If Kingdom Can Get a U.S. Release, Then These 8 Manga Titles Can Too

At long last, the legendary historical epic Kingdomis getting an official English release for its manga. The series had long been regarded as one of the greatest manga of all time thanks to its amazing writing and artwork, and it’s even one of the best-selling manga of all time, so this announcement is long overdue, especially when the anime has been running for years to incredible success.

Kingdom officially getting licensed in English is nothing but great, and it opens the door for plenty more. Kingdom’s licensing proves that a manga can always come out in English, no matter how long or how old it might be, so if Kingdom can get an official English release, that means other great manga of its caliber can and should get English releases, as well, no matter how long it might take. A few manga like that are especially worth highlighting, and hopefully, it won’t be too long before every one of them is finally available in English.

8 Sanda

Manga By Paru Itagaki; Serialized In Weekly Shonen Champion 2021-2024

Sanda

Animation

Action & Adventure

Mystery

Cast

Ayumu Murase
Kazushige Sanda
Hiroki Touchi
Santa Claus

SANDA is a futuristic film exploring themes of survival and human connection in a world facing declining birth rates. It follows a boy named Sanda, who discovers that his classmate, Shiori Fuyumura, intends to kill him due to a "curse" and her missing friend's influence.

Main Genre: Animation
Seasons: 1
Release Window: Fall 2025

Sanda is the second major serialization from Paru Itagaki of Beastars fame. Sanda takes place in a dystopian Japan where children, while seemingly being given special treatment from adults, receive it at the expense of having every aspect of their lives controlled by the government, and the only one who can bring them hope is Kazushige Sanda, who has the power to turn into Santa Claus and bring Christmas joy to a world that’s forgotten the meaning of Christmas and various other holidays.

Sanda’s writing and overall premise make it a work that’s somehow even more wonderfully bizarre than Beastars, and with it boasting all the same great artwork and fight choreography, there’s always something great to look forward to. Sanda is receiving an anime in late 2025 from Science Saru, the studio still in the spotlight from Dandadan’s success, and with any luck, the anime will give it enough of a boost for an English publisher to finally take an interest.

7 Kochikame: Tokyo Beat Cops

Manga By Osamu Akimoto; Serialized In Weekly Shonen Jump 1976-2016

Osamu Akimoto’s KochiKame: Tokyo Beat Cops follows the adventures of Kankichi "Ryo" Ryotsu, a manchild of a police officer who, along with his coworkers, spends more time goofing off than he does doing actual police work. The series is famous for its satire of not just anime and manga, but Japanese culture, as a whole, and in a similar vein to The Simpsons, it's even featured a multitude of cameos from real-life celebrities.

With 200 volumes published across 40 years and a writing style that likely wouldn’t make sense to people unfamiliar with Japanese culture, it makes sense that an English publisher would be hesitant to pick up Kochikame, especially with how hit-and-miss comedy anime and manga are in the West. That being said, Kochikame: Tokyo Beat Cops' great comedy writing, combined with the sheer magnitude of its legacy, makes it plenty worthy of an English release, and hopefully, it’s not completely off the table.

6 Sket Dance

Manga By Kenta Shinohara; Serialized In Weekly Shonen Jump 2007-2013

Kenta Shinohara’s Sket Dance is a comedy series centered around the Sket Dan, a trio of high schoolers who dedicate their time to assisting people with their problems, no matter how big or small they may be. The trio of Bossun the leader, Himeko the former delinquent, and Switch the mute nerd always have eccentric ways of dealing with problems, but even with that, they’re often the normal ones in a school filled to the brim with bizarre characters.

Between its hilarious parody stylings and occasional moments of genuine heart and drama, Sket Dance was one of the best slice-of-life stories to come out of Shonen Jump, and it’s maintained a notable cult following in the decade since its finale. Sket Dance is one of the most underrated Shonen Jump manga ever to be published, but with the anime adaptation of Kenta Shinohara’s latest work, Witch Watch, set to become a big hit, there might be a chance for Sket Dance to finally reach a wider audience.

5 Billy Bat

Manga By Naoki Urasawa & Takashi Nagasaki; Serialized In Morning 2008-2016

Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki’s Billy Bat stars Kevin Yamagata, a comic book artist in post-World War II America who learns he might have accidentally plagiarized the hero of his story Billy Bat while stationed in Japan. Kevin returns to Japan to track down the creator in the hopes of getting permission to keep using the character, and doing so gets him embroiled in a centuries-old conspiracy that the biggest figures in history have all played a part in, all of which goes back to that seemingly innocent bat.

Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki have collaborated on some of the best seinen manga of all time like Monster, Pluto, and 20th Century Boys, and sure enough, Billy Bat embodies everything great about Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki’s work with its incredible art and intricate character and mystery writing. The constant references to Disney and other real-life companies, most of which are largely negative, might be keeping Billy Bat from getting licensed, but it would still be great for there to be some sort of official means of reading such a great manga.

4 Aoashi

Manga By Yugo Kobayashi; Serialized In Weekly Big Comic Spirits Since 2015

Yugo Kobayashi’s Aoashi stars Ashito Aoi, a young soccer player who has a chance encounter with a legendary coach that leads to him joining Tokyo Esperion, one of the most prestigious youth teams in the country. At Esperion, Ashito has the best chance in his life of becoming a professional, but Ashito is quick to learn how that road is far more complicated than he could have imagined.

While Blue Lock has been the dominant soccer manga of the past few years, Aoashi is an incredible work in its own right thanks to its stellar character writing and how great a job the art always does of selling the intensity of every match, especially in the matches past the point the anime stopped at. The Aoashi manga is in its final arc, so if there was ever a time for it to get an official English release, now would be the time.

3 Kinnikuman

Manga By Yudetamago; Serialized In Weekly Shonen Jump 1979-1987, Shu Play News Since 2011

Yudetamago’s Kinnikuman stars Kinnikuman, the bumbling superhero of Japan who rarely ever saves the day without embarrassing himself. Kinnikuman does gradually become more heroic, however, and much of his growth is sparked by the constant wrestling matches he and his friends have to protect the universe from the forces of evil, with the nature of their fights always changing in complexity with every new fight across various decades.

Much like Kochikame: Tokyo Beat Cops, Kinnikuman is an incredibly lengthy manga that’s been running on and off for decades, so that, combined with the comedic elements of its early years and the commercial failure of the Ultimate Muscle manga in the West, have likely kept Kinnikuman from getting an official translation. Even so, Kinnikuman’s great action and the incredible lengths to which its writing and worldbuildingevolve over the years make it one of the best shonen manga a person can read, and with the recent success of its new anime, a manga licensing hopefully isn’t off the table.

2 Gintama

Manga By Hideaki Sorachi; Serialized In Weekly Shonen Jump 2003-2019

Hideaki Sorachi’s Gintama takes place in an alternate history to our own where aliens invaded Japan during the late Edo period and transformed it into a land where samurai are outlawed and aliens reign supreme. Gintoki, a former samurai who fought in the war with the aliens, is now living as an eccentric freelancer, and after unwittingly taking on an apprentice in Shinpachi, his freelancing becomes a full-fledged business known as the Yorozuya.

While Gintama was licensed in English by Viz Media, its publication was abruptly canceled after 23 volumes, covering less than half of the entire story, and even with how much of a cultural icon Gintama’s become, they’ve never picked it back up. It’s unknown why Gintama was canceled in the first place, but regardless, Gintama’s incredible comedy writing, combined with its great action and surprisingly emotional character writing, make it one of the best manga to come out of Shonen Jump in the 2000s, and it would be great if Viz Media or another publisher could finally finish it.

1 Zatch Bell!

Manga By Makoto Raiku; Serialized In Weekly Shonen Sunday 2001-2007

Makoto Raiku’s Zatch Bell!, also known as Konjiki no Gash!!, stars Kiyomaro Takamine, an arrogant child prodigy who meets Zatch Bell, an amnesiac young boy sent to Kiyomaro by his father to help him make friends. Much to both of their surprise, Zatch is one of 100 demons sent to Earth to battle each other for the right to be the next king of the demon world, and coincidentally, Kiyomaro is Zatch’s chosen partner who gives him the power to shoot powerful bursts of electricity from his mouth.

Much like Gintama, Zatch Bell! was once licensed by Viz Media before being abruptly canceled, although in this case, it was due to a lawsuit filed by Makoto Raiku in 2008, and sure enough, Zatch Bell!’s incredible artwork and heartfelt character writing make it one of the best manga a person can read, even if it was never finished in English. Add in the incredible success of its recent sequel, Zatch Bell! 2, and after Kingdom, Zatch Bell! is the biggest case of a manga that needs an official English license, by far.

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