Amid a momentous week for American manga publishers, which included both the American Manga Awards and annual AnimeNYC convention, HarperCollins announced the launch of a new manga imprint, Kazé.
The publisher is rolling out the imprint in partnership with the existing Kazé publishers in France and Germany, which distribute manga for the European market and were acquired by HarperCollins last year. Kazé US will build on that brand for American readers of all ages.
In the <a href="https://comicvibe.com/gamescom-opening-night-live-2026-start-time-countdown-and-announcement-predictions/” title=”Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 start time countdown and announcement predictions”>announcement, HarperCollins called Kazé “a collaborative, creator-focused imprint dedicated to publishing the latest and most exciting manga, manhwa, and manhua for English-language readers,” meaning it will publish Korean and Chinese comics in addition to Japanese.
The imprint will officially launch in fall 2027 under the leadership of HarperAlley and Kazé publisher Andrew Arnold. HarperAlley launched in 2020 with a focus on graphic novels for children, before expanding into adult graphic novels, manga, and manhwa in 2024.
“I’m excited to launch Kazé in the U.S. and expand HarperCollins’s publishing into the manga space,” Arnold said in a statement. “Alongside the renowned international Kazé teams, we will champion all categories of manga for English-language readers.”
Arnold, along with editors Josh Sippie and Emilia Sowersby, will acquire titles for Kazé US while working with the international teams.
Kazé US is set to publish a wide range of manga, including shonen (aimed at teen boys), shojo (for teen girls), seinen (young men), josei (young women), and beyond. Per the announcement, the inaugural list “will feature both beloved and standout new titles ready to find their English-language audience.”
“We’re thrilled to expand Kazé to the US,” HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray said in the announcement. “Building on our established presence in Japan and our successful relaunch of Kazé in Germany and France last year, our publishing teams will continue to work collaboratively to elevate the brand and drive growth in the English-language market.”
HarperCollins isn’t the first American publisher to expand into manga. Abrams ComicArts launched its manga imprint Kana in 2024, and just won Best New Manga at this past weekend’s American Manga Awards for their English-language translation of Billy Bat by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki.
