VIZ Media Publisher Profile

VIZ Media logo
VIZ Media logo.
by Deb Aoki
Deb Aoki is a published cartoonist, manga enthusiast, and the creator of the comic strip "Bento Box."
Updated January 17, 2018

Founded:

1986

Official Web Sites:

Address:

Mailing Address:
VIZ Media, LLC
P.O. BOX 77010
San Francisco, CA 94107

Main Address:
VIZ Media, LLC
295 Bay Street
San Francisco, CA 94133

About This Publisher:

One of the first companies to publish Japanese manga for the U.S. market, VIZ Media publishes and distributes comics, graphic novels, novel-adaptations of manga, magazines, art books, novels, and children's books.

Founded by Seiji Horibuchi in 1986 as VIZ Communications, VIZ Media is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and Shogakukan's licensing division Shogakukan Productions (ShoPro Japan), as of 2002.

While early VIZ Media manga titles such as Ranma 1/2 were serialized as monthly comics sold in comic shops, most VIZ Media titles are now published in graphic novel format, released either bi-monthly or quarterly.

VIZ Media has also published manga as monthly anthology magazines. The North American edition of Shonen Jump Magazine made its debut in 2002, and continued until 2012, when it was replaced with Shonen Jump Alpha, a digital-only, weekly edition of the magazine. Shojo Beat magazine debuted in 2005, and featured shojo manga from various publishers, including Vampire Knight and Nana. The print edition of Shojo Beat Magazine was discontinued in 2009, and is currently exists as VIZ Media's shojo manga imprint.

VIZ Media has several imprints for their various publishing genres and publishing partnerships, including Shonen Sunday (manga from Shogakukan's Shonen Sunday magazine), VIZ Kids (all-ages manga and children's books), SuBLime Manga (yaoi manga), Haikasoru (sci-fi/novels), Studio Ghibli Library (for ani-manga, art books and adaptations of Studio Ghibli anime), SigIKKI / VIZ Signature (with Shogakukan's IKKI Magazine), and Shonen Jump / Shonen Jump Advanced.

In recent years, VIZ Media has moved into digital publishing and broadcasting, with their manga website / e-commerce storefront, VIZManga.com, and its online anime website, VIZAnime.com. VIZ anime is also broadcast online via Hulu.com, and their subscription anime service, Neon Alley, which is available via Sony PS3 game consoles.

Based in San Francisco, VIZ also releases anime DVDs, and handles licensing for its manga and animation properties. In 2012, VIZ Media launched Toshin, a line of original licensed clothing featuring characters from Naruto, Bleach and Death Note.

Publishing Affiliations:

Manga Categories:

VIZ publishes manga under several imprints, each with a slightly different editorial focus. They include:

  • Shojo Beat - shojo manga
  • Shonen Jump and Shonen Jump Advanced - shonen manga
  • VIZ Kids - kodomo manga
  • VIZ Media - mix of shojo, shonen, josei and seinen manga titles
  • VIZ Signature / SigIKKI - primarily seinen, josei manga and artistically innovative gekiga (graphic novels)
  • Shonen Sunday - shonen manga
  • SuBLime Manga - yaoi manga
  • Haikasoru - science fiction and prose novels
  • Studio Ghibli Library - artbooks, anime manga and children's books based on Studio Ghibli films

Popular Current Titles:

  • Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto
  • by Tite Kubo
  • InuYasha by Rumiko Takahashi
  • by Ai Yazawa
  • by Matsuri Hino
  • Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
  • by Naoki Urasawa
  • by Taiyo Matsumoto

Related Products:

  • Magazine
  • Magazine
  • Manga Light Novels
  • Art Books
  • Anime DVDs
  • VIZ Pictures Live Action Film DVDs

Artwork Submission Policy:

VIZ Media does not accept unsolicited proposals for original comics or prose for publication. However, fans are encouraged to submit artwork for publication in Shonen Jump Alpha or VIZ Media manga, provided that it is accompanied with a completed release form.

VIZ Media News: