Chobits Manga: The 20th Anniversary Edition and the Older Runs
Chobits is in print from Kodansha as four 20th Anniversary hardcovers. Older Tokyopop and Dark Horse books are separate editions.
The Chobits edition in print today is Kodansha’s 20th Anniversary Edition: four hardcovers that complete the series. Tokyopop and Dark Horse published earlier English editions, which are separate editions, and no source we checked maps their contents onto the four anniversary books. Pick one edition and stay with it.
The 20th Anniversary Edition
| Book | ISBN-13 | Pages | Released |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vol. 1 | 9781632368164 | 352 | August 11, 2020 |
| Vol. 2 | 9781646510177 | 352 | October 20, 2020 |
| Vol. 3 | 9781646510184 | 352 | February 16, 2021 |
| Vol. 4 | 9781646510191 | 334 (Kodansha) or 304 (Penguin Random House) | June 15, 2021 |
Each book lists at $24.99, $99.96 for the set. Kodansha’s series page marks the edition “Complete,” rates it 13+ and calls it “a definitive, hardcover premium collector’s edition, featuring a large size, premium paper, color pages, and more.” A digital edition exists with its own ISBNs.
The Vol. 4 page count is a real disagreement: Kodansha’s page, which covers print and digital together, gives 334, and Penguin Random House’s hardcover listing gives 304. Our catalog leaves it blank until one of them is corrected. The ISBN is the safe identifier. The page count guide explains why listings drift.
The older editions
A July 2017 Penguin Random House Publisher Services graphic novel newsletter lists two earlier Chobits books as comparison titles: Tokyopop’s Chobits Volume 1 (ISBN 9781931514927, April 23, 2002, $9.99) and Dark Horse’s Chobits Omnibus Volume 1 (ISBN 9781595824516, April 6, 2010, $24.99). That establishes that both editions existed. It does not tell us how many books each ran to or where their volume breaks fall, and our catalog holds neither edition for that reason.
The practical rule: a Tokyopop or Dark Horse number is not an anniversary number. If you own part of an older run, finish that run secondhand or restart at Anniversary Vol. 1. Do not continue from an older book into an anniversary book with the next number. The edition-switching guide explains how to check a boundary.
Which to buy
- New reader: Anniversary Vol. 1, then Vols. 2 to 4.
- Owner of an older run: keep to that edition, or treat the anniversary books as a fresh start.
- Gift buyer: the four anniversary books are a complete, matched set.
Kodansha’s Vol. 1 copy sets up the premise: Hideki finds Chi, “an adorable, but seemingly broken, persocom thrown out in a pile of trash,” and takes her home. The Chobits catalog lists the four books, and the completed manga guide counts it among the short complete runs. For another CLAMP series, see the Cardcaptor Sakura buying guide.