VIZ Media Debuts New Brainiac Superhero Manga Series My Hero Academia

Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press releases Special Thanks to Elizabeth Ellis and Erik Jansen

VIZ Media, LLC, the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, announces the launch of creator Kouhei Horikoshi’s brainiac action manga series -- My Hero Academia -- now available. My Hero Academia is rated ‘T’ for Teens and print volumes carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN each. The series is also available digitally via VIZManga.com and the VIZ MANGA App and from the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks, comiXology, and GooglePlay stores. Future English editions of My Hero Academia, which is ongoing in Japan and also serialized in current digital issues of Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, will be published bi-annually under VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump imprint. What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks”? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless? Middle school student Izuku Midoriya wants to be a hero more than anything, but he hasn’t got an ounce of power in him. With no chance of ever getting into the prestigious U.A. High School for budding heroes, his life is looking more and more like a dead end. Then an encounter with All Might, the greatest hero of them all, gives him a chance to change his destiny... “My Hero Academia has been thrilling readers of Weekly Shonen Jump and has become the single most requested new series for English publication from the magazine’s current roster,” says Mike Montesa, Editor. “Readers will be in for a wild ride in this inventive new series that puts a fresh spin on the classic superhero concept. Join the action as a fateful encounter gives young Izuku Midoriya a chance to become part of the next generation of Heroes!” My Hero Academia creator Kouhei Horikoshi received a Tezuka Award Honorable Mention in 2006, and after publishing several short stories in Akamaru Jump, his first serialized work, Oumagadoki Doubutsuen, debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2010. Barrage, his second series in Weekly Shonen Jump, was released by VIZ Media; My Hero Academia is his third series to appear in Japan in Weekly Shonen Jump. My Hero Academia is published digitally each week by VIZ Media and features the latest installments of some of the world’s most popular manga series released to English readers across North America on the same day as the magazine’s general print release in Japan. More info is available at shonenjump.viz.com. In addition to the U.S. and Canada, Weekly Shonen Jump is available to readers in the U.K., Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand at shonenjump.viz.com and through the WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP App for iOS and Android devices. For more information on Weekly Shonen Jump and exclusive subscriber offers, please visit shonenjump.viz.com. For more information on My Hero Academia and manga titles from VIZ Media, please visit VIZ.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by three of Japan`s largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology Weekly Shonen Jump and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages. VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products. Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at VIZ.com.