<p> The growth patterns of cohorts of blackthroat seaperch <i>Doederleinia berycoides</i> in the western Japan Sea were examined with the dominant year class. We estimated the historical fork length for each individual using the back-calculation method and used these to compare the growth equations of the 2010–2016 cohorts. The results showed differences in growth patterns between pre-2012 and post-2013 cohorts. This was consistent with the occurrence of the dominant year class from 2013 onward. From 2013 onward, the growth rate after age 5 decreased, and the theoretical maximum length (<InlineEquation ID="IEq1"> <EquationSource Format="TEX">\({L}_{\infty }\)</EquationSource> <EquationSource Format="MATHML"><math> <msub> <mi>L</mi> <mi>∞</mi> </msub> </math></EquationSource> </InlineEquation>) decreased significantly. These results suggest a density-dependent effect on growth affecting attainment of maximum size following the occurrence of a dominant year class.</p>