NYCC 2025: Kodansha Unveils New Print Licenses
Announced at New York Comic Con 2025 — Kodansha revealed to manga fans in-person and online more print manga licenses arriving in Fall 2026.
Kodansha unveils even more details from their Fall 2026 print publishing lineup by revealing a range of upcoming debuts including: a new high quality art book from The Ghost in the Shell creator with Shirow Masamune: Artworks in the Shell; new all-ages titles like the feline focused Cells at Work! spinoff, Cells at Work! Cat, and the magical creature fantasy adventure, When a Dragon Calls; exciting romance stories like the sci-fi rom-com, My Husband is a Doomsday Weapon; beautiful BL like the K-Pop omegaverse drama, Comeback After Fate; and more!
Masamune Shirow: Artwork in the Shell
By Masamune Shirow
JP Title: 士郎正宗の世界展 公式原画集 SHIROW MASAMUNE ARTWORKS IN THE SHELL (Shirow Masamune no Sekai-ten – Koushiki Genga-shu)
Debut Date: Fall 2026
Rated: 18+
Artworks in the Shell is the capstone to any collection focused on Shirow Masamune, covering his more than 40-year career from Dominion and The Ghost in the Shell through Appleseed, Intron Depot, and more!
At 288 pages and nearly a foot long, this hardcover collection is the most spectacular presentation ever of the stunning range of Shirow’s color works, tracing his techniques from all-analog through dozens of early digital tools up to the present day. Assembled for a blockbuster career retrospective exhibition in Tokyo last year, this exhaustive collection of color work by Japan’s master of cyberpunk includes dozens of rare, uncollected pieces, including two exquisite double-folded gatefold artworks.
Cells at Work! Picture Books
By Kumi Makimura
Original work by Akane Shimizu
JP Title: 絵本 はたらく細胞 (Ehon Hataraku Saibo)
Debut Date: Fall 2026
Rated: All Ages 10+
The mega-hit anime and best-selling manga is now an edutainment picture book series! Red Blood Cell, White Blood Cell (Neutrophil), and their team guide young readers on an exciting behind-the-scenes exploration of all the hard work going on to keep the human body healthy. Adorable characters, diagrams, and simple language help make the scientific adventure fun.
Titles in the series:
- Cells at Work! Picture Book 1: The Great Bacteria Vs. White Blood Cell Battle!
- Cells at Work! Picture Book 2: The Dastardly Duo of Flu and Food Poisoning!
- Cells at Work! Picture Book 3: I’m Not Scared of Shots!
- Cells at Work! Picture Book 4: Just a Cold? Just a Bump?
- Cells at Work! Picture Book 5: Busy, Busy Gut Bug Buddies!
Cells at Work! Cat
Original story by Choco Aozora
Art by Meku Kaire
Supervised by Akane Shimizu
JP Title: はたらく細胞 猫 (Hataraku Saibo Neko)
Debut Date: Fall 2026
Rated: All Ages 10+
Red Blood Cell, White Blood Cell (Neutrophil), and their team put on their cat ears as they work, day and night to fight the invaders big and small to make sure these feline friends are happy, healthy, purring machines! Explore the action taking place inside a cat’s body, in Cells at Work! style, while also seeing the perspective from the humans who provide a home and tender loving care.
YuM Cat
By Shirimoto
JP Title: ンめねこ (Nmeneko)
Debut Date: Fall 2026
Rated: 10+
YuM Cat (Nmeneko) is a cat who just wants to enjoy the yummier things in life. But some things that look tasty can be deceiving, and sometimes you need to get a little creative to satiate a craving! Thankfully, YuM Cat’s got a trusty sidekick to help with the trickier slices of life!
This full-color, mostly wordless manga, based on the popular mascot character created by illustrator Shirimoto, which gained popularity on X (Twitter), was recently adapted into a short-form anime series starring Han Megumi and Hiro Shimono.
Perfect for cute cat fans (and foodies!) of any age!
When a Dragon Calls
Original Story by Sachiko Kashiwaba
Art by Renji Asai
Character Design by Miho Satake
JP Title: 竜が呼んだ娘 (Ryu ga Yonda Musume)
Debut Date: Fall 2026
Rated: 10+
A fantastical adventure based on the hit fantasy novel that will sweep you off your feet!
Ten-year-old Mia lives with her aunt in the poor, secluded, so-called “Criminals’ Village” where the only way out is to be called by a dragon and carried off to a new life. One day, the unassuming Mia is chosen for this honor and whisked away on dragon-back to the royal palace, a dazzling world filled with witches, dragon-riding knights, and a centuries-long curse she must somehow find a way to lift.
Perfect for young readers and fans of Kiki’s Delivery Service and Spirited Away!
Erin the Beast Player
Original story by Nahoko Uehashi
Art by Itoe Takemoto
JP Title: 獣の奏者 (Kemono no Souja)
Debut Date: Fall 2026
Rated: 10+
Coming to print for the first time in all-new omnibus editions!
Erin loves her modest but happy life with her mother, a gifted beast doctor who cares for the fearsome giant serpents that the kingdom’s warriors ride into battle. But their world is turned upside down when the entire stable of the prized serpents dies overnight, and Erin’s mother is saddled with the blame. Before she knows it, ten-year-old Erin is cast off in a faraway land where she must learn to survive with only her mother’s words and the kindness of strangers to guide her.
A sumptuous manga adaptation of the hit fantasy novel series, perfect for fans of Witch Hat Atelier, Mushishi, and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind!
My Husband is a Doomsday Weapon
By Yuki Amemiya and Yukino Ichihara
JP Title: 旦那様は終末兵器 (Danna-sama wa Shuumatsu Heiki)
Debut Date: Fall 2026
Rated: 13+
The first ever post-apocalyptic hard sci-fi human/android romance?!
A young scientist working to restore a civilization destroyed centuries ago by cataclysmic war unearths a devastatingly powerful doomsday weapon—which saves her from a marauding robot, then promptly transforms into human guise, identifying her as its new master. Thanks to the input from a romance novel, this handsome anthropomorphic weapon dedicates itself body and soul to our heroine, who in turn realizes that this may be the answer to her total inability to interact with human men…
Packed with humor and sterling artwork, this series fuses the visual storytelling techniques of shojo manga with effortlessly natural and precise science fiction worldbuilding to create something totally unique—and genuinely romantic!
You Might As Well Be the One
By Megumu Seto
JP Title: いっそあなたがトドメを刺して (Isso Anata ga Todome wo Sashite)
Debut Date: Fall 2026
Rated: 16+
“I want you to never stop smiling.” Ichika, a college student, just wants to have a normal romance for once, yet because of her flashy appearance, she is often misunderstood. Not ready to give up on a romantic encounter, Ichika joins a drinking party and meets a kind boy named Kosei. They immediately click and Ichika has a great time talking to him about their mutual interests and other things, and she finds herself falling for him after he tells her that he likes her for who she is. However, he has a secret…?!
A Love Too Captivating
By Mia Sorahana
JP Title: たまらないのは恋なのか (Tamaranai no wa Koi na no ka)
Debut Date: Fall 2026
Rated: 16+
The eagerly-awaited BL is finally here!
Misuzu never goes looking for fights—they just always come to him. But when he sees the local punks trying to start trouble with his classmate, honor-student Kitahara, he can’t help himself from stepping in. Ever since, Kitahara has been following Misuzu everywhere, trying to get to know this so-called bully who is actually much sweeter than he seems. All Misuzu wants is to be left alone…at first. But soon, something begins to blossom between the two—something that may just prove too captivating to resist.
A must-read for fans of My Summer of You and Sasaki and Miyano!
Comeback After Fate
By Anji Seina
JP Title: カムバック・アフター・フェイト
Debut Date: Fall 2026
Rated: 18+
The steamy K-Pop omegaverse BL manga you’ve been waiting for!
Eli’s boy band VINKS has just made their big debut—and as the youngest in the group, far from having everything handed to him as an alpha, he has to work twice as hard! One day, he participates in a session with Lee Suyoung from the top-ranked, all-alpha group α-code. For Eli, a longtime fan, it’s a dream come true. But what’s this sweet smell coming from Suyoung? Before he knows it, Eli’s mouth is heading for Suyoung’s nape… It’s only one month until α-code’s big comeback. What will they do, now that Eli knows Suyoung’s secret?
Gachiakuta Dumpster Box Set
By Kei Urana
Graffiti Design by Hideyoshi Andou
Debut Date: Fall 2026
Rated: 16+
Volumes 1-10 of the original manga in a graffiti-covered, dumpster-shaped box set. Bonus item: cotton tote bag made from recycled material.
A young boy is framed for murder and cast off the edge of a floating city into the abyss, where he grapples with the monsters that the elite high above would rather forget. The more the rich glitter, the higher the price paid by the poor…
Now a hit anime running through December 2025!
