VIZ MEDIA DELIVERS THE LATEST YU-GI-OH! ADVENTURES WITH THE LAUNCH OF NEW

YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL MANGA SERIES IN JUNE

Brand New Action Adventure Series Follows A Young Boy’s Quest To Fulfill His Destiny And Become A Dueling Champion; Vol. 1 First Editions Include Limited Edition YU-GI-OH! Trading Card

San Francisco, CA, May 17, 2012 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, notably expands its bestselling YU-GI-OH! manga (graphic novel) brand with the forthcoming release of the newest series in the popular franchise. YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL launches on June 5^th under the company’s SHONEN JUMP imprint, is rated ‘T’ for Teens, and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN. Volume 1 First Editions will also contain a limited edition collectable YU-GI-OH! trading card.

YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL is based on an original concept by Kazuki Takahashi with story by Shin Yoshida and artwork created by Naohito Miyoshi. The new series takes place in a futuristic city where augmented reality Duels are all the rage. Duelists, using devices called D-Gazers, can interact with their environment and their opponents as never before. With more awesome monsters and unbelievable cards, the future of Yu-Gi-Oh! starts right here! No one loves Dueling more than Yuma Tsukumo, but unfortunately for him, no one is worse at it! This isn’t going to stop Yuma from trying though. When Yuma calls on the memory of his parents during the Duel, a strange being called Astral appears, and the encounter is the start of Yuma’s amazing Duel journey!

“YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL is the successor to YU-GI-OH! 5D’s and takes the art of Dueling to the next level in this exciting latest saga of the internationally popular franchise,” says Mike Montesa, Editor. “The manga series, which is ongoing in Japan, closely follows the YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL animated show currently airing on North American television on the CW network’s Toonzai animated program block. With plenty of action and supercharged Duels featuring a colorful new array of monsters, manga readers won’t want to miss a single adventure as Yuma Tsukumo strives to become a famous champion and fulfill his destiny!” 

Artist/author Kazuki Takahashi first tried to break into the manga business in 1982, but success eluded him until YU-GI-OH! debuted in the Japanese Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1996. YU-GI-OH!'s themes of friendship and fighting, together with Takahashi's weird and imaginative monsters, soon became enormously successful, spawning a real-world trading card game, video games, and three popular anime series including the two original YU-GI-OH! series as well as YU-GI-OH! GX.

More information on YU-GI-OH! is available at: www.viz.com/yu-gi-oh.

About VIZ Media, LLC

Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga (graphic novel) publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan’s largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa and is a global ex-Asia licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including the popular monthly manga anthology SHONEN JUMP magazine, graphic novels, and DVDs, and develops, markets, licenses, and distributes animated entertainment for audiences and consumers of all ages. Contact VIZ Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and website at www.VIZ.com.