Top 10 Best-Selling Light Novels in Japan

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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