Kodansha USA exclusively confirmed to ICv2 that it will release the legendary boxing manga Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow for the first time in English on both print and digital formats in December 2024.
Kodansha will translate and publish the entire epic boxing manga series, in eight large-format, hardcover magazine editions — the first of which will be released in December 2024 at a cost of $59.95 America. Each volume will be distributed by Penguin Random House upon release.
The digital edition will also be available for purchase at participating digital comic retailers and on Kodansha USA’s website.
Kodansha publisher Toshihiro Tsuchiya released the following statement regarding the English release of the manga:
Kodansha believes that the manga market is maturing, as well as finding manga classics that have never been translated into English before. This work is truly a masterpiece that Japan is very proud of. This year marks the 50th anniversary since its completion in 1973. For this reason, we think now is the best time to bring Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow to reading manga fans. English around the world.
We consider it an honor and a labor of love to introduce such an important manga masterpiece to a new generation of fans. And we hope that this new edition will be as inspiring as when it first launched in Japan.
The original Ashita no Joe manga was written by Asao Takamori and illustrated by Tetsuya Chiba. It was serialized in Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine from January 1, 1968 to May 13, 1973 with a total of 20 tankoubon volumes released during its publication period.
The manga inspired a 79-episode anime television series in 1970 and a second 47-episode anime television series in 1980. The two edited versions of the series were released as films respectively. in 1980 and 1981. The series also inspired a radio series, a stage play, two separate live-action film adaptations in 1970 and 2011, and a six-episode OVA series.
© Asao Takamori, Tetsuya Chiba/Kodansha
A futuristic anime reimagining of Ashita no Joe titled Megalobox was released in 2018, while a second season Megalobox 2: Nomad aired in 2021.
Kodansha describes the summary of Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow as:
A young drifter named Joe Yabuki wanders the slums of Tokyo, but when local thugs try to give him a hard time, he teaches them a rough lesson with his fists. . The sight sparked the eyes of a drunken old man who happened to be watching – Danpei Tange, a failed boxer and former trainer, who saw something special in the boy. He begs Joe to train with him, but the cocky young fighter brushes him off. However, when Joe is later captured and placed in a juvenile detention center, he realizes that he needs to hone his rudimentary fighting skills if he wants to survive.
Source: ICv2, Kodansha US website