Is Major Worth Reading? Review & Where to Read
Quick Answer
Yes, if you want the definitive baseball manga and are willing to commit to a genuinely massive series. Goro Honda's journey from childhood to the pros is one of the most fully realized character arcs the sports genre has produced.
Quick Verdict
“Few sports manga commit to actually following a character's entire career the way Major does, and that scope is exactly why it's still cited as a genre landmark decades later.”
Best for: Readers who want a definitive, lifelong sports epic and don't mind a serious time commitment to get there.
Not for: Readers looking for a short series or a quick introduction to baseball manga.
- Type
- Manga
- Genres
- Drama, Sports
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Takuya Mitsuda
- Publisher
- Shogakukan (Weekly Shōnen Sunday)
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Format | Manga (shōnen), 747 chapters, 78 volumes |
| Run | 1994–2010 · completed |
| Community score | AniList 7.6 · MangaUpdates 8.3 |
| Content | Family loss, injury |
Overview
Goro Honda grows up idolizing his father, a professional baseball player, and Takuya Mitsuda's Major follows him from that childhood admiration all the way through his own professional career — through Little League, high school, college, and the pros, with real tragedy and setbacks along the way. The manga ran in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday from 1994 to 2010, completing at 78 volumes and winning the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1996.
What it does well
The defining feature here is scope. Very few sports manga commit to actually following a character's entire career the way Major does, and that structure lets Mitsuda build one of the genre's most complete character arcs — Goro isn't frozen at one age or one level of competition, he actually grows up, faces real professional stakes, and changes across decades of in-story time. Tragedy and setbacks get treated as lasting parts of that development rather than obstacles cleared in a single chapter, which is what gives his eventual successes real earned weight instead of hollow triumph.
The baseball itself holds up across every level the story covers, rendered with technical care whether Goro's playing Little League or facing down major-league pitching. That consistency, sustained across a genuinely massive page count, is a real achievement, and it's a big part of why the series is still cited as a landmark of the sports genre decades after it started.
Where it falls short
The obvious barrier is the length — 78 volumes is an enormous ask even by long-runner standards, and it's simply not a realistic commitment for every reader. The early arcs also lean on a fairly conventional sports-manga structure before the series' more distinctive lifelong scope really kicks in, so the payoff for sticking around takes real patience. And given the size of the series, there's no official English release, meaning access depends entirely on fan translations.
Verdict
Major earns its reputation as one of the defining baseball manga by doing something most sports series never attempt: actually following its protagonist's whole career. If you want the genre's most complete character arc and can commit to the length, this is essential. If you want a shorter series or a quick baseball manga fix, this isn't the place to start.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- The scope is genuinely unmatched — following Goro from childhood through his entire professional career gives the manga room to build one of the most complete character arcs in the sports genre.
- Tragedy and setbacks are treated as real, lasting parts of Goro's development rather than temporary obstacles cleared in a chapter, which gives his eventual successes real weight.
- The baseball itself is rendered with real technical care across every level of competition, from Little League to the pros, without ever feeling like padding.
- It won the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1996 and has held up as one of the genre's most influential works for good reason.
Weaknesses
- 78 volumes is an enormous commitment, even by long-runner standards, and it's simply not realistic for every reader to take on.
- Some stretches, especially in the earlier arcs, follow a fairly familiar sports-manga structure before the series finds its more distinctive later scope.
- There's no official English release for a series this size, so reading it means relying on fan translations for the vast majority of its run.
Similar Titles
A different scale, but a similarly serious, technically grounded take on competitive baseball.
Different tone and scope, but another baseball classic built on real emotional stakes rather than just game-of-the-week structure.
Prefer to watch? There's an anime
Major S1: see where to stream it legally, plus episode guides and trailers, on Watchanimee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Major finished?
Yes, it's complete at 78 volumes, serialized from 1994 to 2010.
Is there a sequel to Major?
Yes, Major 2nd follows Goro's son and continues the franchise in a new generation.
Is Major available in English?
There's no official English release at this time, given the series' massive length.
