Kodansha Removes Popular Manga From Major Platforms, Including Edens Zero

After announcing a partnership with Disney a few months ago involving its lineup of anime, it seems even Kodansha manga titles are being affected. Recently, various platforms announced that Kodansha manga titles will soon be removed.

Specifically, a selection of manga titles that are available or simulpub on the platforms will be removed soon, including popular ongoing series like Edens Zero and To Your Eternity.

Edens Zero, Fairy Tail to Be Removed From Various Platforms

The platforms that are affected include Crunchyroll and Azuki, both of which offer a selection of manga titles that are simultaneously published alongside the Japanese versions.

Kodansha is a major publisher that owns publications such as Weekly Shonen Magazine.

This means some of the magazine’s biggest hits like Edens Zero, Fairy Tail, To Your Eternity, and In/Spectre are among the titles to be removed.

Kodansha has yet to announce this on its social media platforms, though the company did share a statement with Crunchyroll.

In the statement, Kodansha said that they are suspending simulpub updates until further notice and that for now, fans can keep up with Kodansha manga titles through collected volumes.

While there’s no word on why these titles are stopping their simulpub and are set for removal, Kodansha mentioned that there are simulpub plans that are to be revealed in the coming months.

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All Kodansha Titles to Be Removed

Here are all 16 manga titles that will be removed from Crunchyroll beginning January 31:

• A Sign of Affection
• Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card
• Drifting Dragons
• EDENS ZERO
• Fairy Tail
• Farewell, My Dear Cramer
• Fire Force
• In/Spectre
• Space Brothers
• That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
• The Ghost in the Shell: The Human Algorithm
• The World of Summoning
• To Your Eternity
• Toppu GP
• UQ HOLDER!
• Wave, Listen To Me!

Meanwhile, 11 out of the 16 listed titles will also be removed from Azuki at the end of the month.

Because of this, Kodansha manga readers currently have no way of reading the latest chapters of these titles legally.

As expected, many manga fans are not happy with this decision.

While there’s no word yet, it’s possible that Kodansha is going to set up its own online manga distribution service much like Shueisha’s Manga Plus or Square Enix’s Manga Up! Though we might have to wait a while before it gets revealed.

These Kodansha titles are ending simulpub distribution beginning January 16 on various platforms. All the previous simulpub chapters will then be removed on January 31.

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Sources: Azuki, Crunchyroll