Kodansha News & Updates for Direct Market Retailers
NEW UPDATES FOR SUMMER 2025:
Greetings comic shop and direct market retailer friends! We have a special update for you all full of information on current and upcoming manga-inspired anime series, info on Kodansha top sellers, and spotlights upcoming new print manga license you'll want to keep your eye on!
Be sure to bookmark this link as we'll be updating information periodically with updated anime schedules, title lists, recommendations, and more! You can also sign up to the Kodansha email newsletter here.
CURRENT TOP SELLERS AND PRE-ORDER WINNERS:
As requested from conversations with retailers we wanted to give stores a glimpse at the big movers in terms of the current bestselling Kodansha series, as well as a peek into the unreleased series we're already seeing big pre-orders for.
The Kodansha Current Bestselling Series in 2025 list consist of series we've seen remain in our weekly top overall sales across multiple retailers for much of 2025. While the Kodansha Current Preorder Highlights list consist of series that are already showing strong preorder sales ahead of release.
| Kodansha Current Bestselling Series in 2025 | |
| ISBN | Title - Long (no articles) |
| 9781646511846 | A SIGN OF AFFECTION |
| 9781646516544 | BLUE LOCK |
| 9798888773772 | FALL IN LOVE YOU FALSE ANGELS |
| 9798888770207 | GACHIAKUTA |
| 9798888770986 | INITIAL D OMNIBUS |
| 9781646512010 | SAILOR MOON NAOKO TAKEUCHI COLLECTION |
| 9798888771389 | THE FRAGRANT FLOWER BLOOMS WITH DIGNITY |
| 9781646519781 | VINLAND SAGA DELUXE |
| Kodansha Current Preorder Highlights | |
| ISBN | Title - Long (no articles) |
| 9798888776346 | MUSHISHI COLLECTOR'S EDITION |
| 9798888777046 | SHUGO CHARA! 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION |
| 9798888777107 | SHUGO CHARA! JEWEL JOKER |
| 9798888776711 | THE GHOST IN THE SHELL LEGACY EDITION MANGA BOX SET |
SUMMER AND FALL '25 SEASON ANIME FEATURING KODANSHA MANGA:
It’s undeniable that anime is a big driver of manga sales and this Summer’s anime season is already seeing a major effect with Gachiakuta and The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity pushing to the top of Kodansha’s sales charts. Take a look below to check out other Kodansha manga that inspired the debuting and continuing seasons of anime for the Summer and Fall.
Summer 2025 Anime Inspired by Kodansha Manga (Currently Airing)
- Gachiakuta
- The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity
- Watari-kun's ****** Is about to Collapse
- With You and the Rain
- I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability (Season 2)
- Grand Blue Dreaming (Season 2)
- A Couple of Cuckoos (Season 2)
- Rent-a-Girlfriend (Season 4)
Fall 2025 Anime Inspired by Kodansha Manga (Starts airing in October)
NEWLY ANNOUNCED PRINT MANGA FOR SPRING 2026:
At both Anime Expo and Comic-Con International 2025 Kodansha has announced a huge slate of premium editions, returning classics and debuting series all arriving in Spring 2026. Below we’re highlighting some of the biggest movers Kodansha is seeing in terms of pre-order sales, as well as some series you’ll want to keep an eye on. If you’d like to browse the Spring 2026 announcements please visit our Anime Expo announcement page and our Comic-Con International announcement page.
Premium Editions and Box Sets:
Witch Hat Atelier: Grimoire Edition
By Kamome Shirahama
Debut Date: Spring 2026
ISBN: 9798888777794 (Order Link TBD)
This deluxe, keepsake-quality hardcover edition includes three volumes of the acclaimed fantasy manga on which the enchanting anime was based. Experience the beautiful tale of a young witch who discovers her creativity and faces down a dangerous and thrilling world with her friends by her side in these extra-large books, printed on premium paper with intricate gold foil covers and exclusive bonus content. Includes Witch Hat Atelier Vols. 1–3.
The new Grimoire Edition is a gold-foiled hardcover of nearly 600 pages each, including color pages and bonus content and presenting this magical epic in a special large size.
Rated: 10+
Attack on Titan Definitive Hardcover Collection
By Hajime Isayama
Debut Date: Spring 2026
ISBN: 9798888777930 (Order Link TBD)
The global manga hit returns in a massive new deluxe edition, including three volumes in one hardcover book featuring faux leather cover, gold foil stamping, library-style binding, and color pages that aren’t even included in the Japanese edition!
Rated: 16+
The Ghost in the Shell Legacy Edition Manga Box Set
By Shirow Masamune
Debut Date: Spring 2026
ISBN: 9798888776711 (Order Link TBD)
Every page of the defining work of modern cyberpunk returns in an ultimate, uncensored edition that matches the final Japanese manga, packaged in a box set featuring two brand-new illustrations by creator Shirow Masamune, 11 exclusive posters, and a set of multicolored Fuchikoma robot stickers.
For decades, the English and Japanese editions of this masterpiece have never quite matched each other. That finally changes with the Legacy Edition, which restores the pages that had been edited in the original The Ghost in the Shell manga. The set also includes the acclaimed Deluxe Edition localization of The Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human Error Processor and The Ghost in the Shell 2.0: Man-Machine Interface. All three are reproduced in a high-quality hardcover, right-to-left manga format, with all the pages included in the latest version currently in print in Japan.
Also included:
- A premium slipcase featuring two brand-new illustrations by original author Shirow Masamune, created specifically for this box.
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One new piece and ten posters from the rare, limited-edition 1997 Cyberdelics box set, never before released in English, reproduced in new versions featuring a staggering range of special print effects, including etched metallic paper, vinyl stock, and holographic spot gloss.
-
The new, 10-inch-wide posters come rolled (not folded) and packed in a rigid box inside the slipcase for added protection.
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A set of multicolored Fuchikoma robot stickers, also from Cyberdelics.
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A double-sided poster with Shirow-sensei's explanation of his artistic process and the poster art, never before translated into English.
Rated: 18+
MARS 30th Anniversary Edition
By Fuyumi Soryo
Debut Date: Spring 2026
ISBN: 9798888777848 (Order Link TBD)
The unforgettable classic shojo manga about two young people against the world who overcome their pain by relying on each other returns, in a glittering metallic hardcover with all-new cover illustrations and translation!
Upon its release in English in 2002, MARS quickly became one of the best-selling shojo manga of all time, on par with Nana. But this beloved classic has been out of print for decades—until now. Kodansha is bringing MARS back for its 35th anniversary with an all-new translation in collectible, 2-in-1 hardcovers featuring glittering metallic covers and new cover illustrations from creator Fuyumi Soryo.
The new edition will be complete in 8 volumes.
Rated: 16+
Upcoming Debut Series Spotlight:
DRAGON CIRCUS
Story by Eiichi Shimizu
Illustrated by Tomohiro Shimoguchi
Debut Date: Spring 2026
ISBN: 9781647295714 (Order Link TBD)
DEATH TO ALL DRAGONS!
The sudden appearance of massive monsters known as "Dragons" throws the world into chaos. The New United Nations, created as a response to the threat, puts together a team known as the Dragonslayers, including (among others) a vampire, an android, a witch, the animated remains of the legendary ogre Shuten Doji, and....a little girl?! Ace pilot Momo may still be in grade school, but she just might have the skills to save humankind.
Taut action, propulsive storytelling, and sly humor take this seinen action series to new heights and unexpected places!
Rated: 13+
Wicked Spot
By Sal Jiang
Debut Date: Spring 2026
ISBN: 9781647295714 (Order Link TBD)
Selfies + Spells = Wickedly Sweet Seduction!
After spending over a century hiding in the shadows, powerful sorceress Sadako stumbles upon the dazzling world of social media and decides to post her way into her first real contact with humanity. She soon becomes an internet sensation, attracting a huge following of doting fans—and shocks them all by announcing she is a witch. The big reveal turns one follower called Hanako, a lonely young woman with seemingly inhuman strength and a curious resistance to magic, into a dedicated hater, and inadvertently sends them both on a whirlwind adventure beyond their wildest dreams!
From popular yuri author Sal Jiang comes a fun, sexy, and free-spirited tale of modern-day magic!
Rated: 16+
GALAXIAS
By Ao Hatesaka
Debut Date: Spring 2026
ISBN: 9798888777114 (Order Link TBD)
A country girl longing for adventure and a kid with a dragon tail set off on a rip-roaring adventure in this hot new fantasy shonen manga perfect for fans of One Piece, Soul Eater, Fairy Tail, and Gachiakuta.
In a distant corner of the Laniakea Kingdom, humans live alongside powerful beings with strange tails known as dragonfolk. A girl named Jio, whose father has forbidden her from leaving the remote island where they live, yearns to escape the confines of this quiet countryside and explore the world. Everything changes in the moment when Jio meets the mysterious Nereid, who claims to have lost all his memories. The revelations keep coming, as Jio realizes that her father kept her hidden because the whole world is hunting her, setting Jio and Nereid on a path to find the world’s most intrepid explorer, Yuri Holst. Could this living legend be the solution to Jio's problems? Strange lands and uncharted waters await... Let the grand adventure begin!
Rated: 13+
OMORI
By OMOCAT and Nui Konoito
Debut Date: Spring 2026
ISBN: 9781647295691 (Order Link TBD)
Teenage Sunny, a nonverbal shut-in (or hikikomori) dealing with the death of his older sister, leaves the house for the first time in years when his old friend Kel appears suddenly on his doorstep. At the same time, Sunny's dream-world alter ego Omori embarks on a quest with Kel and their friends Aubrey and Hero to search for Basil, a missing member of their group. Together the party must navigate the perils of this strange world, as well as their complicated feelings and repressed memories, to move forward and find what they've lost...!
Rated: 13+
Fruit of the Underworld
By Aya Kanno
Debut Date: Spring 2026
ISBN: 9781647295837 (Order Link TBD)
One Bite and You Can Never Go Back
Ever since the day Seiji climbed down a creepy dark well as a kid to retrieve a wayward ball and picked up an odd-looking pomegranate, he’s had to dodge an unending stream of near-fatal “accidents” that push everyone around him away—except for his best friend Haru. But all that changes when their high school bus crashes, killing everybody on board but Seiji. Suddenly, rumors from his childhood about that fateful well reaching into the depths of the underworld take on a whole new light, and Seiji is launched into an epic adventure to save his friend—and his own soul.
The journey into the underworld of Greek legend as never seen before begins in this darkly thrilling action-adventure, perfect for fans of Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, Attack on Titan, Chainsaw Man, and Bleach!
Rated: 13+
Magical Karina
By Coyuri Tono
Debut Date: Spring 2026
ISBN: 9798888777541 (Order Link TBD)
A funny and heartfelt action manga that puts a poignant new spin on the magical girl formula, perfect for fans of Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura.
Karina never asked to be a magical girl! In fact, not even a few hours have passed since her dear grandmother's sudden death when a boy meets her in the street and calls on her to transform. But how can a sarcastic teenager from a working-class family juggle her grief, her schoolwork, her waitressing job, and fighting death itself?
Rated: 13+
Love at First Memory
By Narumi Hasegaki
Debut Date: Spring 2026
ISBN: 9798888777145 (Order Link TBD)
An heiress battling amnesia must piece together which of her four suitors ultimately stole her heart in this upbeat, self-aware reverse harem romcom manga from the creator of Boss Bride Days!
Mia Takanashi, heiress to the famed Takanashi Group, has had the world at her feet since birth. With the future of the company to think about, deciding on a marriage partner early would have its advantages. However, just as Mia set her heart on one of several charming suitors, amnesia from a freak car accident sets her back to square one! Four wildly different boys appear before her, claiming to be her intended fiancé, but which one of them did Mia ultimately choose? She may just have to fall in love all over again to find out!
Rated: 16+
Cat-Life Balance
By Akari Otokawa
Debut Date: Spring 2026
ISBN: 9798888777770 (Order Link TBD)
In this office romance manga with a feline twist, a people-pleaser teetering on the edge of burnout discovers his antisocial coworker's secret: She only smiles when she's playing with stray cats! Now he's got a choice: Keep up the façade and keep saying "yes" to every extra task and happy hour, or risk his perfect work image to sneak off for some simple, frisky fun?
Fans of Sweat & Soap and Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You will love this new series from the creator of Cells at Work! Lady.
Rated: 16+
Chi's Sweet France
Story by Konami Kanata
Illustrated by Catherine Bouvier
Debut Date: Spring 2026
ISBN: 9781647295776 (Order Link TBD)
A coda that picks up exactly where the main series left off: with Chi & Family in Paris.
Chi & her human family have moved to Paris but, even before the boxes are unpacked, relocate to 'burbs just so the cat may still venture outdoors.
“Chi’s Sweet Home seems to have that feline je ne sais quoi that could fill a niche in the existing market.”—Comics Reporter
Rated: 8+
UPCOMING YURI AND BL SPOTLIGHTS:
At the ComicsPRO annual conference in February 2025 we mentioned that BL (Boys' Love) was a category of manga that was growing within the Kodansha library of releases. This summer we announced even more BL as well as some Yuri (Girls' Love) titles continuing the growth of this category sharing manga stories that range from cute and cozy, to dramatic and emotionally harrowing. See below for the title list of upcoming BL and Yuri series coming soon from Kodansha!
| ISBN | Title - Long (no articles) |
| 9798888775202 | You're All Mine Tonight |
| 9798888775035 | Light of My Life |
| 9798888775059 | My Instructor Won't Yield |
| 9798888775721 | Flip Flip Slowly |
| 9781647294823 | In the Key of Love, Reprised |
| 9798888775912 | Omega Megaera |
| 9798888777596 | Marrying the Dark Knight (For Her Money) |
| 9781647295806 | Voices in the Sea Foam |
| 9798888778333 | Blue Summer Haze |
| 9798888778203 | What If I Said, "I Love You"? |
| 9781647295585 | Smells Like Green Spirit |
| 9798888777589 | Honey Bee & Lemon Balm |
TRAILERS FOR CURRENT AND UPCOMING KODANSHA MANGA-INSPIRED ANIME:
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