The series began sporadic serialization on September 24, 1978 in that year's 39th issue of the manga anthology "Weekly Shōnen Sunday" until the middle of 1979 when it became a regular serialization. It ended in 1987's eighth issue on February 4, after publishing 374 chapters and almost 6,000 pages. A total of 34 individual volumes with 11 chapters each were released in "tankōbon" format between 1980 and March 1987. After the tenth anniversary of start of the series, it was printed in 15 "wideban" editions between July 1989 and August 1990. Each volume contained around 25 chapters, and were printed on higher-quality paper, with new inserts. A "bunkoban" edition of the series was released over 17 volumes between August 1998 and December 1999. Each volume contains forewords by other manga creators discussing the influence the series had on them. A "My First Big" edition was printed between July 2000 and September 2004. This edition was similar to the "tankōbon" but used low-quality paper and were sold at a low price. A "shinsoban" edition over 34 volumes was released between November 17, 2006 and March 18, 2008. This edition was also similar to the "tankōbon" but used new cover artwork and included a section that displayed artwork from current manga artists.