Kodansha USA has announced a new slate of print manga licenses and premium releases this week that will be released throughout Fall 2026.
The publisher confirmed the new print manga licenses from January 7, 2026 to January 9, 2026, with titles ranging within the thriller, fantasy, and romantic comedy categories.
Here are the details on the latest print titles:
AIDOL
Original Concept: Ku Tanaka
Story: Yu Kuraishi
Art: Kazu Inabe
Release Date: Fall 2026
Each omnibus volume of the manga series contains two parts, totaling to 400 pages.
Synopsis:
In this dark showbiz thriller manga, a sick fan of a mediocre idol singer becomes a monstrous presence possessing the electrical grid. He wields his strange new powers mercilessly to make his stan a success—whether she likes it or not. It’s Death Note meets Perfect Blue in a tense, horrific mystery featuring Final Destination–style kills against a toxic celebrity backdrop, from the creators of Fort of Apocalypse and Starving Anonymous.
NakiNagi
Story and Art: Keigo Maki
Release Date: Fall 2026
Synopsis:
A quiet witch meets a girl in love. Nakika was once a feared witch of the deep sea, but has started a life on the surface to learn about “human emotions.” Nagisa is a naive romantic and Nakika’s best friend—and although she might not always understand Nagisa’s infatuation, her compassion for Nagisa is deeper than the Pacific Ocean! Using her magical powers to support Nagisa’s quest for love deepens Nakika’s understanding of the human world—but it also strengthens her ties to the land and to Nagisa herself. Follow the 1000% wholesome story of a girl in love and her watchful guardian!
Say Hello to Mr. Wallaby!
Story and Art: Marume Goshika
Release Date: Fall 2026
Synopsis:
One day, a Japanese professor on a field expedition to Australia has the surprise of a lifetime when a wallaby suddenly falls on him from the trees above. The wallaby is slightly put out (as he explains quite calmly) because, you see, he was distracted while reading a book about one of his favorite subjects—bushido. He’s a bit of an otaku and has always dreamed of going to Japan. The professor is instantly charmed, of course, and whisks Mr. Wallaby off to Japan. Mr. Wallaby, inspired by the professor, says he also wants to become a teacher…
Kiss or Die Trying!
Story and Art: Den Mitao
Release Date: Fall 2026
Synopsis:
Kanemaru, an inveterate serial dater, takes an interest in Liu, a transfer student at his college who works at his favorite Chinese eatery. But just as Kanemaru works up the courage to ask out Liu, they’re suddenly attacked by a gang of kidnappers! Each and every time things start to heat up between the two, a wild and unpredictable predicament just so happens to get in the way… Strap in for a madcap BL about a couple the universe itself is determined to keep apart—even if it means they have to die!
Fan/Girl x Call/Boy
Story and Art: Kotora Aoshima
Release Date: Fall 2026
Synopsis:
Sakurako, a shut-in and an obsessive fan of ero-ge (erotic fantasy games) hires a call-boy, Fuji, to try and experience the feelings of her favorite game character. Things go awry when a clumsy stumble causes the carefully-hidden otaku-ware and an erotic game on the TV to unpause—revealing Sakurako’s ulterior motives. But it turns out that Fuji is a fan of the same game—so they end up spending the night playing games instead. The two keep in touch, and Saurako is able to find the courage to go outside, if it means spending more time with Fuji (and fangirling out at a game-themed cafe!).
Rainy Day Serenade Omnibus
Story and Art: Haruka Kawachi
Release Date: Fall 2026
Each premium omnibus paperback contains two parts, totaling to 400 pages.
Synopsis:
On rainy days, Hina has dreams about her younger self playing with a mysterious boy in a garden she’s never seen before—until, by chance, she stumbles upon the place. There’s a young man there, Takaaki, who mistakes Hina for his fiancée Hinako. He whisks her back to what he thinks is her home, where Hina’s doppelganger is waiting, and Hina realizes this isn’t the Tokyo she left behind but Japan in the year 1907! Is this all a dream or something much stranger?
Mr. Vamp Is a Vampire
Story and Art: Dorothy Odoroo
Release Date: Fall 2026
Synopsis:
A hilarious farce with rivalries, misunderstandings, and one beautiful monster. An elegant vampire thinks he’s hiding in plain sight as a high school teacher — but his secret identity isn’t fooling anyone, and his students love being taught by a suave bloodsucker.
“Mr. Vamp,” an immortal vampire, has had a number of careers over his long life. To mix things up, he’s now working as a history teacher in a high school in Japan. He thinks he’s got everyone fooled into believing he’s just an ordinary mortal, but due to a lack of effort on his part when it comes to truly blending in, the students and teachers all realize his true nature (but still humor him by going along with the fiction). Hijinks ensue!
Premium and New Editions
Black Jack Deluxe Edition
Story and Art: Osamu Tezuka
Release Date: Fall 2026
Description:
This three-part reissue collects, in oversized format, selected stories from the original series. Volume 1 will contain those the creator did in color. Volumes 2 and 3 will cover the creator’s own best-of selection.
Blue Lock Full Color Selection
Story: Muneyuki Kaneshiro
Art: Yusuke Nomura
Release Date: Fall 2026
Description:
Blue Lock’s most thrilling soccer moments in brilliant color! Each volume of this series contains the greatest chapters centered on a fan-favorite character from the global smash hit soccer manga Blue Lock, meticulously colorized and coming to you in a comics trade–sized paperback, plus a new, bonus character profile section. Vol. 1 focuses on Yoichi Isagi, Vol. 2 on Seishiro Nagi, and Vol. 3 on Michael Kaiser — just in time for the World Cup!
Sources: Kodansha USA Official Twitter (2) (3), press release
