Medalist Manga Reading Order: Where to Start

Looking for the Medalist manga reading order? Here it is: start at Volume 1 and read straight through to Volume 14. There are no spin-offs, no alternate timelines, and no companion series to worry about.

Medalist by Tsurumaikada (つるまいかだ) is one of the most emotionally gripping sports manga running right now, and it’s about a sport you don’t see covered often in manga — figure skating. The Japanese title is メダリスト, and the series has been building serious buzz for good reason. Let’s walk through how to start reading.

Medalist Manga Reading Order at a Glance

Medalist is a single ongoing series published chapter by chapter in Monthly Afternoon, a manga magazine from Kodansha in Japan. The English edition is published by Kodansha Comics (the publisher that handles the manga’s English-language release). There are currently 14 volumes available in English, matching the 14 volumes released in Japan.

Here’s the full reading order — just go straight through:

Order	Volume	Status (English)
1	Medalist Vol. 1	Available
2	Medalist Vol. 2	Available
3	Medalist Vol. 3	Available
4	Medalist Vol. 4	Available
5	Medalist Vol. 5	Available
6	Medalist Vol. 6	Available
7	Medalist Vol. 7	Available
8	Medalist Vol. 8	Available
9	Medalist Vol. 9	Available
10	Medalist Vol. 10	Available
11	Medalist Vol. 11	Available
12	Medalist Vol. 12	Available
13	Medalist Vol. 13	Available
14	Medalist Vol. 14	Available

That’s it. No branching paths, no required side reading. Start at Volume 1, read to Volume 14, and then wait eagerly for more — like the rest of us.

What Each Volume Covers and Why It Matters

Medalist follows the relationship between Inori Yuitsuka, a young girl who dreams of becoming a competitive figure skater, and Tsukasa, a coach who has struggled to find his place in the skating world. Their partnership — built on mutual determination, trust, and an almost desperate need to prove themselves — is the beating heart of the entire series.

The manga is published in a monthly magazine, and you can feel that pacing. This isn’t a weekly series where storylines resolve in three chapters. Medalist takes its time. Scenes breathe. Emotions build gradually. Training sequences aren’t just filler between competitions — they’re where the real character development happens.

Here’s a spoiler-light look at what the volumes establish:

Volumes 1–2: The Foundation

These opening volumes introduce both main characters and bring them together. You learn why Inori is drawn to skating, what’s holding her back, and why Tsukasa is the kind of coach who might actually help her break through. The figure skating world is introduced naturally — you don’t need any prior knowledge of the sport to follow along. By the end of Volume 2, the emotional stakes are already surprisingly high.

Volumes 3–4: First Steps on the Ice

The training intensifies, and Medalist starts showing its sports-manga rhythm: practice, setback, small victory, bigger challenge ahead. The relationship between coach and skater deepens as they face their first real tests together. You’ll also start meeting rival skaters and other figures in the competitive landscape.

Volumes 5–6: Competition Begins

This is where the payoff for all that careful groundwork starts arriving. The competition storylines begin, and they hit hard — not because of flashy action sequences, but because you’ve spent four volumes getting to know these characters and understanding what every jump, every score, every fraction of a point means to them. The emotional investment the manga demands from you in the early volumes pays off enormously here.

Volumes 7–10: Expanding the World

From Volume 7 onward, the series introduces new rivals with their own compelling backstories, and the competitions grow in scale and intensity. The manga deepens Inori and Tsukasa’s relationship while also giving meaningful screen time to the supporting cast. The quality doesn’t dip — if anything, having such a strong foundation makes these middle volumes hit even harder as the stakes rise.

Volumes 11–14: Raising the Stakes

The most recent English volumes continue building momentum. Without spoiling specifics, the series pushes both its main characters into new emotional territory and delivers some of the most striking skating sequences in the entire run. If you were wondering whether Medalist stays strong past the midpoint, the answer is a clear yes — readers who’ve made it this far tend to be the ones who call it one of the best sports manga currently running.

One thing worth knowing: Medalist is a manga that rewards patience. The character-focused early volumes aren’t a slow start — they’re the foundation that makes everything afterward land with real weight.

Where to Buy Medalist in English

Kodansha Comics publishes the English edition of Medalist in both print and digital formats. All 14 currently available English volumes can be found at major retailers, including Amazon. Search for “Medalist” by Tsurumaikada — each volume is sold individually, starting with Vol. 1.

One note on release timing: the English and Japanese editions are currently equal at 14 volumes each as of July 2026, so you won’t be waiting to catch up on any backlog. When the next Japanese volume releases, there will be a standard wait for the English translation — completely normal for ongoing manga.

If you want to start the series, grab Volume 1 in whichever format you prefer — print if you like having manga on a shelf, digital if you want instant access and portability. All individual volumes are available at the same retailers.

For print copies, the retail price for individual Medalist volumes is in line with most standard manga volumes from Kodansha Comics — generally in the range you’d expect for a single-volume manga release at major retailers. Digital editions typically carry a lower list price than print. Either way, you’re getting a lot of story for your money — these volumes are dense with character work and gorgeous skating sequences.

Starting from the Anime? What the Manga Covers Differently

If you found Medalist through the anime adaptation, welcome — you’ve got a fantastic manga waiting for you.

As of 2026, the Medalist anime has two completed seasons. Season 1 aired from January to March 2025 (13 episodes), and Season 2 followed from January to March 2026 (9 episodes). A theatrical film has also been announced for 2027. Together, the two seasons cover a significant portion of the manga’s story so far.

Here’s the question everyone asks: do I need to start from Volume 1 if I’ve already watched the anime?

The short answer: yes, and you’ll be glad you did.

The manga is the original source material — meaning the story was first told in manga form, and the anime was adapted from it afterward. As with most adaptations like this, there’s more depth and detail on the page than what makes it to the screen. The characters’ inner thoughts, subtle character moments, and the pacing of training sequences all feel different — and often richer — in manga form. Tsurumaikada’s artwork captures the movement and grace of figure skating in a way that’s worth experiencing even if you’ve seen the same scenes animated.

Whether you watched only Season 1 or both seasons, starting from Volume 1 doesn’t feel repetitive — it feels like discovering layers you didn’t know were there.

That said, if you absolutely want to skip ahead to where the anime left off, at the very least read the first two volumes. The foundational character work in those early chapters is too important to miss entirely.

Common Mistakes New Readers Make with Medalist

Skipping the “Slow” Early Volumes

This is the biggest one. Some readers pick up Volume 1, see that it’s focused on character introductions and emotional setup rather than competition, and wonder when the “real” sports manga starts. The answer: it already started. The character work in those early volumes IS the story. The competitions hit as hard as they do precisely because you’ve spent time understanding what skating means to these characters. Skipping ahead is like fast-forwarding through the first act of a movie and wondering why the climax doesn’t make you feel anything.

Confusing Japanese and English Volume Counts

The Japanese and English editions of Medalist are currently equal at 14 volumes each as of July 2026. However, you may still encounter older discussions online that reference a time when the English release was a volume or two behind the Japanese edition. If someone online is discussing events you haven’t seen in any available English volume, they may be reading serialized chapters from Monthly Afternoon that haven’t been collected into a volume yet — the magazine serialization is always ahead of the collected volumes in both languages.

Expecting Fast-Paced Action Manga Energy

If you’ve been reading high-energy series like Haikyuu!! or Blue Lock — both popular sports manga known for rapid-fire pacing and intense match sequences — you might come to Medalist expecting a similar feel. Medalist is a different kind of sports manga. It’s published monthly rather than weekly, and the pacing reflects that. Chapters are longer and more contemplative. The tension comes from emotional stakes and artistic expression on the ice, not from frantic point-scoring. Adjust your expectations and you’ll love it.

Not Realizing the Series Is Ongoing

Medalist is not finished. The series is still running in Monthly Afternoon in Japan. If you blow through all 14 English volumes in a weekend (very possible — it’s that engaging), you will hit a wall and have to wait for more. Just setting expectations here so the withdrawal doesn’t catch you off guard.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Medalist finished?

No. Medalist is an ongoing series. It has been published in Monthly Afternoon since May 2020, with new chapters still coming out in Japan.

How many English volumes are available?

As of July 2026, there are 14 volumes available in English from Kodansha Comics — matching the Japanese edition, which is also at 14 volumes.

Do I need to know about figure skating to enjoy it?

Not at all. Medalist introduces the sport naturally through its characters. You’ll learn about jumps, scores, and competition structure as the characters experience them. Some readers have said the manga actually got them interested in real figure skating — it’s that effective at making you care about the sport.

Are there any spin-offs or side stories?

No. There are no known spin-offs, side stories, or companion manga for Medalist. The main series is all there is, which makes the Medalist manga reading order about as simple as it gets.

What genre is Medalist?

Medalist is a sports drama manga focused on figure skating. It’s published in Monthly Afternoon, which is a seinen magazine — “seinen” just means it’s aimed at an older teen and adult male readership, as opposed to shonen magazines that target younger boys. That said, Medalist’s themes of growth, perseverance, and the bond between a coach and young athlete give it broad appeal well beyond any single demographic.

Is the manga worth reading if I’ve seen the anime?

Absolutely. The manga offers greater detail in its character development, more nuanced pacing, and artwork that captures figure skating in a way that complements what the anime does. Starting from Volume 1 is recommended even for anime viewers — you’ll discover layers the adaptation didn’t have time to include.