Stop selling your children to One Direction!
…sell them to us instead.
Books that feature characters being sold by their parents as a premise or important character background. Your options include but are not limited to: the yakuza, cults, a literal demon. Your rewards: money, status, getting rid of children you don’t want.
This is NOT a serious list about child trafficking.
Suggestions welcome, as always! I’m playing fast and loose with the definition of selling.
created by breaklikeafish
last updated August, 2026
Comments
Notes
I noticed a common thread in some of the media I enjoyed, so I had to make a list. What does this say about me? Not sure. Maybe that I should read more fanfiction. Also this list came to me in a dream (or at least in bed while trying to fall asleep). Do with that information what you will.
Disclaimer
This is not a serious list. Even though all of these works deal with child abuse and the psychological ramifications of being treated like an object in some capacity, the whole being sold aspect is either a plot device to get characters into specific situations, to highlight the absurd cult-like dynamics or both. The circumstances are entirely fictional and not an obvious critique of the systems that allow human trafficking to happen in real life.
The Books
- I know Denji wasn’t technically sold, but he was indentured due to his family’s debt, so I’m counting that.
- Also not sure there was any actual money transferred for Yuki, but I’m 70% certain they referred to it as “selling” in the anime.
- Iruma is a very clear case, no questions there.
- All for the Game gets two spots on the list mostly because I needed five books, but also because two whole characters managed to get sold by their parents in that and that has to count for something.
