Marvel’s Japan Manga Partnership Ends After Long-Running Collaboration

Marvel is one of the most recognizable names in modern entertainment. Its reach in the United States is massive, built on headline heroes like Spider-Man and Iron Man, but the brand’s influence stretches well beyond North America—especially into Japan, the home of manga and anime culture.

Key takeaways

• Shueisha and Marvel’s manga partnership in Japan has been officially terminated.
• The deal began after Shueisha and Walt Disney signed an agreement in March 2019.
• As of September 30, 2026, the contract will fully end, bringing an end to future Marvel manga releases in Japan.
• With the Shueisha contract gone, Marvel manga based on the Marvel IP will not be produced in Japan unless a new deal is reached with another publisher.
• DC Comics is highlighted as an ongoing alternative partnership in Japan through its collaboration with Kodansha.

Marvel’s Japan deal with Shueisha is over, ending Marvel manga collaborations

Marvel Comics is a long-running giant in comic publishing and one of the oldest major brands in the space. The company traces its beginnings to the United States in 1939, founded by Martin Goodman. Over the decades, Marvel has helped define some of the most influential characters in entertainment, including Spider-Man, the Avengers, The Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and more—franchises that have helped drive profits measured in the billions.

Today, Marvel is a global phenomenon, with the MCU’s enormous success playing a major role in expanding the brand’s footprint across multiple mediums.

That popularity carries over to Japan as well. Even with intense competition from domestic manga publishers, Marvel has still found a strong audience there. One of the most notable crossovers involved Shueisha, which is described as one of Japan’s largest manga companies. In March 2019, Shueisha and Walt Disney signed an official contract that allowed Shueisha to create and publish manga series featuring the cast and characters from Marvel comics.

The partnership produced a variety of titles, including Deadpool: Samurai and Secret Reverse, among others. Unfortunately, that run is now ending: the contract has been cut off, meaning no further Marvel manga will be produced under that agreement. The termination takes full effect in a matter of months, specifically on September 30, 2026.

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Shueisha’s contract ended: Marvel manga will stop being printed or created

The termination of the agreement between Walt Disney—owner of Marvel—and Shueisha is described as a significant blow. In practical terms, it means that going forward, manga in Japan based on Marvel characters will be effectively impossible unless a new contract is signed with Shueisha or another manga publisher. While that outcome isn’t strictly impossible, the expectation right now is that it is unlikely, since no alternative details have been provided.

There’s also no clear explanation for why the contract was terminated instead of renewed. At the moment, no additional information has been shared, leaving room only for speculation—for example, that Disney may not have been satisfied with how the manga performed in Japan and in overseas markets where international releases are available.

Either way, the impact extends beyond simply stopping new series from being written and published. After September, Marvel manga printing in Japan is expected to stop as well. That raises the possibility that existing volumes could become harder to find over time, while also putting some upcoming releases at risk—such as Deadpool’s final volume, which is referenced as a title not yet released in English.

Whether those series will eventually see publication or instead fade out without release is still unknown. The article also urges fans interested in Marvel manga to buy what they can while they still have the chance, because scarcity could drive up prices. With reprints no longer planned, resellers may become the dominant source of copies as the market tightens.

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Even with Marvel and Shueisha ending, DC-Kodansha keeps going

Marvel and Shueisha’s collaboration is described as having lasted about seven years, producing a range of fan-favorite series that Japan-based readers grew to enjoy. That Japanese take on American superhero stories was positioned as an interesting experience for many readers.

With the Marvel partnership now ended, the article points to another ongoing option in Japan: DC is said to have a continuing collaboration on the way for fans.

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Instead of Shueisha, DC Comics is collaborating with another major manga publisher: Kodansha. The partnership is stated to have started in December 2020, and it’s described as still active. The article also calls out series such as Batman: Justice Buster and Joker: One Operation as examples of what fans can expect from the ongoing collaboration.

For now, readers are encouraged to keep enjoying those DC manga releases.

Marvel is a brand tied to a wide range of popular superhero comics, movies, television shows, and merchandise. The company holds rights to well-known characters including The Avengers, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Deadpool, and many others.