-manga escalation. Air Gear follows a pattern of increasingly powerful opponents and higher stakes. The “sport” becomes increasingly fantastical as the series progresses — think less realistic sports drama and more a battle manga wearing inline skates.

You Might Want to Skip It If…

• You want grounded, realistic sports drama. Air Gear is not trying to be realistic. If you’re looking for a manga where the sport stays recognizably true to life throughout, Air Gear will likely frustrate you. The skating is a launching point, not a faithful depiction.
• You’re looking for an all-ages sports manga. Air Gear contains mature content — it’s not a typical sports title in terms of content appropriateness. It includes frequent and often prominent sexualized imagery (a hallmark of Oh! Great’s style) as well as violent scenes that puts it firmly outside the all-ages category. If you’re buying for a younger reader or prefer manga without heavy sexual content, this isn’t the right pick.

The English Translation

One more note for readers coming from the anime: the English translation across both the Del Rey and Kodansha Comics volumes is solid and readable. The transition between publishers doesn’t create any jarring shift in translation quality. You’re getting a complete, consistent English version of the story.

The Honest Take

Air Gear is a series that rewards readers who commit to the full ride. The art is gorgeous, the action is inventive, and the world Oh! Great built around competitive skating is unlike anything else in manga. The story gets wild — sometimes brilliantly, sometimes divisively — but it never gets boring. If that sounds like your kind of manga, Volume 1 is the place to start, and 37 volumes is a very satisfying collection to build.