VIZ MEDIA ACQUIRES PUBLISHING RIGHTS FOR NEW SHONEN JUMP MANGA SERIES MY HERO ACADEMIA

New Action Title From The Pages Of WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP Magazine About An Aspiring Teen’s Quest To Become A Superhero Launches In Print And Digitally This Summer

San Francisco, CA, February 19, 2015 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, has announced the acquisition of its newest title with the addition of MY HERO ACADEMIA to its extensive manga publishing catalog.

MY HERO ACADEMIA is a new breakout hit by Kohei Horikoshi, the creator of  BARRAGE (also published by VIZ Media). His new series is rated ‘T’ for Teens and will launch in North America in August in print and also digitally across all territories serviced by VIZManga.com and the VIZ MANGA App. The title also will be available internationally from select VIZ Media content partners’ proprietary digital platforms.

MY HERO ACADEMIA is presently serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, which is published in Japan by VIZ Media parent company, Shueisha, Inc. The ongoing series also appears in the latest digital English editions of WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP, which is published by VIZ Media on the same day as the Japanese counterpart with simultaneous, multi-territory global release. Current issues are available at www.shonenjump.com.

What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested extraordinary superpowers called “Quirks” at age four? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Becoming a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? U.A. High's Hero Program 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…

“We're excited to launch full volumes for the popular MY HERO ACADEMIA, fresh from the pages of WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP,” says Mike Montesa, Editor. “Though a cruel twist of fate makes life hard for aspiring hero Izuki, he is positive he’s destined for something greater, and fans will cheer for Izuki on his journey as his life changes forever when All Might bestows his superpower upon him!”

Manga creator Kohei Horikoshi was born in Aichi, Japan, in 1986. He received a Tezuka Award Honorable Mention in 2006, and after publishing several short stories in Akamaru Jump, he made his debut in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2010 with Oumagadoki Doubutsuen. The space battle fantasy adventure, BARRAGE, was his second series for Weekly Shonen Jump and is also published in English by VIZ Media.

For more information on MY HERO ACADEMIA or other manga titles published by VIZ Media, please visit www.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 ONE PIECE, 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 www.VIZ.com.

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