Viz Media facts for kids
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| Founded | July 1986 |
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| Founder | Seiji Horibuchi |
| Headquarters location | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Distribution | Simon & Schuster (Manga; United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, India) Diamond Book Distributors (Manga, rest of world) Warner Home Video (Anime, physical media) |
| Key people | Ken Sasaki (President & CEO) Hidemi Fukuhara (Vice-President) |
| Imprints | Viz Productions (Film and Television) |
| Owner(s) | Hitotsubashi Group: Shueisha (40%) Shogakukan (40%) Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions (20%) |
VIZ Media LLC is a company in America that publishes manga (Japanese comics) and distributes anime (Japanese animation). It's also an entertainment company. Its main office is in San Francisco, California. The company started in 1986 as VIZ LLC. By 2017, Viz Media became the biggest publisher of graphic novels and comic books in the United States. They held 23% of the market, which means almost a quarter of all graphic novels and comics sold were from them!
Contents
What VIZ Media Does
VIZ Media is known for bringing popular Japanese stories to English-speaking audiences. They translate and publish many famous manga series. They also release anime shows and movies.
Publishing Manga
VIZ Media publishes a huge variety of manga. These are Japanese comic books that are often read from right to left. Some of their most famous manga series include:
- Naruto
- Dragon Ball
- Sailor Moon
- My Hero Academia
They print these manga in books that you can buy in stores or read digitally online.
Distributing Anime
Besides manga, VIZ Media also distributes anime. This means they help bring Japanese animated TV shows and movies to other countries. They release these shows on DVD, Blu-ray, and through streaming services. This allows fans outside of Japan to watch their favorite anime.
History of VIZ Media
VIZ Media was founded by Seiji Horibuchi in July 1986. It started as a small company. Over the years, it grew bigger and bigger. It became a major player in the world of manga and anime outside of Japan.
Growth and Popularity
The company's success grew as manga and anime became more popular around the world. VIZ Media helped introduce many classic and new series to millions of fans. They focused on publishing high-quality translations. This made it easier for new readers to enjoy Japanese stories.
Who Owns VIZ Media?
VIZ Media is owned by some very big Japanese companies. These companies are part of the Hitotsubashi Group. The main owners are:
- Shueisha (40% ownership)
- Shogakukan (40% ownership)
- Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions (20% ownership)
These companies are major publishers in Japan. They own many of the popular manga magazines and series that VIZ Media publishes.
Images for kids
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Former Viz Media logo.
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The exterior of Viz Media's former headquarters in San Francisco, California.
