Top 10 Best-Selling Light Novels in Japan – April 2025

April 2025 Japan light novel ranking: Top 10 titles including Classroom of the Elite Year 3, Re:Zero Vol. 40, and My Happy Marriage Vol. 9.

Light novels continue to play a major role in Japanese pop culture, inspiring anime adaptations, live-action films, and a global fanbase. In April 2025, readers showed a strong appetite for school-based strategy, fantasy adventure, and romantic drama.
Here are the Top 10 best-selling light novels in Japan for April 2025, based on monthly sales data from major retailers including Rakuten Kobo and Shosen Book Tower.

🏆 Japan Light Novel Sales Ranking – April 2025

Rank Title (English) Japanese Title Author Publisher
1 Classroom of the Elite: Year 3 Vol. 1 ようこそ実力至上主義の教室へ 3年生編1 Syohgo Kinugasa MF Bunko J
2 The Rural Old Man Becomes a Sword Saint Vol. 9 片田舎のおっさん、剣聖になる 9 Shigeru Sagasaki Earth Star Novel
3 My Happy Marriage Vol. 9 わたしの幸せな結婚 九 Akumi Agitogi Fujimi L Bunko
4 I'm a Clumsy Villainess Vol. 10 ふつつかな悪女ではございますが 10 Satsuki Nakamura B’s-LOG Bunko
5 Stepmother’s Handbook Vol. 6 継母の心得 6 Mayu Sakano Arianrose
6 Re:Zero ? Starting Life in Another World Vol. 40 Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 40 Tappei Nagatsuki MF Bunko J
7 Dahlia the Magical Item Craftswoman Vol. 12 魔導具師ダリヤはうつむかない 12 Hisaya Amagishi MF Books
8 Rebuild World Vol. IX (Part 1) リビルドワールド IX〈上〉 Nafuse Dengeki Shin Bunko
9 The Calm Sea of Omi: Side Stories III 淡海乃海 外伝集~老雄~三 Israfil TO Books
10 The Jasmine Official’s Story Vol. 17 茉莉花官吏伝 十七 Rinneh Ishida B’s-LOG Bunko
 

📊 Source: Rakuten Kobo / Shosen Book Tower April 2025 monthly ranking

 

🔍 Highlights and Trends

  • 🥇 Classroom of the Elite: Year 3 dominated the charts with the start of a new arc, continuing its reign as a best-selling school strategy series.
  • 🆙 The Rural Old Man Becomes a Sword Saint showed surprising strength, reaching #2 with its blend of laid-back protagonist and epic fantasy.
  • 💍 My Happy Marriage, an ongoing romantic drama with a recent anime adaptation, remains a top favorite among readers.
  • 👑 Long-running series like Re:Zero (Vol. 40!) and Dahlia the Magical Item Craftswoman prove the staying power of strong world-building and devoted fanbases.
  • 👧 Female-led fantasy and historical romance titles (like I'm a Clumsy Villainess and Stepmother’s Handbook) are well-represented in this month's top 10.

💡 Why It Matters

April’s chart shows a healthy balance between classic fantasy, slice-of-life romance, and school battle dramas — offering something for every kind of reader.
Notably, many of these novels have inspired or are closely tied to popular anime, making this list a great entry point for anime fans looking to explore the source material.

🗓️ Coming Up Next

Golden Week in Japan often drives a spike in book and manga sales. We’ll be watching closely to see how May’s chart shakes up — will Classroom of the Elite stay at the top, or will Re:Zero surge forward?

 

💬 Want to learn more about any title from the list? Drop a comment or follow us for next month’s update!

 

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