Air Gear Manga Volumes: All 37 Books in the Complete Set

All 37 Air Gear Manga Volumes — What the Complete Set Looks Like

Here’s what you need to know up front: Air Gear spans 37 volumes containing 358 chapters, and the series is fully completed. A chapter is a single installment of the story (typically around 15–25 pages), and a volume is a collected book that bundles roughly 8–10 chapters together. The final chapter ran in 2012, and no sequel series or continuation has followed. What you see is what you get — a full story from start to finish.

The manga was created by Oh! Great (大暮維人), a manga artist known for highly detailed and visually dynamic artwork. It was serialized — meaning published chapter by chapter in a magazine before being collected into book form — in Weekly Shonen Magazine, published by Kodansha. “Shonen” refers to manga aimed primarily at a teenage male audience, though readers of all backgrounds enjoy the genre. Magazine serialization began on November 6, 2002, and the final chapter appeared in the magazine on May 23, 2012. The first collected volume was published on May 16, 2003, and the final volume (37) hit shelves on July 17, 2012. That’s roughly a decade of publication from first chapter to last volume — a lengthy run, and Air Gear carved out its own very different niche from other long-running action series.

If you know Air Gear from the anime adaptation, note that the anime covers only a portion of the early story. The manga goes significantly further and is the only way to experience the complete narrative.

In English, things get a little more interesting. The series was originally licensed — meaning a publisher acquired the rights to translate and sell the Japanese manga in English — by Del Rey, which published volumes 1 through 17. When Del Rey’s manga line wound down, Kodansha Comics picked up the license and published volumes 18 through 37. This two-publisher split is important to understand if you’re collecting physical copies, and we’ll get into why below.

The bottom line for your shelf: 37 volumes, one continuous story, completely finished. You can buy volume 1, commit to the whole run, and know exactly where the ending is.

The Easiest Way to Collect All 37 Volumes

Collecting Air Gear is straightforward in concept — buy volumes 1 through 37 — but the two-publisher situation adds some wrinkles worth knowing about before you start spending money.

The Del Rey / Kodansha Comics Split

Del Rey Manga published the first 17 volumes of Air Gear in English. Del Rey was a respected manga publisher, but their manga imprint eventually closed. When Kodansha Comics established their own direct English publishing arm, they took over Air Gear (among other titles) and continued from volume 18 onward through the final volume 37.

What does this mean for you as a collector?

• Volumes 1–17 carry the Del Rey logo on the spine
• Volumes 18–37 carry the Kodansha Comics logo on the spine
• The physical dimensions, paper quality, and spine design may differ slightly between the two runs
• The story itself is continuous — there’s no gap, no missing content, no overlap

Some collectors care a lot about visual consistency on the shelf. If that’s you, be aware that your Air Gear collection will have a visible transition point at volume 18. It’s cosmetic, not a content issue, but it’s worth setting your expectations.

Print Format

The English release of Air Gear is available in two physical formats:

• Singles — 37 individual volumes, each collecting several chapters of the story. This is the complete run from volume 1 through 37.
• Omnibus editions — Kodansha Comics published the Air Gear Omnibus series, with at least 6 omnibus volumes that each collect 2–3 of the original singles. These omnibus editions cover the earlier portion of the series (roughly volumes 1–17), making them a convenient alternative for readers who want fewer, larger books for that stretch.

If you prefer the standard single-volume format, the full 37-volume run is the way to go. If you’d rather reduce the book count for the early stretch, the omnibus editions are worth checking — just note that they don’t cover the entire series, so you’ll switch to singles for the later volumes either way.

Digital as an Alternative

If tracking down every physical volume sounds daunting (and for certain volumes, it can be), digital editions may offer a more accessible path. Platforms like Kindle, BookWalker, and other digital manga storefronts can carry titles that are difficult to find in physical form, especially older Del Rey releases. If completing the story matters more to you than having physical books on a shelf, checking digital availability is a practical move.

General Cost Expectations

Because the Del Rey volumes (1–17) have been out of print — meaning the publisher is no longer producing new copies — for a long time, they tend to be harder to find at reasonable prices. Some may only be available secondhand, where pricing can vary wildly. The Kodansha Comics volumes (18–37) generally tend to be more readily available at standard retail pricing, though availability shifts over time.

Worth flagging: while Air Gear had a dedicated fanbase, it never reached the same massive Western popularity as some other long-running action series, which means the collector market is smaller and individual volumes can be trickier to track down.

A complete physical set of all 37 volumes represents a meaningful investment. There’s no box set, though the omnibus editions simplify things for the first portion of the series. Beyond those, you’re building the collection one volume at a time (or in lucky bulk finds).

Key Volumes Worth Knowing About

You don’t need a volume-by-volume breakdown of all 37 books — but a few specific volumes are worth highlighting, either because they’re natural story checkpoints or because they matter for collecting purposes.

Volume 1 — Where It All Begins

This is where you meet Itsuki “Ikki” Minami, a middle schooler who discovers Air Treck — motorized inline skates (the “Air Gear” of the title) that let riders perform impossible aerial tricks and compete in high-stakes territorial battles. Volume 1 sets up the world, the core cast, and Oh! Great’s distinctive visual style. If the premise hooks you and the art clicks, you’ll know within this first volume whether Air Gear is for you.

Volume 6 — Early Story Escalation

By volume 6, the series has moved past its initial setup and the stakes are ramping up. This is a solid checkpoint for readers who are still deciding. If you’ve read through volume 6 and you’re enjoying the characters and the increasingly wild action, the series has a lot more to give you. If it hasn’t grabbed you by this point, it’s a reasonable place to step back.

Volume 18 — The Publisher Transition

Volume 18 is the first book published under the Kodansha Comics banner rather than Del Rey. For the story, it’s seamless — you won’t notice a narrative gap. For collectors, this is where the spine design shifts. It’s also sometimes a point where pricing changes, since the Kodansha Comics volumes are generally easier to find than the earlier Del Rey releases.

Volume 28 — Deep Into the Gram Scale Tournament

The Gram Scale Tournament — a massive, multi-team competition that determines the future of the Air Treck world — is Air Gear at its most ambitious and complex. By volume 28, you’re fully immersed in the series’ biggest storylines, with escalating battles and revelations about how the Air Treck universe works. This is the stretch where readers who stuck around tend to feel the most rewarded — though it’s also where the plot complexity increases significantly as the story layers in more mythology and backstory.

Volume 37 — The Finale

The final volume wraps up 358 chapters of story. Everything the series has been building toward comes to a conclusion here. Whether you find the ending satisfying is a personal call, but there’s something genuinely nice about holding the last volume of a completed series and knowing you’ve got the whole thing.

This is the volume that closes out your collection for good.

These are selected milestone volumes, not an exhaustive guide. Every volume between them matters — Air Gear is a continuous story, and skipping around isn’t really an option if you want to follow what’s happening.

Volumes That Are Harder to Find

Not all 37 Air Gear manga volumes are equally easy to track down, and knowing where the trouble spots are can save you frustration (and money).

The Del Rey Era (Volumes 1–17)

The biggest challenge in collecting Air Gear is the first half of the series. Del Rey’s manga imprint has been defunct for years, and their volumes have been out of print (no longer being manufactured) for a long time. This means:

• Some volumes from the 1–17 range may only be available secondhand
• Secondhand prices can be unpredictable — a volume that’s affordable one month might spike the next
• Condition varies widely with used copies, especially for a series that’s been out of print this long
• Certain specific volumes within this range tend to be scarcer than others, though which ones fluctuate over time

Tips for Hunting Down Scarce Volumes

• Check multiple retailers and marketplaces — don’t just look at one source. Different sellers have different stock, and prices can vary significantly between them.
• Be patient with restocks — volumes that seem impossible to find sometimes pop up unexpectedly. Setting up alerts or checking back regularly can pay off.
• Consider digital for the hardest-to-find volumes — if your goal is reading the story rather than building a pristine physical collection, a digital copy of a scarce volume gets the job done. Kindle, BookWalker, and similar platforms are good places to check.
• Inspect used copies carefully — when buying secondhand, look for details about condition. Yellowed pages, damaged spines, and missing dust jackets (the removable paper covers that wrap around the book) are common with older manga volumes.

The Kodansha Comics Era (Volumes 18–37)

The good news is that the back half of the series tends to be much more accessible. Kodansha Comics volumes are newer and have generally remained more available through standard retail channels. If you’re starting your collection, you might find it easier to grab volumes 18–37 first and then work backward through the trickier Del Rey releases.

That’s not a bad strategy, actually. Securing the easier half while you patiently hunt for the harder half means you’re making steady progress rather than getting stuck early and losing momentum.

A Finished Collection That Won’t Change on You

One of the genuinely appealing things about collecting Air Gear is that the target never moves.

The series completed its run in 2012. There has been no sequel series, no spinoff, and no additional volumes beyond the 37. A standalone one-shot epilogue chapter was published in Weekly Shonen Magazine in December 2015, but it was never collected into a volume. Oh! Great moved on to other projects. The story told across those 37 volumes is the complete collected story of Air Gear.

37 volumes is the definitive set in both the original Japanese and the English translation. What you collect today is the same complete set it was years ago, and it’ll be the same complete set years from now. There’s a quiet satisfaction in that — especially if you’ve ever been burned by a series that kept going longer than expected or announced a surprise sequel after you thought you’d finished collecting.

For shelf-display purposes, 37 volumes makes for a solid and visually impressive run. It’s substantial enough to take up real estate on a bookshelf without being so massive that you need to dedicate an entire shelf unit to it. Lined up from volume 1 to 37, the spines — the narrow edges you see when the books are shelved — create a continuous visual display of the series’ artwork.

In terms of reading time, 37 volumes is a substantial commitment but not an overwhelming one. Air Gear is a visually driven series with dynamic action panels that move quickly, so most readers find the pace brisk. You could realistically read through the complete series in a few dedicated weeks of regular reading sessions.

The appeal of collecting finished manga is simple: you get the full story, from the first trick to the final landing. No waiting for the next volume. No wondering if the series will get cancelled before it ends. No anxiety about a publisher dropping the rights mid-run. It’s all there, beginning to end.

Who Should Collect Air Gear

Air Gear isn’t for everyone, and that’s fine. Here’s who it’s a great fit for — and a couple of honest notes about what to expect.

You’ll Love It If…

• You enjoy high-energy action with an extreme sports flavor. Air Gear’s world of Air Treck battles is genuinely unique in manga. The idea of motorized inline skates used for aerial combat and territorial competition doesn’t exist anywhere else quite like this.
• You care about artwork. Oh! Great’s art in Air Gear features incredibly detailed, dynamic, and distinctive illustrations. The action sequences are some of the most visually ambitious you’ll find in manga aimed at a teen-and-up audience. If beautiful art is a major part of why you read manga, this series delivers consistently across all 37 volumes.
• You want a completed action series with a premise you haven’t seen before. There are plenty of fighting manga out there. There aren’t many where the fighting happens on rocket-powered skates with mid-air acrobatics and a surprisingly deep world built around it.

Fair Warnings

• Fan service is a significant element. “Fan service” in manga refers to panels or scenes included primarily for sexual titillation — revealing outfits, suggestive poses, and similar content. Oh! Great includes this frequently throughout Air Gear. It’s not limited to occasional moments; it’s a recurring presence across the series. If this type of content is a dealbreaker for you, Air Gear will be a difficult read. It’s worth going in with your eyes open.
• The plot gets increasingly complex in later volumes. The early volumes are relatively straightforward action storytelling. As the series progresses — especially during the Gram Scale Tournament, where teams compete for control over the most powerful Air Treck technology — the mythology and stakes escalate dramatically. Some readers love where it goes; others feel it gets convoluted.
• The two-publisher split makes collecting slightly more involved than a series released entirely by one publisher. It’s manageable, but it’s an extra factor to keep in mind.

The Bottom Line

If you want a completed action series with a unique premise, eye-popping artwork, and a clear finish line at 37 Air Gear manga volumes — this series delivers exactly that. It’s a wild ride with a beginning, a middle, and an end, and every volume of it is out there waiting for you to find it.

Grab volume 1, give it a shot, and see if Ikki’s world pulls you in.